Friendly City Food Co-op reaches out

 
Staff Report
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On Tuesday, Jan. 26, the Friendly City Food Co-op is holding a membership drive.

A representative will be available throughout the day in three locations: A Bowl of Good Café, 7-10 a.m., The Hardesty Higgins House, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and The Artful Dodger. 5-7 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

The Friendly City Food Co-op began selling shares of ownership in their co-operative grocery store start-up venture in 2007. During this month, the third year anniversary of the co-op’s initial launch, organizers are focused on reaching capital goals in order to begin renovations on their downtown site, slated for the corner of Mason Street and East Wolfe Street in Harrisonburg. 

Starting a community-owned grocery store requires vision, systems, talent and capital. In Harrisonburg, there are a strong core of co-op volunteers with an abundance of vision and talent, who have created strong systems. The community at large is needed to secure the capital.

Turning to community for capital is a key element of cooperative businesses, which are owned by the people who use them. Investing in a co-op is an opportunity to participate in a different economic model. A model where many people work together to build a business they desire in their community, and like-wise share the benefits of ownership such as financial return, influence in the store’s priorities and the satisfaction of creating a valuable business within their community. The Friendly City Food Co-op is a consumer’s co-op, and so their community is anyone who would like to be able to purchase locally produced or natural food at a cooperatively-owned downtown grocery store. They are 100 percent community-funded, with over a million dollars already committed.

Friendly City Food Co-op is a cooperatively owned, democratically-run business that will open a full service natural food grocery store in Downtown Harrisonburg. The store will promote the relationship between the food we eat, the health of the earth, and our own physical well being. Healthy, wholesome foods, organic produce, and environmentally sound, fairly traded products will be emphasized.

Whenever possible, they plan to buy produce and items from local farmers, orchards, bakers, and members of the local community, thereby supporting local farmers.

For more information, visit www.FriendlyCityFoodCoop.com.