Welcome from the neighbors who support the Bethlehem Food Co-Op!
For seven years we have been working diligently to open a community-owned, full-service grocery store in the north downtown area of Bethlehem. Our store will be open to everyone, and will feature a wide range of products to purchase at a reasonable price. Our focus will be on healthy, nutritious, locally-sourced products. Even now, we are also working to give back to our community - and support it - through educational, environmental, and social justice initiatives.
Over 725 households are currently members, and we are looking forward to announcing our location soon. If this is a good time for you to consider membership, become a member today and help us make our co-op a reality!
NEW MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES!
- We're excited to announce a Fall Membership Campaign from now until December 31. Our goal is to reach 800 members! Anyone becoming a member will have three chances to win a CSA (weekly box of produce) from a local farmer or a cheese share from a local cheesemaker. If you are a current member who recruits a new member, you get one chance for the same thank you gifts. If the time is right for you, join today!
- To make membership easier, we are now offering a new membership payment option: you can pay your one-time $300 membership equity payment over 30 months, with a monthly investment of $10. (This is not yet reflected on our payment page, so you will need to contact us at [email protected] to set this up.)
- You asked, and we heard you: we are pleased to offer memberships to organizations and businesses. As with our household members, one person is the designated representative (this person cannot hold a household membership). For details, contact us at [email protected].
ANNUAL MEETING
We gathered virtually on October 5 for our Annual Meeting. For a recap, you can check our recent newsletter or view the video below; you can also watch the entire meeting here. Among much else, we elected three new board members: Cindy Glick (re-elected), Domenic Breininger and Tony Marinho.
MORE UPDATES
We recently hired Seven Roots Group, a design firm that works exclusively with food co-ops, to work with us on the design and layout of our store. We cannot yet disclose the location but we are finalizing the lease negotiations. We are also in the process of hiring a Project Manager to lead the build out of the store.
And as part of our mission, we are committing our organization to engage in antiracist work. Check out this recent video message from Board Chair Kelly Allen, who speaks to the steps we are taking (contact him at [email protected] with your questions or additional ideas):
TO OUR BFC MEMBERS AND FRIENDS: OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19
So many things have changed over the past few months, and the days ahead remain uncertain.
We want you to know that our commitment and sense of community remain open for business!
In times like this we need to keep our spirits up and remember an important cooperative principle - commitment to community. Now more than ever we need to join together and support the small businesses in our area, including those partnering with us in our Member Benefits Program, and these other local farm, farm markets, CSAs, and producers (thanks to our friends at Buy Fresh Buy Local Greater Lehigh Valley for these resources).
You may also be interested in these videos we've created to walk you through shopping at a local farm and a local farmers market, during this pandemic.
We are working hard behind the scenes, from our homes, with new technology including virtual meetings and social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We know it's important to remain connected and keep everyone current on the status of our co-op.
We are so appreciative of those on the 'front lines', and to the rest of you who are doing your part by staying home!
We care about you. #besafe #bewell #stayhome #shoplocal