It’s starting to look like the Manayunk/Roxborough food co-op will happen over the next few years.

When the idea was presented back in April at a community meeting, the attendance was beyond anyone’s expectations. There are a lot of people in this part of Philadelphia that want to get involved in starting/running their own food co-op (similar to Weavers Way in Mt Airy & Chestnut Hill).

So what is a food co-op exactly?

“Food Co-Op” is short for “Food Cooperative,” and is based on the concept of a community run grocery store owned by its members. To keep costs down, not only operational costs but also the cost of food for its members, co-ops are built on work from volunteers. They select the products, put in hours of volunteer work each month, and try to keep everything fresh, natural, and local.

Why would a neighborhood want to start one?

Not only for the positive reasons I already cited above, but it also helps improve overall food quality and strengthens the surrounding community. Food has always been something that brings people together, so it’s only natural that a community based food store would accomplish the same thing. It’s already been tested (right here in Philadelphia), and it works.

I will be sharing more news with all of you as it comes to me.