October is Co-op Month
The 2022 theme for National Co-op Month.
October is Co-op Month! Celebrated by cooperatives nationwide during the month of October, National Co-op Month is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of a trusted, proven way to do business and build resilient, inclusive communities. We're celebrating cooperatives in style this October, and getting back to our roots: the Seven Cooperative Principles.
Cooperative Principle #1 is Voluntary and Open Membership. Medford Food Co-op is a cooperatively-owned grocery store owned by thousands of local people – like you and your friends & neighbors. Not a network of distant shareholders, not just one family, but all of us and any of us that want to join and uphold the responsibilities of ownership. We’re just a couple hundred shy of 5,000 owners to date! We appreciate each and every one of you that purchased an owner share, or made a loan that helped us get started all those years ago.
But we especially want to thank our owners who shop regularly. Cooperative Principle #3 is Member Economic Participation. THANK YOU for your support and for keeping us going and growing! To show our appreciation, we’re offering the first 500 owners who visit the store in October one FREE Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cup ($11.99 value). Hurry in soon so you can show off your cooperative pride with one of our branded pint cups! Offer good while supplies last. One free pint cup per owner account. Owner account must be in good standing. Ask your cashier for details. Update 10/7/2022: We are officially out of free cups for existing owners. A limited quantity of pint cups are available for purchase for $11.99 each.
Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cups
If you’re not already an owner, help us get to 5,000! As a cooperative, our business is owned and managed by local people who patronize the Co-op, and our profit remains here in the Rogue Valley with our owners. Everyone is welcome to shop – ownership is optional. But there are some really great benefits that make ownership worth it! The first 100 new owners who join the Co-op this October will also receive one of our new branded pint cups. Offer good while supplies last. Offer expires October 31, 2022.
Co-op Month is the perfect time for new stickers! Our new holographic stickers are free to all while supplies last. Grab a sticker on your next trip to the store, or come see us at the Heart of the Rogue Festival on October 14th and 15th and visit our booth for a free sticker. We’ll also have tasty treats from the Café available for purchase. The festival is free and open to the public.
Every October, the Positive Change program raises funds for our Cooperative Community Fund. The Medford Food Co-op Cooperative Community Fund (MCCF) is a Give Where You Live campaign administered by Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation (TPCF). TPCF invests the assets in cooperative development funds across the country – helping to grow food co-ops, credit unions, housing cooperatives, and other cooperative enterprises. As the fund grows, the interest earned is given annually to local organizations. In honor of Co-op Month, Organic Valley and Equal Exchange will match your October Positive Change donations to the Cooperative Community Fund up to $500, with an additional $500 match from your very own Medford Food Co-op! We’re so grateful for the cooperation and support from Organic Valley and Equal Exchange, two fellow cooperative businesses. What a wonderful celebration of Cooperative Principle #6: Cooperation Among Cooperatives.
Not only does our Cooperative Community Fund help grow cooperative businesses (like food co-ops and credit unions) across the United States, it also gives back to local non-profits working on issues related to sustainable agriculture and organic food, hunger and social issues, environmental protection, and/or cooperatives. Cooperative Principle #7 is Concern for Community. Our Board of Directors selects one Positive Change recipient annually to receive an additional grant from the Cooperative Community Fund. Our first donation of $624.21 was given to the Unete Immigrant Fire Relief Fund in 2020. In 2021, we donated $941.98 to the Pollinator Project Rogue Valley. And this year, the Children’s Advocacy Center received $614.52 from the Cooperative Community Fund. Your Positive Change donations this October will work twice as hard: helping build and grow co-ops nationwide, while also supporting the work of local non-profits.
Our Positive Change program also incorporates Cooperative Principle #4: Autonomy and Independence. When making business deals or raising money, co-ops never compromise their autonomy or democratic member control. Our Outreach Committee vets each and every application to make sure it aligns with our principles, vision, and long-term goals and our owners vote in the annual election to select the recipients for the remaining eleven months of the year.
Download the Food Co-op Finder App!
Jon Steinman, author of Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants, just launched a new app to help you find the nearest food co-op while you’re on the go. The very first mobile app of its kind, the FOOD CO-OP FINDER is now available to download for free on Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. Over 325 food co-ops in the USA (with a select number in Canada) are ready to be found. We hosted Jon here at MFC back in November 2019 while he was on the Grocery Story book tour and we’re a proud sponsor of the new app to help eaters everywhere support their (nearest) local food co-op. We love Principle #6.
Cooperative Principle #2 is Democratic Member Control. Because co-ops are founded on the ideals of democracy and are inherently democratic organizations, we signed up as a proud partner of Vote Early Day. Join us in celebrating every American’s right to be heard on Friday, October 28th. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for links and information about voter registration, ballot drop box locations, and all the fun details about how we’re celebrating Vote Early Day (and Co-op Month)!
Last, but definitely not least, is Cooperative Principle #5: Education, Training and Information. If you read this far, then we successfully accomplished providing some education, training, and information so our owners can contribute effectively to the success of our co-op. Follow us on social media, sign up for our email list, peruse the blog, explore the website, or attend a Board of Directors meeting – these are a few ways to stay in touch and keep learning about your co-op. Our staff are always available to answer your questions, and you can contact your Board of Directors at board@medfordfood.coop. Happy Co-op Month!