Community CO-OPeration in Action

 Manchester Food Co-op Steering Committee members Linda Purdy and Veronica Kamerman with guest Jeff Wheeler, President of the Littleton NH Food Co-op at the community meeting March 11.

What fun to see an organized, inspired community group going to work to achieve their goals! Such a group is the Manchester Food Co-op Steerng Committee, inspired by chair Veronica Kamerman (photo left). The group is in the first of three phases, organizing. Soon, they will move into a feasibility stage, then onto the implementation stage. Guest Jeff Wheeler described Littleton NH's journey along the same path, having just opened their co-op this past May.

At the very informational community meeting there were very valuable co-op technical details discussed, but there were three especially great take-aways for those of us Seeking Downtown. First is the great history of "pay forward" that co-ops have. Existing co-ops will go way beyond the call of duty to help forming co-ops. Littleton had great help from the Hanover co-op, for example, and Littleton is already helping Manchester. Co-ops are a BIG community.

Secondly, one of the reasons that Veronica gives for being so passionate about a co-op is that it will begin building a sense of community in Manchester. Co-ops are run by their members, and typically have a low share price - $25 to $100 with time terms available. The members make all the decisions for the co-op, and the store takes on the aggregate personality of the members. Veronica seeks to locate the co-op downtown (although the feasibility study will drive that train) to get a central, focused group of people achieving a common cause. Linda Purdy, a graduate student documenting the co-op's journey as part of a Masters Degree, is adamant about ensuring that the community is inclusive of all income groups; other members are looking forward to the diversity of ethnicity that a co-op can inspire.

And finally, Manchester Alderman Garth Corriveau (photo right) was in the audience and rose to encourage the group to do as much outreach as possible. Get on the city radar: introduce yourselves at a public comments section of the Aldermanic Board; go on Public TV; connect with InTown Manchester; connect with the Y; speak to Rotary, the Chamber and other Civic Groups.  Cast the next widely to include as much of the community as possible.

This takes us back to the "if you don't tell them, they won't come" adage. But it is more than that. I've seen innumerable hours of Nashua City meetings, and few organizations use the public comments platform to build community. What if the Board of Aldermen issued an invitation each week to an organization to come and speak for two minutes on "What are you doing that builds community in the city?" Veronica Kamerman would have an answer.