The White River Junction Co-op, a vibrant food store just west of the Connecticut River in White River Junction, Vermont, was once part of a large grocery chain until Co-op members came together to give the property new life in the spring of 2010. Now the store is a thriving community hub, a close-knit cooperative market where friends and neighbors come together to talk, catch up, and of course, shop for groceries. The store carries plenty of high-quality, nutritious food, but it provides even more than that to the communities it serves. The members, shoppers, and employees of our White River Junction store exemplify our organization’s mission of “Nourish. Cultivate. Cooperate.” Together, they nourish their neighbors, cultivate community, and further the values and principles of cooperation.
For co-ops, this is nothing new. The cooperative industry is transformative by nature. In the case of our White River Junction store, our Co-op transformed the store, and the store, in turn, transformed the community. Now downtown White River Junction is an Upper Valley hot spot, filled with thriving, unique local businesses and restaurants that weren’t there only a few years ago. The village of White River Junction defines a robust local economy. This is what can happen when a co-op comes to town.
To all our members and employees throughout our Co-op, I want to thank you for the transformative work you do. As I’ve written before, this isn’t the Co-op; it’s our Co-op. The difference we make in the communities we serve is the common bond we all share. Want to talk more about it? Reach out to me anytime. I’m always interested, and my door is always open.
—Ed Fox
NOURISH. CULTIVATE. COOPERATE.
Ed Fox
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