Brattleboro Food Co-op Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The Brattleboro Food Co-op Staff and Board of Directors are pleased to announce they will be honoring Martin Luther King, Jr on Monday, January 16th with numerous social justice and activist organizations featured in the store throughout the day. There will also be a free screening of the movie “13th” in the evening, a bit of music, and, of course, food! The idea for the event grew out of the Co-op Board of Directors’ newly formed “Engagement Committee,” as well as feedback from staff. As Ruth Garbus, employee and Board Member, says, “We gotta get together! The Co-op is here to stand up for what’s right, ready and willing to offer support and solace for those who need it. We want to make that absolutely clear to this community, and particularly those who are actively working for justice.”

The day-long event is in part a celebration of community service, and a way for the Co-op to announce an increase of support for local volunteering: as of this month, Co-op shareholders will be able to use community volunteer time to get a discount on their purchases for up to two months per year. By inviting these organizations, the BFC hopes to encourage shoppers to lend a helping hand, and seeks to exemplify the empowering, inclusive nature of the cooperative model. “Especially at this moment, co-ops offer a powerful alternative to the traditional business model,” says Marketing and Community Relations Manager Jon Megas-Russell. “The values and principles that form the foundation of cooperative businesses include democracy, social responsibility, and solidarity. This stuff is in our bedrock, and it’s time to put these first and foremost now when our community needs us most. There’s so much we have in common with local groups who are also working for a better world, and a better Brattleboro. We’re thrilled to be able to host these amazing organizations and help out in any way we can.”

The Brattleboro Food Co-op was formed in 1975 as a small buying club, and now occupies a 16,000 square foot store in a four-story building right downtown that also includes offices, a community room, a cooking classroom, a commissary kitchen, and 24 apartments owned and managed by Windham and Windsor Housing Trust. Over 7,000 people own this vibrant organization dedicated to supporting a sustainable food system, built on cooperative principles.