Troy Community Food Cooperative Moves Closer to Reality

Troy’s treasure is that it is a walkable, livable community with many community services available in a compact area. What it has lacked for several years is a full-service grocery store serving Troy’s diverse constituency. In September 2005 thirty people gathered in a meeting at the Rensselaer County Historical Society to discuss this critical need.

As discussions took place over a period of several months, the cooperative business model was chosen as the right grass roots method of addressing this lack of a basic service. By definition, “a cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise” as articulated by the International Cooperative Alliance in 1995. This, then, was a way to bring a much needed service into the City of Troy.

Troy is not alone in having been abandoned by grocery stores, leaving a “food desert” in their wake. Cities, from the rust-belt areas of Pennsylvania and Illinois to the inner cities of California’s larger populated urban areas find themselves in the same dilemma. Unfortunately, fewer supermarkets in urban areas and low to middle-income communities mean less access to healthy and affordable foods.

Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has found that during the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, and alarmingly, almost fivefold among children ages 6 to 11. Today more than 33 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese—nearly 25 million kids and teenagers. This has led to a nation-wide concern that today’s children may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to lack of access to a healthy diet, with an explosion in diabetes among young people of particular concern. Private foundations, state governments and the federal government are committing millions of dollars to combat childhood obesity.

The good news is that Trojans are known for rolling up their sleeves and attacking problems. Today the original thirty concerned Troy citizens have evolved into a smoothly functioning group of volunteers committed to bringing a supermarket to Troy. The vacant Pioneer Market between 3rd and 4th Streets on Congress was selected because of its central location in the urban mix. Although the corporation’s official name is the Troy Community Food Co-op, it will be popularly known as the Pioneer Market, both because of its history as a grocery store since the 1960’s and because the formation of the Co-op is a pioneering effort.

The Troy Community Food Cooperative was incorporated in October 2006 and a drive to secure 500 member owners began in earnest. Eight democratically-elected board members assumed various responsibilities in Finance, Membership, Community Outreach, Grants, Building, and Design in January 2007. Dozens of volunteers flesh out these committees so that 100 individuals are actively engaged in launching the Co-op.

Today, 462 member/households have provided member equity at $140.00 per family—meaning that they are owners who have bought a share in the business and are entitled to vote on issues that arise in quarterly meetings of the Co-op. This is equity and support that gets noticed in the search for grants and loans.

Although member/investors OWN IT!, it’s important to emphasize that the Pioneer Market will be open to everyone—you need not be a member to shop there. In an effort to remain affordable and accessible to all, the Co-op will be 30% conventional and 70% natural and organic, with an emphasis on the fresh produce that is local and seasonal from our farming partners. A large emphasis will be placed on customer service and education, and when the Co-op achieves profitability, a portion of its earnings will be reinvested in Troy’s community in the form of grants.

The progress to opening is that the building’s envelope has been secured with a new insulated roof, energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and new exterior paint and cleaning. The Pioneer Market would not have happened without significant support from the City of Troy. Additional partners have been the Lighting and Research Center from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy Redevelopment Foundation and NYSERDA—the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority.

The Co-op has a new interior design and is currently seeking bids for electrical upgrades, new lighting, refrigeration and finishes—once these bids are awarded, interior construction will begin. One of the Pioneer Market’s features will be a Grab and Go section where healthy salads, soups and take-out foods will be available for customers, in addition to regular grocery items.

The Co-op’s major educational event will be a Film and Food Festival on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. Food-related films will be shown at the Arts Center on Friday to coincide with Troy Night Out. On Saturday, cooking demonstrations featuring healthy foods and menu choices will take place in Barker Park, along with entertainment and education.

The Co-op, to date, has been completely volunteer driven. Thanks are due to the many Troy Treasures who are bringing a supermarket back to downtown Troy. Check out current progress and membership forms on the website, www.troyfoodcoop.com.
(this article appeared in the Troy Record on Sunday, January 13, 2008)