Our Nod to the Nygards

As some of you may know, this year the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives, celebrating around the world the contribution of cooperatives to socio-economic development, their impact on poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.  It happens that one of our members, Rick Nygard, is a United Nations consultant, and Rick and his wife have been steady volunteers at the co-op since its inception. We find it fitting, therefore, to tell you a bit about the Nygards.

Rick, retired from a career in the federal government, has held a consultancy at the United Nations and U.S. federal agencies for the past ten years. Susan is a retired teacher. In 2010, Rick and Susan moved from Maryland to Connecticut to be closer to two of their children and their families.


Rick and Susan Nygard

As newcomers in Chester, the Nygards looked for volunteer opportunities as a way to become involved in the local community.  When they learned the Local Beet was shifting from a private store into a co-op model and sought volunteers, they joined and signed up to volunteer. The Nygards believed the co-op would serve a need in town for quality food, and this belief has been confirmed for them in the last year.

 

The Nygards have routinely volunteered at the Beet a few hours each week since the beginning – clerking, cleaning and stocking shelves.  Susan says that having a regular volunteer time each week makes it easy to fit in co-op time with other activities, and that volunteering enables them to get a good understanding of what the co-op is currently offering, how it works and who shops there. By way of other volunteering, Susan is a board member of the Chester Land Trust, and Rick has been appointed an alternate member of the Chester Board of Finance.

The Nygards feel the Local Beet plays important roles in the Chester community, not only providing high-quality organic foods, but serving as one of the only in-town grocery stores with a number of everyday items such as produce, meats, bread and milk. They also feel the Beet gives locals the opportunity to work together in a venture that is rewarding not only to them, but to the community as well. We’d like to thank the Nygards for their continued support and steady volunteerism. We’re lucky to have them!