This FAQ is available for download as a double-sided PDF. Click here to download.
What’s with the name?
“Skookum” gives us a good west-coast flavour; it comes form the Chinook Jargon trading language and means “strong, or well-made”. We like these connotations!
“Food”: we’re all about food — growing it, storing it, sharing it!
“Provisioners” are people who provide; who take steps to create a better future; who put aside food for themselves and others. It suggests a sense of community, which is very important to us.
“Cooperative” because that’s our legal structure and we strongly subscribe to the cooperative model as a way to build an equitable, sustainable community of people who care about each other’s well-being.
What is the purpose of Skookum?
The purpose of Skookum is to give our members access to the skills, knowledge, and resources that will help them provide for their own food needs, and those of their families, friends, neighbours, and others in the community. We are all about empowering people to grow, process, preserve, and share food; and we believe that the best way to do this is to get people working together. Sharing land, seeds, labour, ideas, tools, and time will allow our members to save money, learn new skills, and get opportunities to work with other people to put more local food on the table.
What type of cooperative is Skookum?
Legally, we are a community service cooperative, which is BC’s term for a not-for-profit cooperative. This means that no member may profit individually from any profit we might generate, but all members can benefit from the activities of the cooperative. We have a strong commitment to donating and contributing to the general community as well. We can hire people and own equipment or land.
We are a not-for-profit cooperative but we do not have charitable tax status. This means that while we can happily accept cash or in-kind donations, we cannot issue tax receipts. We decided not to pursue charitable status so that we could more easily advocate for local food initiatives, without the restrictions placed on charities.
How does membership in Skookum work?
You can become a member by filling out and submitting a membership application (see last page) and paying $20 for one membership share in the cooperative. Once the board of directors accepts your application, you are a member and you will receive a hand-signed share certificate. This certificate is a legal document and can be redeemed at face value if you ever choose to withdraw from the cooperative.
Membership in Skookum gives you the right to cast a vote on any resolution at regular and special meetings called by the board, to participate in our cooperative projects. Individual projects will have their own related terms, fees, conditions and requirements. You may hold as many shares in the coop as you like, but you still only have one vote.
Skookum has a board of seven directors, and any member is eligible to become a director by election at a general meeting, so long as their membership application was approved at least 30 days before the date of that meeting. The board also has the power to appoint directors to fill a vacancy.
Joint memberships are limited to two people who can purchase one membership share together and have only one vote between them. Only one member in a joint membership may be a director at any one time.
What’s in it for me?
We plan to manage projects which will fulfill some part of our purposes. As a member, you will help determine which projects we pursue, and all projects will depend on members working together. For example, we might decide to get together to grow potatoes in common. Together we will share the costs of buying seed potatoes, amendments, tools, and all the other supplies we might need. Participating members will share their labour, and then we’ll divvy up the resulting potatoes, with a share going to people in need in the region.
Our projects can be about producing food, processing or preserving food, about buying tools and equipment to be commonly owned and managed, or about anything that contributes to our purposes (see the back page). Our imagination is the only limit!
Once we have a number of projects like this, our members will be more self-reliant and will also be part of a community of kindred spirits who are taking action to develop our local food economy.
What are Skookum’s current projects?
The first project we’re taking on is the Skookum Gleaners (formerly the Tree Fruit Project). This community project will pick, sort, distribute and process local fruit, nuts, and vegetables which would otherwise go to waste. This year we plan to buy picking equipment, a cider press, and other materials to help us do some canning, dehydrating, and cider-making.
This year we are growing an experimental patch of hull-less oats as a pilot project. We hope to do this on a larger scale next year, as part of a local grain project.
We are looking for land suitable for growing a common patch of potatoes next year.
If you have an idea for a good food-related project, please contact a board member or email us at skookum@skookumfood.ca.
What can I do right now?
Start by becoming a member and then get involved! Stay informed by checking out our website. Or contact us at skookum@skookumfood.ca. Contribute ideas and get involved in the projects now underway. Remember, we are brand new and still very small – but the sky is the limit!
