We’re glad you asked! The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) espouses Cooperative Principle 6 through the following: Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
One of the ways the Co-op supports other cooperatives is through our annual contribution to Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation (TPCF). Money is raised through Black River Produce’s Rebate Donation Agreement with Black River donating a percentage of new product sales and our annual Hanover Cooperative Community Fund (HCCF) Golf Tournament where Co-op employees and vendors face off on the golf course for a day of fun, food, raffles, and prizes.
Since HCCF’s inception in 2000, the Co-op has raised and contributed over $500,000 to the TPCF endowment. The purpose of the endowment is to support cooperatives from all different sectors (food, energy, banking, housing, etc.) that may need extra help during a crisis such as fire, potential closure, expansion, and startup costs, to name a few.
Many other food cooperatives have their own Cooperative Community Fund. The great part about it is that it serves multiple purposes – it lifts up and supports the cooperative movement more broadly while also supporting locally through the returned interest. This year we have over $16,000 to give back to our local community. We use our interest to provide funding for local grants and scholarships. The HCCF Community Project Grants and Gerstenberger Scholarships Fund are open to Upper Valley nonprofit applicants now until the end of November. Here’s more information and how to apply.
As we wrap up Co-op Month (October), I encourage us to look forward to 2025 which has been declared the International Year of Cooperatives by the United Nations. This year will be celebrated under the theme “Cooperative Build a Better World” and we can’t think of a better way to do that than by supporting other cooperatives and our local community at the same time!
Learn more about the Cooperative identity and Principles: https://ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity
Listen to David Thompson, President of Twin Pines Cooperative Foundation, in the podcast Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes, former President of the National Association of Housing Cooperatives. Sponsored by National Cooperative Bank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrukdkgzAU0
Learn more about 2025 International Year of Cooperatives: https://www.un.org/en/desa/cooperatives-launch-2025-international-year
April Harkness is the Co-op’s Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Program Manager.
