One of our Ends is to meet our community’s need for an accessible community-owned downtown market. One way that our Co-op does that is to strive to make shopping with us possible for everyone. One way we measure that impact is through our Healthy Food for All program. Through HFFA we offer a 10% discount every time they shop to those who meet the program criteria for financial need. In the last 5 years, those discounts have increased by more than 130% and in the 12 months ending June 30, 2022, there were 428 individuals participating.

Another measure of accessibility is how our pricing compares with other grocery retailers. While we may never be able to compete with the “big box” stores, our most recent price comparison research shows that our prices compare favorably and in some cases are lower than those of our major competitor. In our Shopper Survey from April 2022, 95% of our shoppers responding said that our Co-op meets their needs well or very well.

We are quickly approaching 4500 members! That means that our co-operative is truly community-owned in a world where increasingly food retailers are controlled by a small number of global companies. Moreover, our emphasis is on local farmers and producers in an industry where 10 companies own nearly 80% of the brands being sold in American markets

So each time you walk through the checkout, what companies are you investing in and how far away are you sending your food dollars? Who is making the decisions affecting the future of our grocery store? You are!