In 2011, a group of about 100 eager community members packed the Bethlehem Area Public Library to discuss the creation of a community-owned grocery store in their neighborhood, featuring local, sustainable, and humanely sourced items where possible. Later that night, Lehigh Valley native Colleen Marsh, who had been in attendance, launched the website for the
Bethlehem Food Co-op. Since then, the Co-op has been researching, educating, and gathering support—including in the form of member-owners—and Marsh became board chair.
The Co-op’s timeline is dependent on membership growth. Members (and you can be one!) make a one-time equity payment, which gives voting rights as well as access to a benefit program that provides things like discounts on local businesses and discounted access to Co-op programs. But the full-service grocery store will be for everyone, not just members. “It's a collective, democratically run organization,” says Education Committee member Kathy Fox. The location, to be determined, is planned for downtown Bethlehem.
The Co-op’s ethos extends beyond simply owning a grocery store — s
ince the very beginning, the Bethlehem Food Co-Op has strengthened the community and provided opportunities for neighbors to get to know each other and take control of the quality of life in their town. As Nate Carpenter, co-chair of the Education Committee, says: “It’s not about me, it’s about the LV.”
Learn more at
http://bethlehemfood.coop.
