Community Food Co-op

Voted Bellingham's best grocery store. Full-service deli, hot bar, salad bar featuring organic, local, and natural foods. Everyone can shop, anyone can join. Co+op, stronger together.

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      • Community Food Co-op, Downtown Store, 1220 North Forest Street at Holly StreetDowntown Store
        1220 North Forest Street at Holly Street
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
      • Cordata Co-Op exteriorCordata Store
        315 Westerly Road at Cordata Parkway
        Bellingham, Washington
        7 am - 9 pm
        360-734-8158
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You are here: Home / HOT OFF THE PRESS / Creating a Co-op That Welcomes Everyone

Creating a Co-op That Welcomes Everyone

by Amanda Grelock; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator

February 2019
photo of the equity, diversity, and inclusion team

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion team developed an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategic plan goal that guides our work and creates transparency and accountability and helps to create a Co-op that welcomes everyone.

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Strategic Goal

We purposefully identify, seek to understand, and challenge systems of oppression and the disempowering impact they have on the organization and our community.

At the December Board meeting, the Co-op Board of Directors approved a new Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategic plan goal that will guide our work at the governance and operational level.

The goal was informed by community feedback, which came from our two Town Hall events as well as from conversations with members before, during, and after the events. Thanks to this feedback, and the guidance of change consultant Dr. Breyan Haizlip (aka Dr. Bre), we are taking strategic steps to be a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive space.

In the coming years, the Co-op will take several approaches to deliver on our new strategic goal.

One approach is to increase cultural representation—in our staff, our shoppers, and on our Board—to better align with the demographics of our greater community. Another is to update our systems and approach for gathering community input, so we can continue to grow and reflect our diverse community.

In addition, we publicly report on our sustainability and social responsibility initiatives with the hope of inspiring other local businesses and influencing
industry standards.

explore what food accessibility and welcoming spaces can look like

At the operational level, over 160 staff have attended a Culturally Responsive Customer Service training with Dr. Bre. We believe that investing in our staff is important for this work. To this end, we want to strengthen and innovate staff programs that promote skill development, leadership, and engagement. We’ve developed a committee (pictured above) that leads the charge internally on social responsibility.

This work is foundational to our store’s cultural growth. It allows us to envision and create spaces where people feel both welcomed and included.

The passion and leadership we’ve felt from our community in this area has driven our co-op to explore what food accessibility and welcoming spaces can look like.

Our Board, management team, and staff are taking action to create a co-op that feels welcome to everyone. We know that to achieve that goal, building stronger relationships with a wider community is central to the Co-op’s success.

We are interested in forming new partnerships and strengthening connections that align with our new strategic goal.

If you know of a group or event we should consider connecting with, please let us know. We love meeting new people and exploring the potential to strengthen our community partnerships.

Contact Us

Connect with us on social media or via email. Read our Strategic Plan to learn more about all of the Co-op's strategic plan goals.

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EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION| HOT OFF THE PRESS| SUSTAINABILITY

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We stand with the AAPI community

Standing with Our AAPI Community

The Community Food Co-op is saddened by the continued violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community and condemns all hate crimes. The Co-op has zero tolerance for racism, and we continue to work to transform our organization and community for racial equity. Racial equity work is a […]

2022 Community Shopping Day Donations

Every year, the Co-op Member Affairs Committee (MAC) and Board of Directors selects community organizations to be the monthly Community Shopping Days (CSD) recipient. CSD recipients receive 2% of the Co-op’s total sales on the third Saturday of their designated month, and all register donations made during the month. Now [...]
Be our next General Manager

The Co-op is hiring for a General Manager

The search for our next General Manager has begun. Nonprofit Professionals Now is actively recruiting for the next Community Food Co-op General Manager.

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DOWNTOWN STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 6 pm

CORDATA STORE & DELI • map • 360-734-8158 • 7 am – 9 pm
meat and deli counter: 7 am – 7 pm
made-to-order counter: 7 am – 6 pm
salad/hot bar: 7 am – 7 pm

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