Local Co-ops Join in Celebration of National Co-op Month

The Orcas Food Co-op, San Juan Island Food Co-op and OPALCO have joined forces to bring the National Co-op Month celebration San Juan County. During the month of October, we are cooperatively offering family activities, co-op talks, film showings, goodies and a Gold Star Co-op Member checklist with prizes and a raffle drawing.

We are celebrating all the perks of our local, independent and democratically-governed businesses such as voluntary and open membership, concern for community, sharing education and information and cooperation among cooperatives. Our co-ops improve our quality of life in San Juan County and we want to appreciate and share the bounty with our members!

Co-op Month Kick-Off – Monday, October 5^th

• Cookies and cider at OPALCO’s Eastsound and Friday Harbor offices
• Hot apple cider at the Orcas Food Co-op Deli
• Coffee, tea and home-baked goodies at the San Juan Island Food Co-op
• Pick up a Co-op Month coloring book and “Gold Star Co-op Member” checklist at OPALCO, Orcas Food Co-op or San Juan Island Food Co-op.

Activities:

• San Juan Island Farm Parade – watch or walk with us!
  October 3^rd 2:30 pm – starts at Fairgrounds, ends at Brickworks
• Game night – Play “Co-opoly” and more! Bring your favorite game to share!
  October 6^th 6pm-9pm @ Orcas Food Co-op Commons

• Co-op Talk: Cooperatives: An alternative economic model for resilient communities
  October 16^th, 4pm-6pm @ Orcas Food Co-op Commons

• Cider Pressing Fundraiser – Hosted by Orcas Food Co-op & Orcas Island Forest School
  October 17^th, 1pm-4 pm (location TBA)
• Co-op Film Showing: Food for Change: The Story of Cooperation in America
  – October 25^th 4pm-6pm @ Oddfellows Hall – popcorn provided!
  Followed by potluck social 6pm-7pm
  – November 6-8^th – Friday Harbor Film Festival

• Co-op Talk: The History of Electric Co-ops in America
  October 27^th, 5pm-6pm @ OPALCO conference room, Eastsound

Get the Gold Star Co-op Member checklist at any of the participating co-ops, or download from our websites. The checklist includes five areas of co-op member engagement: join, voice, participate, inform and contribute. Check off all five and return the checklist to your local co-op for an immediate prize. Three raffle prize winners will be drawn from all completed checklists to win some great co-op prizes such as the board game “Co-opoly,” local foods gift baskets from our food co-ops and energy savings gizmos from OPALCO.

There are more than 29,000 cooperatives in the United States with more than 100 million members. Adaptable and time tested, cooperatives operate in every industry including agriculture, energy, financial services, food retail and distribution, health care, child care, insurance, housing, purchasing and shared services, telecommunications, and more. Members are encouraged to participate in making decisions for their co-op. From attending an annual meeting to serving on the board of directors, people who belong to cooperatives have a real stake in their economic destiny. So why sit on the sidelines when you can take an active role in a co-op?