As we celebrate the Solstice and the close of 2025—the International Year of Cooperatives—it’s a fitting moment to pause and reflect on who we are as a community, what we’re up against, and what paths forward are already within reach.

Schenectady is home to diverse communities with great talent, care, and resilience. And, our home is also a place where too many neighbors struggle to meet basic needs. As of 2023, 56 percent of renters and 31 percent of homeowners in the City are living in housing that costs more than 30% of their income, making them “Housing Burdened.” 20,000 people in Schenectady County depend on SNAP benefits, with most residing in the city. Some neighborhoods experience blight, while others feel the pressure of rapid change, with displacement looming through evictions and foreclosures. Add to this a broader erosion of democratic participation—locally and nationally—and it’s easy to feel discouraged or divided.

Yet cooperation offers a different story.

Cooperatives invite us to solve problems together rather than compete for scraps—and in doing so, they help us strengthen our civic muscles. By design, co-ops are schools of democracy: members practice shared decision‑making, accountability, and collective stewardship over resources that shape daily life. At a time when dominant models of economic development often extract wealth and accelerate displacement, cooperatives help build community‑rooted wealth and health—keeping resources local while strengthening residents’ democratic capacity and sense of agency.

That’s why cooperatives matter now, and why they are showing up in local conversations about Schenectady’s future.

Notably, the City’s Comprehensive Plan Phase One Report—shaped by resident input—explicitly names housing cooperatives and food cooperatives as potential responses to the challenges people experience every day. Participation in the ongoing planning process is one concrete way we can help shape a future that reflects shared values and priorities.

Earlier this month, 23 community members gathered to explore how housing cooperatives could support equity, stability, and neighborhood strength through a Housing ONE Schenectady Together (HOST) forum. You can check out the notes and recording of this "Let's Talk Housing: Housing Coops 101" conversation on the HOST website. Conversations like this remind us that solutions don’t have to be imported—they can be grown here.

This month, we shine a particular spotlight on food security and the cooperative efforts already underway across Schenectady County.
 

Food Security Through Cooperation & Collaboration

The spirit of cooperation around food access is strong in our community. Here are three ways to learn more, get involved, and take action:

1. Harness the power of third-wave food coops with ECCG
ECCG is on a drive to thrive! As we head into the new year, we’ll be focused on growing our community of member-owners and raising capital to build and open our store in 2026!  For a one‑time $25 equity investment, anyone can become a Member‑Owner—helping to open a downtown grocery store where everyone can shop and anyone can own. Becoming an owner is a small act with long‑term impact.

If you’re curious about how modern, mission‑driven food co‑ops are addressing food access and food sovereignty, check out Because We Exist: Our Cause, Our Effect, a video series from the Food Co‑op Initiative highlighting so‑called “third‑wave” food co‑ops. While earlier waves of co-ops focused on responding to economic depressions (first wave) or seeking natural foods (second wave), the third wave is more diverse. These newer co-ops tend to prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in pursuit of expanded healthy food options, aiming to represent and uplift their local communities.

2. Collaborate with the Schenectady County Food Council
The Schenectady County Food Council brings together residents, nonprofits, farmers, and institutions to strengthen the local food system. Their December newsletter and Facebook Page highlights recent progress and concrete ways to get involved—including open seats on the Steering Committee for those feeling called to lead (you can self-nominate here)! Collective impact requires collective leadership.

3. Double your impact with the Food Security Fund
The Schenectady Foundation has committed $100,000 to strengthen food security countywide, including a $25,000 matching grant that doubles every donation to the Food Security Fund this month. Contributions help keep shelves stocked, support families, and sustain community‑led solutions - you can donate here.

As the year closes and the days slowly begin to lengthen, cooperatives remind us that another way of doing business—and democracy—is possible. Not as a silver bullet, but as connective tissue between mutual aid and lasting structural change. The invitation is simple: participate, co‑own, and help shape the future together.

Supplementary Resources

• Why Co‑ops Are Essential in the Fight for Democracy – Esteban Kelly, Nonprofit Quarterly (August 2025)

• Postcards from the Edge: Revolutionary Visions in Perilous Times – Nonprofit Quarterly (October 2025), featuring Johan Matthews of ONE Schenectady

• Community Ownership 101 Resource Guide – Community Science (with contributions from Jasmine Williams‑Washington, consultant to The Schenectady Foundation)