Our future depends on your support!
- Despite growth and revitalization, Downtown Schenectady is still a food desert.
- The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated health disparities and racial inequities, while also revealing that our current food system doesn’t work for the majority of people, or for the planet.
- Cooperative economic development is one of the strongest strategies for building back together, through cooperative ownership, governance, and community life.
Rather than being owned by a corporation, family, or individual, grocery co-ops are owned and managed by the community members who shop there. When you become a member-owner, you gain the right to weigh in on how the co-op is run, and when the coop thrives financially, you benefit, too.
In short, by becoming a Member-Owner today, you can join ECFC’s movement to:
- open a cooperative grocery in downtown Schenectady in 2023,
- support local farmers while advancing food justice, and
- advance equitable development and community-rooted health and wealth.
When we open, Member-Owners will benefit from:
- A diverse community that cares about local, healthy food
- Special discounts from vendors passed down to members
- Patronage refunds based on usage
- Discounts on co-op classes and events
- Participation in Co-op governance — vote in annual elections, run for the Board of Directors, and/or join a Committee or Sub-Committee.
Ready to learn more about becoming a member-owner?
Please join us on Monday, November 28, 4pm-6pm, to learn more about our newly proposed affordable membership opportunities! In the meantime (before existing Member-Owners vote on proposed membership cost changes) we invite those of you who are moved to invest in the coop to explore our original options below. Please note: every Member-Owner has an equal vote, regardless of investment-level.
