October is Co-op Month

It is easy to think of the Co-op as just another choice when you’re shopping for groceries. I know I sometimes do. It is easy to forget that co-ops are a radically different  alternative to meeting our needs: for food, for housing, for financial services, for insurance, for agriculture.  
Well, as a way to remind us of that, it turns out that October is Co-op Month! We have our own month!!! Co-op Month, it turns out, has been a nationally recognized celebration since 1964. 

There are worker, farmer, dairy, purchasing, producing, and housing co-ops. Ours is a consumer cooperative.  A cooperative is owned by members who use the co-op to purchase the goods or services they need. We, as well as other co-ops, are guided by seven principles:

1. Voluntary membership: Any person who is willing to accept the responsibilities of co-op membership is welcome. 
2. Democratic member control: Co-ops are controlled by their members. Members have control over setting policies for the co-op and making decisions for the cooperative.
3. Member economic participation: Members contribute to the capital of the co-op democratically and equitably. 
4. Autonomy and independence: Co-ops are meant to be autonomous and democratically controlled.
5. Education, training, and information: A cooperative provides education and training to members and board members to allow them to contribute to the development of the co-op. 
6. Cooperation among cooperatives: Co-ops will often work together, creating structures that help to improve the community and create a better world.
7. Concern for community: The policies approved by the members should help to develop the community around the co-op in a sustainable way

These seven principles are foundational, but they miss the warmth and connection of our shopping and being a part of our Co-op. I like the array of good food available, I like seeing products from our region on the shelves, I enjoy the friendliness and welcome from staff, and I like encountering friends and neighbors in the aisles. And I like knowing I have a stake in this enterprise. As a member, I am a stakeholder!

by Calvin Dame