Introducing HEAL Food Alliance, our newest advocacy partner in our shared work to change the food system for the better. NCG’s financial contributions will support HEAL’s work on the Farm Bill and in developing infrastructure for worker- and neighborhood-owned food co-ops in response to food apartheid.
Small businesses like co-ops have limited time and resources to commit to ensuring compliance with federal, state and local regulations. But it’s important to take compliance seriously to reduce the risk and costs of penalties for noncompliance. We’ve identified some regulations applicable to co-ops, along with ways to proactively address and remain compliant.
Lexington Cooperative Market is planning a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration featuring several different initiatives and promotions, including in-store demos, signage and a themed hot bar menu created in collaboration between staff and local chefs.
Brattleboro is taking a unique and proactive approach to building community connections to serve unhoused individuals in their area. The co-op provides food at no cost for anyone who asks and also provides space in the store for community partners to meet with individuals and help connect them with support services.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has become ubiquitous in discussions around workplace culture, social justice and community engagement. While the intention behind DEI initiatives is commendable, there is a growing recognition that the hyperfocus on diversity has overshadowed the equally crucial principles of equity and inclusion.
Celebrating the recent opening of its new community space, Willy Street Co-op participated in an art gallery event and hosted a gathering with 22 nonprofit organizations to share stories about their work and grants from the Willy Street Co-op Community Reinvestment Fund. Read about the co-op’s vision for the space.
A coalition of farmworker, environmental justice, public health and related organizations has successfully petitioned the U.S. Geological Survey to preserve a vital project that provides valuable data researchers use to monitor national pesticide use, water quality and pollution.
NCG is grateful to all co-ops that submitted Impact Survey data for 2023. In this article, we review year-over-year survey results for the past three years compared to the social and environmental goals we have set for our community of co-ops as a whole.
When Keweenaw Co+op recently featured its precut fruit and vegetable offerings via the co-op’s Facebook page, it saw an opportunity not only to highlight the benefits of precut produce, but also to address issues of accessibility.
We’re excited to introduce NCG’s newest advocacy partner, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the first national women farmworkers’ organization. Learn about Alianza’s federal advocacy efforts to educate Congress about the harms of pesticide exposure, and the Mother Earth Project, a land access and food sovereignty program.
