Food co-op combines community and cuisine
Besides being able to satiate your desire to go green, being part of the non-profit co-op also means exclusive access to a great community of people and local, organic goods.
“Students looking for healthy food, we offer better prices than the organic section in the grocery store,” said Andry Wasylko, who has been a part of London's Food Co-op for seven years.
The premise behind the Food Co-op, located at 621 Princess Ave., is that you pay a small membership fee, which then makes you an owner of the co-op along with the other members. Currently, there are about 200 members, said Wasylko.
Once you become a member and want to shop there, you can do one of two things: pay an inexpensive service charge every week or work a three hour shift doing things like packaging, stocking, cleaning or working cash — if you choose the work shift, you're not required to pay the service charge for three weeks.
“It requires a bit more commitment than the corner store,” said Wasylko.
The set-up may seem unique, but it's one that's been successful since 1970.
“If we don't use it, we lose it. It's part of our community and we have to support it. It's an unusual business — not like anything else,” said manager, Loretta McHenry, who has been a member since 1979.
The whole idea is a small community that's able to have a stake in where they get their food and the quality of it. There's a board of directors consisting of nine people, and members can join committees. A duty of the provisions committee is determining what gets to be in the store. They'll even travel to local farms and research where exactly the product is coming from.
“People are looking for alternatives. Ten years ago, people didn't care where their food came from,” said Wasylko. “If you ask any of our managers they know where it came from, the supplier, even the grower.”
With its long-time members, the co-op has been showing London its dedication to going green before it became trendy. But new members, and a younger generation are always welcome to join the movement. With the current economic climate, the co-op is a sustainable way to afford groceries — it's the “perfect place to be,” said McHenry.
“You feel good about buying food here because you're part of owning it and you're responsible for it,” she said. “I don't know how to express my love for the co-op. We're so lucky to have it.”