I have been waiting a long time to be able to say that! We are witnessing what unfettered greed looks like in the current stress on our democracy. Capitalism makes sure that those who benefit are the ones who initially invest money into the business. This ensures that those who have money are the ones who get more money out. Now, more than ever, people are recognizing that we need a better way. We need to find a way to meet our needs that doesn’t require others to lose out just so we can have more than we need. This is the beauty of the co-op model. Because we share the power of the business and because the business is built on solving a mutual problem to meet our mutual needs, co-ops are the best way forward out of the capitalist swamp that we are currently in. In co-ops, decisions are made for the good of all who use the business. In capitalism, decisions are made for the good of the investors only (in fact, this is what the law says must happen).
I initially wanted to start this food co-op because I saw a real unmet need in Grand Rapids. Food access was nonexistent in the center of town. There are no grocery stores between the river and Fuller, and between Knapp and Hall. And our choices of full-service grocery stores are mainly limited to only a few brands: Meijer, Spartan/Nash (which includes Family Fare, D&W and Forest Hills), and Walmart. Because our choices are limited, our local, smaller farmers and producers have fewer stores to sell their products to. I saw a food network at risk and I felt a food co-op could help make that network more resilient.
Now I see our work to bring a food co-op to Grand Rapids will serve an even wider purpose. We will show our community a new way to structure the way business is done. A way to do business that encourages personal growth and nurtures a community instead of robbing it blind. With our co-op we are quietly building a better world together as the old world seems to be falling apart.
Co-ops are founded on values and principals, unlike capitalistic corporations which have only one value: to make money. Co-op values include self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. These are values that start with the individual and personal growth and expand ever outward to include care for everyone. If everyone practiced these values, just imagine where we would be as a society!
Together we are doing very important work indeed! My hope is that this month we will take these values to heart and reflect on how we are applying them in our lives. I am so proud of our co-op and all the hundreds of community members who have joined us to help build a better society and a better world together. Next month I will talk about the seven cooperative principles and how these show the way to a better future for all of us.