October is National Co-op Month, and this year’s theme is “The Future is Cooperative”.  The Three Rivers Board is holding our annual retreat on October 13th, and this will be the perfect opportunity to reflect on where we want our cooperative to go over the next few years, and what role we want our market to play in the Knoxville community.  The first official Co-op Month celebration was declared in Minnesota in 1948, and since 1964, the US Department of Agriculture has put out a proclamation recognizing It nationally.

To help think through the important questions of our role in the local food ecosystem, the Board was proud to welcome Kimberly Pettigrew, the Director of Food Systems for the United Way of Greater Knoxville, to present at our September meeting.  Kimberly was an engaging and emotional speaker, … Read More »

Like freshly stocked Three Rivers Market shelves, this month’s Board News contains a smorgasbord of new stuff for you to enjoy! You can read about the first impression TRM made on a self-proclaimed grocery nerd, hear from a past Board member who had something encouraging to say about participating in democracy at your co-op, learn what Board committees have been working on, and finally, read a recent study and engagement article that was part of our monthly Board work.

DECISIONS ARE MADE BY THOSE WHO SHOW UP

Finding active, engaged members to serve on the Three Rivers Board of Directors is hard work, but it is also good work. In 2023, a beloved Board member, Helen de Haven, shared what makes this work so worthwhile.

Helen passed away a few months after writing the article below, and while she is dearly missed by … Read More »

This month we’d like to share a recap of our Annual Member Picnic, some responses to questions we’ve received from members recently, and an invitation to run for the Board.

MEMBER PICNIC RECAP

In 1970, Ivan Racheff donated the property at 1943 Tennessee Avenue, located in the Lonsdale neighborhood of Knoxville, to the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs to serve as its state headquarters. For more than five decades since, the Ivan Racheff House and Gardens have served the community as a lush oasis in the middle of a booming industrial district, and recently hosted the Three Rivers Market Annual Members Picnic on Saturday, July 20.

The Level II Arboretum offered members shelter from the wind and passing rain clouds as they enjoyed a variety of tasty fare – including empanadas, sandwiches, cookies, crudité and dips from Real Good Kitchen, as well as … Read More »

Interested in getting more involved in the governance of Three Rivers Market? This month we invite members to attend our annual Member Picnic and to consider running for a seat on the Board. 

Upcoming Election 

Three Board seats are up for election each year. Interested candidates must attend a meeting (register here) in July, August, or September, during which there is a Candidate Q&A at the beginning of each meeting, and complete an application by October 1st, 2024, at 7 PM. 

Three Rivers Market is cooperatively owned by our members and democratically governed by our Board of Directors. All members have one vote in our annual election regardless of the number of Patronage Membership Interests (PMIs) held. Each year, members elect candidates to serve on the Board of Directors, which is responsible for the governance of Three Rivers Market. The Board consists of … Read More »

In April, the Board of Directors met at the Birdhouse Neighborhood Center for our Spring Retreat, during which we established our governance priorities for the upcoming fiscal year beginning in July.

We began the day with an orientation presented by an Employee & Labor Relations Consultant who has worked closely with Three Rivers Market since the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union was voluntarily recognized in 2021. We learned more about how the bargaining process works; the legal and process limits on Three Rivers Market and the staff union; the role of the Board; and the importance of adhering to the collective bargaining agreement struck between the staff union and Three Rivers Market. 

Three Rivers Market is committed to prioritizing a positive working relationship between the staff union and store management, with ongoing education helping all involved to better understand the … Read More »