Building Cheyenne Family Food Collective
Working together to help our families thrive, not just survive by pooling food dollars to provide access to affordable and healthy foods!
Leader
Candi Douthit
Location
212 W. Washington St St. Francis, KS 67756
About the project
We want to build a Cheyenne Family Food Coop to group purchase from local producers, local retail stores, and other sources to make food more affordable in Cheyenne County. Our vision is that this group will be for any community member that wants to benefit from group buying power.
The Steps
1. Create a media campaign on why food access and affordability is important.
2. Share local efforts and benefits of buying local foods and from the local grocery store. We want to emphasize the cost benefit of shopping locally as well as the community benefit (as many low income and elderly families can't travel to shop and therefore have to pay the higher prices, with very limited means). This will include storytelling, economic cost/benefit
3. Work on fundraising to raise $3,000 so those funds can be tripled by the grant project.
4. While funds are being raised, create food coop guidelines, policies, and requirements as well as begin research on buying opportunities and desired product choices.
5. Purchase the refridgerator and freezer in determined location.
6. Designate coop board to oversee the work, regulation, and distribution of food.
7. Work to recruit coop members to increase buying power.
8. Evaluate success and failures and implement changes based on these.
Why we‘re doing it
Cheyenne County Food bank families came together through a grant whose aim is to improve the local food system or access to food. The group decided that building a food buying group, or food coop would help their families and all would benefit from affordable food choices and greater access to healthy foods. Beyond the cost saving aspect, the families themselves choose what is purchased, regulate the process with rules and requirements, and work to better their families while not being dependent upon others.
For years, limited and fixed income families of Cheyenne County have received help from the local food bank. Although this help is good, it doesn't help the families thrive, it just meets the immediate need. Additionally, the Cheyenne County Food Bank cannot require any kind of work or requirements in order to get the food. Thus, there is the struggle of entitlement, selfishness, not having to do anything to get the food, usary, and community perception of why should I donate funds/food when they aren't working for it. By building the food coop, members will have the power to purchase what is desired by the group and also eliminate the entitlement issues that have been encountered when resources are provided without any investment from the recipient. Our vision is that this group will be for any community member that wants to benefit from group buying power.