Many of you might already know that your Portola co-op location suffered a prolonged power disruption over the weekend. We endured three full days without power during the worst snowstorm of the year. Whiteout conditions caused major disruptions to the power supply. Roads were a nightmare. We lost an estimated $18,000 in perishable products in those three days without power. Staff lost wages, and the co-op lost revenue. We finally came “back online” Monday afternoon.
As we continue to assess the damage, we find light and hope amid the darkness. There has been an outpouring of kindness, support, and love for our Portola co-op location.
Many of you have already reached out and asked what you can do to support us now. While the obvious solution is to install a generator, this takes some strategic planning and financial capability. Some simple and effective ways you can help right now is to consider the following:
- Consider vesting fully with your membership to the $300 cap.
- Encourage your friends and neighbors to sign up as new members.
- Shop with us as much as possible!
Membership share payments build equity in the business. This provides the co-op with working capital that supports infrastructure improvements like a generator. By paying additional member shares up to the $300 max you are essentially helping us invest in future improvements.
There will be more information in the coming days as we plan ways to move forward from this. We are working diligently to get our store back up to speed. We have made a claim to our insurance company, and we do expect some assistance with the lost product.
We appreciate your patience while our Portola crew works through this crisis. If you are shopping at our Portola location, I encourage you to show some appreciation and love to the amazing crew who have been working so hard to dig out of this.
Thank you for your continued support, we are grateful for our community.
Marcie Wilde
General Manager