Planning the Manchester Food Co-op

Steven Freeman is a real real-food evangelist. After spending too many years ingesting a typical junk food diet and thinking about health problems that could result, he dove head first into learning about the best possible foods to fuel his body’s engine. As he says, “Food is my medicine.”

In the last two and a half years, he has turned that philosophy outward toward the Manchester community and has become the treasurer for the seedling efforts to start the Manchester Food Co-op. He firmly believes in the importance of individual health and its eventual monetary impact on a community. “I want to provide the best possible source for quality foods and help spread information on food and health. Yes, organic and or local foods may appear more expensive but not when you consider the lack of vitality in stored foods or those grown in depleted soils,” he says.

With about 800 members, they need only 200 more to get a foothold to the next step — asking  members for loans and finally securing a loan from a financial institution for a build-out. A downtown Manchester site has been chosen, but cannot be revealed until papers are signed. But it is in the heart of the community and has plenty of parking, two essentials agreed on by the all-volunteer co-op committee.

Membership will have its privileges. There will be occasional specials, but mostly it is a promise to yourself to invest in your own health, says Freeman.

Steven Freeman
Manchester Food Co-op
manchesterfoodcoop@gmail.com
manchesterfoodcoop.blogspot.com