“The struggle to save the global environment is in one way much more difficult than the struggle to vanquish Hitler, for this time the war is with ourselves. We are the enemy, just as we have only ourselves as allies.” - Edward Abbey

Freedom is a great gift. Choices are another great gift. We still live in a land where we have more freedoms than most of the world… and we still get to make choices on what we want ourselves to be, what we desire for our society, and, here is the BIG one – we still get to make daily choices on what we want our environment to be. We may feel that government and big business leave us with no alternatives, but the fact remains that each individual makes personal choices daily that determine whether they are protecting themselves and their planet, or adding to the destruction of the air, land and water.

Ozark Natural Foods is a plumb line in our area for promoting health and environmental protection in our community. Because of that fact, I feel like it is a privilege to run for the Ozark Natural Foods Board and be a part of expanding the vision of ONF through sound business practices and the co-operative spirit required to make the most of the intellectual capital of owners, management, staff and board.

The possibilities are endless when people learn to come together as a team to accomplish their goals. Some of my goals for Ozark Natural Foods are:

1. To be the leader as the resource for health and wellness
2. To be a proven example of how a co-op can be the best form of a business model
3. To offer education that will benefit the consumer in self care, nutrition, and organic gardening
4. To be a contributor to the community through donations and volunteering
5. To be a support system for our local farmers so they can continue to supply the Co-op with nutritious, organic foods
6. To remain competitive in our variety and pricing
7. To have short range, mid range and long range strategies in place
8. To provide a place where owners feel welcome, valued and heard

…in other words, to be exemplary in maintaining the highest standards found in larger successful businesses while providing the owners with small town values and a feeling of being appreciated and known.

Let’s make 2012 the best year in the history of Ozark Natural Foods!

-Lorraine King-Markum, 2012 Board of Directors Candidate. To find out more about Lorraine and the other candidates, go here.