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Donald McAninch
Why are you interested in serving on the board of Bloomington Cooperative Services (BCS)?
Cooperatives holistically serve community needs in a way that traditional for-profit businesses cannot. Since moving to Bloomington, I have seen the valuable role Bloomingfoods plays in our community. I want to help continue and grow the Bloomingfoods mission however I can.
What experience or involvement have you had with Bloomingfoods or other cooperatives?
I have been a customer of Bloomingfoods since 2019. As a Board member, I would be excited to learn more about how Bloomingfoods and similar cooperatives work so that I can more effectively support Bloomingfoods and other community institutions into the future.
What has been your experience working cooperatively with small groups of people?
I co-managed a restaurant from 2013-16 and designed food truck kitchens in collaboration with fabricators and truck operators from 2016-17. More recently, I worked on a seven-person team within IU's IT department. Currently, I work in partnership with clients and an attorney supervisor in the University's Student Legal Services office.
Please share any professional, volunteer, or life experience you have had that will provide insight when serving on the BCS Board of Directors. Include knowledge, skills, formal training, and education that will contribute to the mission of our co-op.
I spend the first five years of my working life in food service, learning about food operations and basic business economics. As a law student, I now study how organizations can be structured and used to respond to people's everyday needs while providing long-term sustainability.
How do your values and lifestyle align with the values and mission of the co-op? My partner and I strive to live a simple, frugal, and sustainable life, including by eating a primarily vegan diet, buying what we need locally whenever possible, limiting our consumption of energy, water, and single-use packaging, and building long-term social brands within our community.
Given the stated Ends of BCS, what do you see as the primary role of BCS in the community?
BCS could help reduce plastic waste by encouraging vendors to move away from single-use packaging and encouraging consumers to purchase bulk foods in reusable containers. Additionally, community education could help counteract the toxic identity politics around food choices and expand the number of people BCS serves.
What are opportunities and challenges you see for BCS in the future expression of these Ends?
BCS could help reduce plastic waste by encouraging vendors to move away from single-use packaging and encouraging consumers to purchase bulk foods in reusable containers. Additionally, community education could help counteract the toxic identity politics around food choices and expand the number of people BCS serves.
Please share any other brief statement that you feel is important regarding your potential service as a member of our board.
I am so proud to live in a community that supports a responsible, people-driven institution like Bloomingfoods. I hope you will give me the opportunity to dedicate some of my time and energy to helping perpetuate and improve this invaluable resource.
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