Thankful for Co-operation

Dorchester Food Co-op (MA) staff and board members.
As we give thanks this holiday season, we especially appreciate our food co-op staff, who are working hard to ensure access to healthy, nourishing food for all of our communities.

As we gather this month, we give thanks to all who work to bring food to our tables, from farms and producers to co-op clerks, cashiers, cooks to our own kitchens and those who prepare our food. Together with our members, directors, and supplier partners, we are building a more resilient and sustainable food system. Because when you shop at your local food co-op this holiday season, you’re getting more than healthy, delicious food and gifts for yourself and your family. You are also helping to…

  • Strengthen Your Local Community. When you shop at the co-op, more of your money stays in the community, supporting local producers, and building shared wealth. On average, local products account for more than 25% of sales at our member food co-ops (compared to 2-3% in supermarkets). Last year, our customers purchased over $120 million in products from local producers, helping to build local economies.
  • Support Good Jobs. On average, food co-op staff receive higher wages and more are employed full-time than in supermarkets in our region. Over 60% of our 2,545 employees are also co-op members, sharing in the ownership of their community grocery store.
  • Build Sustainability. Your purchases support sustainable agriculture, Fair Trade, reduced packaging through bulk buying, renewable energy, and increased efficiency — contributing to a healthier environment.
  • Grow a More Inclusive Economy. Food co-ops are locally owned and democratically governed by their members — more than 185,000 people like you who live and work in our communities — empowering people to work together to build an economy that works for everyone.

Control of our food system matters and working together our co-ops are already building this system. Based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity, co-operatives offer a different approach to business.  All are welcome to shop at your local food co-op, and we invite you to become a member-owner, joining with your neighbors as we work together to build more healthy, just, and sustainable communities.

To find a food co-op near you, please visit: https://nfca.coop/members

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