In March, the Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) community gathered in Greenfield, MA, to celebrate 15 years of shared impact as a regional co-operative of grocery co-ops.
In addition to networking, peer dialogs, and workshops, the gathering heard remarks from Neighboring Co-operator Award recipient Doug O’Brien, President & CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA).
“Co-operation matters most in a challenging time, and we are in a challenging time,” said O’Brien. “And the way to really advance the power of co-operatives by working together in associations. So, thank you for everything you do for your co-op and for your community, and thank you on behalf of NCBA CLUSA.”
The Neighboring Co-operator award honors individuals and organizations that have contributed to the advancement of our vision and is also a fundraiser for co-operative education. Individuals and organization are invited to donate to the Cooperative Development Foundation in recognition of Doug O’Brien and all of our awardees.
“In 2025, we were particularly happy to welcome some new members to NFCA,” said Associate Director Suzette Snow-Cobb in her welcome. “Chatham Real Food Co-op, Tom’s Natural Foods Co-op, Rising Tide Co-op, and TipTop Co-op also joined as an official member last year. And this year, we are excited to welcome Adamant Co-op as our newest member.”
“I’m going to miss this particular passion project,” said John Crane, NFCA President and General Manager of Portland Food Co-op (ME), who is stepping down from the board after three terms of service. “The NFCA is unique, unparalleled in its commitment, and has yet to be duplicated. Over thirty food co-ops and start-up food co-ops across seven states have chosen to band together in a federation that supports us all. You are all a testament to the importance of the co-operative model.”
In their report to the gathering, Crowell and Snow-Cobb shared some of the ways that the NFCA focused on the opportunity of the second UN International Year of Co-ops and its core goals of raising public awareness, promoting growth and development, advocating for policies that protect and promote co-ops, and inspiring leadership, particularly by engaging young people in the movement.
As an example, Snow-Cobb pointed to the Certificate in Applied Research on Co-operative Enterprise, which was established by the Department of Economics at UMass Amherst in collaboration with the NFCA and the Valley Alliance of Worker Co-ops a decade ago as an opportunity to engage students in real-life experience with co-operatives.
“As we looked back over the past ten years, we realized that we have had 47 students who have completed the internship program,” said Suzette. “And when you checked in you got to meet two of our interns for this year, Tavishi [Singh]and Christiana [Cao]. They are interested in learning about co-operatives and fortunate to have a college course at UMass” thanks to our partnerships.
The report also noted the growth of food co-ops on our region, with at least 20 opening their doors over the past 15 years, more than in any other region in the U.S.
“To be clear, we’re not taking sole credit for this trend in new co-ops. Really the weight of that credit goes to the start-up organizers,” said Crowell. “But what we do think we have contributed to is a much stronger ecosystem of support and collaboration in this region with partners and many of you who provide peer support. We believe we have helped create an environment of awareness where co-ops are seen as a solution and a successful model for participatory economic development that can serve our communities for generations.”
The day included a series of peer dialogs providing an opportunity for attendees to participate in exchanges on issues ranging from food security to climate action, supporting small food co-ops to building community among board members, and the important role of associations in policy advocacy.
“I think this was the best one I’ve been to yet! At our discussion group table, we spoke about a peer group for new Board Directors,” noted Susan Cutting, Board President, Belfast Community Co-op (ME). “So enjoyed being there and found the topics genuinely helpful to me.”
Afternoon workshops included a session on “Leadership Continuity: Resilience for Challenging Times,” co-led by Kari Bradley, former General Manager of Hunger Mountain Co-op (VT), and Mary Mullally, current GM, and panel with NFCA financial partners, including Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, LEAF, NCB (National Cooperative Bank), and Shared Capital Co-op, on “Supporting Shared Success.”
“Having been away from the co-op world since the 70’s in Wisconsin, it was helpful to understand the organizations supporting the co-op model, said Cathy Neal, Board Member Franklin Community Co-op, (MA). “The meeting was informative and inspiring.”
The afternoon also included a panel representing inductees into the world map of Cooperative Cultural Heritage, launched in 2025, including Liz Knapp (General Manager, Adamant Co-op), Joe Bergeron (Retired Executive Director, Association of Vermont Credit Unions), and Cornelius Blanding (Executive Director, Federation of Southern Cooperatives).
“It was a pleasure to be part of such a thoughtful and engaging conversation,” said Blanding. “The Cooperative Cultural Heritage Project highlights the power of collaboration in preserving and sharing our collective stories, and I’m grateful to have contributed to a dialogue that underscores our responsibility to collective ownership and cultural stewardship.”
For recordings, presentations and other resources from the NFCA’s 15th Annual Meeting, please visit https://nfca.coop/membergatherings.