Food Co-ops: Healthy Food Access & Inclusion Presentations

These presentations explore how food co-ops across New England are working to ensure our doors are open to all people, “without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination,” in keeping with the 7 Cooperative Principles, and partnering to increase access to healthy, regionally-sourced food and food co-op member-ownership among low-income individuals/communities in New England.  The Neighboring Food Co-op Association and the Cooperative Fund of New England partnered to create and develop the Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access Project to support information sharing among food co-ops regarding programs that expand participation of low-income individuals and communities, and to raise the profile of food co-ops as a solution to the challenge of healthy food access in our region.


Breaking Down Walls and Building Participation

For more than 170 years, food co-ops have worked to achieve the ideals of democracy, empowerment and inclusion—ideals we continue to strive toward today. How can co-ops continue to work to ensure our doors are open to all people, “without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination,” in keeping with the 7 Cooperative Principles? This starts by identifying who we’re excluding and then taking action to be more welcoming, recognizing that we are better—and more successful and relevant—when we are more inclusive, when we lift one another up, and when we work together to remove barriers to participation.  Join us to explore how the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NCFA) is working with its 35 member food co-ops, startups and partners across New England to address this question through our Food Co-ops & Healthy Food Access work.

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Healthy Food Access: Creating a Welcoming Food Co-op, NFCA Fall Gathering, 9.7.13 from NFCACoops

The roots of the co-operative movement are in food security. Faye Conte from Hunger Free Vermont presents the challenges around access to healthy, affordable food in New England, and about how our food co-ops be a part of the solution, inviting more people to be a part of our movement.

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Food Co-ops: Making Healthy, Local Food More Accessible, NOFA SC, 8.11.13 from NFCACoops

Bonnie Hudspeth, Outreach Coordinator for the Neighboring Food Co-op Association, & Micha Josephy, Program Manager for the Cooperative Fund of New England, share how twenty-nine New England food co-ops are collaborating to make wholesome, nutritious food more accessible to all community members. This presentation explores the capacity of food co-ops to increase access to healthy food for individuals/families with limited food budgets, and strategies to increase collaboration among food co-ops for a larger collective impact.

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Healthy Food Access: Lessons From The Field, CCMA 2013 from NFCACoops

Get the latest on what New England food co-ops are doing to make healthy food more accessible and affordable through the “Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access” project, a collaboration between the Neighboring Food Co-op Association and the Cooperative Fund of New England. This presentation shares the lessons learned to date, plans for future development, and resources so other food co-ops can more easily start healthy food access programs at their co-ops.

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Co-operatives: Resiliency in Action
The co-operative business model is, by definition, resilient. Co-ops have fared well during the economic downturn. Why? Because they are developed for and accountable to the needs of members rather than outside investors. We’ll share stories of how food co-ops in New Hampshire and throughout New England are meeting the needs of their communities, and a specific example of how food co-ops have used their unique structure to respond to changing community needs through the Food Co-ops & Healthy Food Access Project. Learn how neighboring New England food co-ops are making wholesome, nutritious food more accessible to families with limited food budgets.

View more presentations from NFCACoops

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With Access For All: Reducing Co-op Barriers

The Neighboring Food Co-op Association, Cooperative Fund of New England and 30 New England food co-ops are collaborating to make wholesome, nutritious food more accessible to all community members. This workshop explores the barriers to healthy food access and the capacity of food co-ops to address these barriers and increase access to healthy food for individuals/families with limited food budgets. Learn about the “Food Co-ops and Healthy Food Access” project, its goals and challenges, and specific stories of programs that co-ops have created to make their food more accessible.

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