Rural Food the Co-op Way Option

Food deserts, Food access, Customer service, Competition with big box chain grocery stores, Models of grocery store ownership, Grocery stores as civic and cultural spaces, Financing store operations, Policy options to promote and sustain grocery operations Description: History and progress of a small North Dakota community and its efforts to maintain and grow a grocery store and a meat processing plant using the cooperative model. Since 2008, when our local grocery store nearly closed and our locker plant was closed due to the death of the owner of both, the community stepped up and purchased the building and inventory. Five years later the store is holding its own and a brand-new state-of-the-art meat processing plant is up and running. Using a PowerPoint presentation, we show you the ups and downs of making this happen, including funding strategies, resource gathering, and lessons learned. Bowdon, North Dakota: A Cooperative Owned by the Community