MEMBERSHIP HANDBOOK

THE TERMS OF SERVICE OF THE HIGH PLAINS FOOD COOPERATIVE

Our system works because we, the member-owners of the High Plains Food Cooperative, take pride and responsibility for making it work.

Every member is expected to abide by these Terms of Service.  

1. Each order is a legally enforceable contract to pick up and pay for the groceries ordered. You are obligated to pay for the items you order, even if you do not pick them up, unless they are delivered to you damaged or broken. Everything showing in your online shopping basket is an order for those products.

2. When you order, pick up your order during the time specified for your pickup site. This is part of our contract. We are not a giant supermarket with acres of cold storage. Most of our pick up sites do not have the ability to hold orders past their operating hours, especially if refrigerated or frozen items are involved. It is your responsibility to know where to pick up your food and the hours the pick-up site is open. This information is on your invoice. Any order which is not picked up at the specified time without prior arrangements being made will be donated to charity.

3. All orders must be paid in full before they leave the pickup site.  You will need to show proof of payment when picking up your order or pay at the time of pick up.

 4. We understand that emergencies happen on delivery day. If this happens to you, please call the emergency telephone number listed on the web site as soon as possible. The earlier we know about a situation, the better we will be able to deal with it. You can also contact the coop before the order closes about making alternative delivery arrangements. Depending on the circumstances, we may be able to arrange something other than the specified hours for a particular site, but this must be arranged before you turn in your order.

5. If you sign up for a delivery site, but then need to change to a different pick up site, we can do that.  If you are making this change more than 24 hours before delivery day, email us at help@highplainsfood.org.
 
6. When you pick up your order, make sure you get all the items you ordered. Take the time to check your invoice thoroughly to make sure you get everything. If an item is missing or damaged, we must be notified within 24 hours to make any adjustments.

7. Treat the coop volunteers well. The High Plains Food Cooperative does not have employees. We have volunteers who are investing their time and effort as sweat equity in growing the future of this Cooperative. Thus, there can never be a question of an "employee-customer" relationship in your interactions with the volunteer workers of the High Plains Food Cooperative. Please do not complain to delivery day volunteers or berate or blame them for something that may have gone wrong with your order. Volunteers have no control over what the producers do. If you have an issue with a producer, send the producer an e-mail and copy help@highplainsfood.org so we can help you follow up with the producer if needed.  Mistreatment of volunteers is a serious breech of cooperative ethics.

8. Please keep your contact information current on our cooperative records. We encourage you to list cell phone numbers on your membership so we can contact you directly on delivery day if there is a problem. If you change your email address, please update your account and send us an e-mail so we can delete the outdated e-mail from our mailing list.

10. If you are a member approved as a producer, Producers Guidelines are incorporated into these Terms of Service.

Procedure for applying to become a Producer of the High Plains Food Cooperative

1. Join the Cooperative at the voting member level ($100.00). Producer applications are only accepted from coop members.
2. Fill out the online application at www.highplainsfood.org.  Click on the tab marked “Join”
3. Your application automatically goes to the coop's Standards Committee, which will review your application and contact you with any questions. The Standards Committee may ask for more information, and may visit your farm or business before approving your application.
4.  The Standards Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding accepting your application to become a producer.  The Board votes on each application to approve it.
5. Producer members of the cooperative are required to follow all of our cooperative procedures, and must have a working email address.
6. As part of the application process, you or a representative of your farm or business must attend and volunteer at delivery day prior to listing your products for sale.
7. If any licenses or certificates are required for your product (e.g. health department inspection certificate for a kitchen, organic certification number, etc.) we must receive a copy of those documents before approving your application. Copies of your current licenses or certificates should be mailed to High Plains Food Coop, 1678 US Highway 36, St. Francis, KS  67756
8. The approval process can take up to 4 weeks to complete. If you are not accepted as a producer member and do not wish to purchase products through the coop, at your request we will cancel your membership and refund your membership payment.
9.  By submitting an application to become a producer, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Producer Requirements.