How We Building Resilient Communities Throughout Utah

Take collective responsibility of our food source and land, enabling true resiliency

Feed Ourselves with Food Production

Village Cooperative will seek to fulfill our people’s fundamental need of food as our first campaign, to harness the power of the resources readily available (backyard plots, grow boxes, and most importantly people) to provide a foundation of resilience for our people to start on their journey toward self-determination.

One of the most troubling aspects of how we degrade our planet is how our food is produced and received. Importing our food from different regions around the world not only increases our carbon debt paid for each meal we eat, but robs many individuals of the opportunity to work within their community growing food at a local farm. In addition, our current food production system pits workers against one another, leading to stunning levels of global income inequality.

To combat these problems The Village Cooperative has initiated 3 different programs centered around food:

  • Delivery system for food grown from the Village in a 3 block radius

  • Monthly service projects installing gardens to promote urban homesteading

  • Weekly permaculture meetings to share knowledge and skills with the surrounding community

With this 3 block model we hope to not only localize food but extremely reduce our carbon debt that would be obtained by cheap mass produced produce riddled with toxins. By distributing food to our neighbors we also hope to feed those in need and enable them to join our movement.

Our Distribution Model

To achieve this we will follow a 1/3 model of distribution of food that goes not only to the people we serve but those who participate in the production

  • ⅓ Donated to the community

  • ⅓ To our members

  • ⅓ Reinvested to The Village Cooperative

Once we have achieved a strong food justice cooperative we will begin establishing service base cooperatives i.e. carpentry, daycare, housing, handyperson, etc. These cooperatives will endeavor to create a network of individuals that collectively own their labor and distribute the resources to their surrounding community so we can all grow together.

Use Capital to Liberate Labor By Building a Cooperative Economy that Empowers Us All

Build A Cooperative Economy That Empowers Us All

The Village Cooperative works with our membership to address the needs and concerns of our local community, ultimately building shared ownership and collaboration for our people by ensuring local food distribution for communities.

Our first cooperative is focused on the distribution and production of food. We see this as the fundamental building block towards a system that can stand on its own without relying on the current wage system in which we find ourselves entangled. With food co-ops in full swing, we seek to empower career paths and benefits through working in collaboration with our peers, instead of working for a paycheck for a nameless corporation. Instead we will use the cooperative model to build a modern village that ensures wealth stays within our communities.

7 Cooperative Principles

  1. Voluntary and Open Membership

  2. Democratic Member Control

  3. Member Economic Participation

  4. Autonomy

  5. Education and Training of Members and the Public

  6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives

  7. Concern for Community

What is a Co-op?

Cooperatives offer a community-centered, collectively owned, and democratically governed organization. With our focus on food production we are emphasizing a strong support for natural and organic foods, environmental sustainability, local economies, and family farms. We have started with educating people on local food production and selling our produce to employ members and provide an economic base for the creation of future cooperatives centered around things like, carpentry, artistry, cooking, and many more!

To establish an equitable accumulation of wealth for our communities we have a tiered member system to allow for varying degrees involvement in the cooperative. All members have voting rights to effectively guide the Village Cooperative in serving our local communities.

Create a culture of healing for our people and the land

Create a culture of healing for our people and the land

The Village Cooperative empowers members of the community through cultivating a combined learning space for art, community wellness, and advocacy within the immediate community we serve. We cultivate a space that is at the forefront of creativity and self expression for members of our community to feel welcome and thrive in whatever passion they pursue.

At The Village Co-op we focus on wellbeing through several lenses: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Physical wellbeing is taught by encouraging connection to land and food production. 

To accomplish this we serve the community with:

  • Monthly events for local artists, vendors, and farmers 

  • Weekly healing circles for community healing

  • Reiki and massage sessions upon member request.

To learn more about these services apply via this form

These services are to create a vibrant active community will foster the kind of environment that will empower our members to work together creating a real sense of a village.