SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - After recent news about the cost of food skyrocketing all around the world, grocery warehouses like Sam's Club and Costco here in the U.S. are limiting the amount of rice each shopper can buy. But in the midst of all the stress over buying food, a local volunteer-driven food co-op is providing some relief to families of all incomes.
Rice may be in short supply at grocery stores, but there's plenty of it in the small Crossroads Urban Center warehouse near downtown Salt Lake City. Volunteers are preparing food orders for the more than five thousand members of the Community Food Co-op of Utah. “The community should band together in a time of crisis,” said volunteer Wendy Miles. “Anything that we can do to help each other out as neighbors and friends is going to be helpful for the community."
Community is the main reason she and her husband Jason are here. But she also works in the pricing department of a grocery store, and knows how costs have jumped. “Anything that's imported, you know, the more things you can get grown locally in Utah, the better. It's going to taste better because it's fresher and it's going to be better economically as well," Miles said.
That's a priority for the co-op -- ordering food in bulk from mostly local growers and providers, giving members a real deal. “The more people who participate in the co-op, the larger volume we can purchase and the better deals we get," said project director George Neckel.
Once a month, Neckel puts in a big order -- all these boxes are just the meat going out this month. People pick up their food at 47 different sites around Utah. On pick-up day once a month, members pick up a small paper that lists all the things included in their share. For instance, this month they have Cornish game hens, ham steaks, beef and hamburger, not to mention a variety of fruits and vegetables, beans and a loaf of fresh-baked bread." That’s all for $21 -- saving 1/3 to half off grocery store prices.
Volunteers are the key -- they do the work to save on labor costs. The savings are open to everyone -- if you eat, you qualify.
"This has turned out to be a community-building project to help all members of the community regardless of income and we're meeting many low-income needs we feel but also building community," volunteer Gail Johnson said.
Not a bad deal -- to save a few bucks and make a few friends at the same time.
The co-op does accept food stamps, and volunteers will also deliver the food orders to the elderly or homebound.
You're not obligated to order every month -- you can skip here and there if you know you'll be out of town on the delivery day.
if you'd like to join the co-op, you can find more information at
www.foodco-op.org.
