Staff, board, and partnerships

Staff

• Julie Davis, Store Manager Julie is a founding member of the co-op, originally heading the CSA program. She lives in Orange with her family, including two family dogs. She is currently the Store Manager, and you can find her bustling around the store most days.

Board of Directors (2020-2021)

• Kelsey Cass (Ashburnham) Kelsey Cass is an Athol native who now resides in Ashburnham. She is a yoga instructor and is very inspired by local food and how it contributes to our sense of home. Other passions include gardening, cooking, hiking, and community engagement.
• Pam Harty, Treasurer (Orange) Pam relocated from the South Shore to the North Quabbin in 2021. With experience in retail sales and corporate purchasing for a national food retailer, running a food pantry, and educating children through a farm-based program, Pam is excited about collaborating with the Quabbin Harvest community to strengthen the positive impact it has in the local food economy.
• Seth Isman (Hadley) A longtime Connecticut Valley resident, Seth has been involved with coops since 1972, when he was a Board Member of the Amherst Food Coop and the Yellow Sun Coop. More recently, he served as Bookkeeper of the Old Creamery Coop in Cummington and also owned and operated a retail store selling toys and children's clothing in Northampton for 27 years. He has been a member of Quabbin Harvest since its beginning and brings to the board expertise in financial management and financial information systems.
• MaryEllen Kennedy (New Salem) MaryEllen Kennedy has been a resident of New Salem for almost 30 years. After a career in high-tech, learning the power of electronic communications, she is happy to have more time to focus on the joys and challenges of the North Quabbin region. She has been a trustee of the New Salem Library and has spent many years working to build a fiber optic network in her town, now a reality. As a volunteer and now board member of Quabbin Harvest, she is thrilled to help bring access to good local food to an increasing number of our citizens and support our local producers.
• Pat Larson (Orange) Since 2010 Pat has helped with set up and distribution of CSA Shares at the co-op. Before retiring from paid work, Pat was the site director for The Literacy Project's Orange Adult Education Center site and involved in community issues in Orange. Pat taught for 30 years at many levels and currently continues to work with groups such as North Quabbin Energy and the Orange Town Energy Committee. Pat has lived in Franklin County for over 40 years and enjoys the many opportunities for hiking, cross country skiing, and bike riding. Each spring she looks forward to planting a large vegetable garden and then the harvesting in late summer.
• Mark Maynard (Warwick) Born and raised in Warwick, Mark Maynard was employed for nearly 40 years by Community Action in Orange, helping connect local residents to resources such as food, public benefits, social services, counseling, and financial assistance. This experience has provided him with insight and hands-on appreciation for what it's like to live in this part of Franklin County and he hopes to see Quabbin Harvest continue being part of this community into the future.
• Marta Nover (Orange) A native of Athol and graduate of UMass Amherst, Marti worked for 35 years on the South Shore of Massachusetts in the field of environmental consulting and engineering. She has been an active volunteer with several environment-related organizations as well as running her own company, Nover-Armstrong Associations, Inc. On returning to the North Quabbin area in 2017 she was happy to discover Quabbin Harvest as a shopper and to bring expertise in organizational management to its board of directors.
• Ingrid Schatz (Orange) Ingrid moved back to her hometown of Orange in 2014 after pursuing a more than 20-year career as a professional dancer, choreographer and educator in the Boston area. Since 2013 she has operated The Dance Studio on North Main Street in Orange, building a studio community based on clear communication, inclusion, and the belief that everyone has something important to contribute. She is committed to helping build a vibrant and sustainable community, including helping Quabbin Harvest and other downtown Orange neighbors thrive into the future.
• Kim Scot (Orange) Kim moved to Orange in the fall of 2020, from the West Coast (Northern California and British Columbia). She is a retired teacher who moved East to be near two of her four grandchildren (two live in Australia). She currently serves on the Orange Elementary School Committee and several sub-committees. While living in Nelson, BC, she learned about the power and possibility of Co-ops as a member of three Co-ops and a Board Member of the local Co-op Radio Station. Kim volunteers at Quabbin Harvest, and recently became a Board Member. Her interest is in building community with a shared regard for human and environmental rights.
• Cathy Stanton, Chair (Wendell) Cathy Stanton is a writer and cultural anthropologist who has lived in the North Quabbin area since the late 1980s. She teaches at Tufts University and has a deep interest in communicating about the history, present-day challenges, and possible futures of our regional food system.
• Mary Wolfe (Orange) Mary first became interested in co-ops as a young mother in 1970. There were no co-ops in her area of New Jersey, so she started a small co-operative in her house. Years later, she participated in a co-op in Florida where she encouraged other members to more fully participate in bulk food purchasing using UNFI. She is a retired I.T. tech providing a total of 27 years of software, hardware, networking and operations support. She enjoys a collaborative environment and helping to enhance and grow our local food initiative

Our board is elected democratically by member-owners each spring. If you are a member-owner interested in running for a seat on the board or making a suggestion for nomination, please email us.

Emeritus Board Members

• Amy Borezo
• Julie Davis
• Margot Parrot
• Robin Shtulman
• Nina Wellen

Partnerships

We partner with many area organizations working on expanding access to healthy food for our whole community. Find out more here.

Our building is owned by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust. Like Quabbin Harvest, Mount Grace is committed to supporting the local food system and keeping area farms in operation. Learn more about their farmland protection program on their website.