Mayor’s Minute: City Foods Cooperative Marketplace

You may have heard about a new grocery cooperative coming to North Columbia earlier this year – and on Friday, we announced the official name + began accepting pledges. The City Foods Cooperative Marketplace is a project designed to meet the community’s need for healthy food options after the closing of the Piggly Wiggly on W. Beltline Blvd. in 2016. It will be located in the 3400 block of W. Beltline Blvd. and is open to everyone with a one-time membership fee of $150. Join here.

This co-op is one of the most exciting things that we’ve done as a city. The age-old power of cooperative economics to address a major community need is a sign of a city on the rise.

The promise of healthy food options, higher employee wages, equally-distributed control, community stakeholders and a breath of life into this space is one that will have a legacy of impact for residents in this neighborhood and throughout the City.

I encourage everyone to invest in this project. It’s not merely an investment into a grocery store; it’s an investment into the people of Columbia. Food insecurity has been a major issue for many residents in our city, but that will no longer be the case when we are able to bring fresh produce, meats, vegetables and dairy here.

The statistics for co-ops nationwide are impressive: co-op shoppers’ demand for local, fresh foods results in the average food co-op being able to work with 185 local farms and producers, resulting in more than $283 million in combined sales of local products at co-ops nationwide.

See you in the aisles,

–Mayor Steve Benjamin

We’re officially one week away from Halloween night – do y’all have your costume yet? The COLAtoday team + I will be strutting around the Free Times Halloween Party this Thursday – along with Drogon + Joffrey. (There’s an open bar – and your wristband will get you drink deals at participating bars all Halloweekend long.) Westerosians – come holla at yo’ queen.

-Beth