Ramou Sowe & The Vancouver Food Co-op!

“To provide our community access to healthy foods and products, with emphasis on local suppliers.” -VFC’s Vision Statement

Hello, my name is Ramou Sowe; I stumbled upon and started volunteering for the Vancouver Food Cooperative about eight months ago. I was very excited and eager to join this organization because of the great work they do for the community and for promoting sustainability.

VFC is headed by a handful of downtown residents, who are passionate about our community and excited to be part of this great development. Each person has come to be a part of VFC for different reasons and at different times, but everyone has come with a common purpose- to improve our community and bring a sustainable food source into our neighborhood.

There are many different areas and jobs that volunteers can help out with at the co-op. They include:

• stocking
• sorting
• filling orders
• working with vendors
• cashier
• department coordinator (produce, bulk, grocery, dairy, bakery, etc.)
• cleaning
• marketing (including social media)
• promotion
• public speaking
• carpentry
• plumbing
• electrical
• VFC Board Member
• business planning
• accounting
• finance
• graphic arts/design
• food related classes
• demos
• recipes
• event planning
• logistics

Vancouver Food Cooperative was established in 2006, forming a nonprofit, member-owned business with the goal of providing healthy, local, food for members and the public. VFC has grown each year, and in the summer of 2010 opened an online store. The online store features local farmers and food artisans. VFC is proud to offer members and the public the option of purchasing goods online, as we build towards our goal of a fully functioning grocery store to better serve the community.

The physical store is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, at 1002 Main Street, which is across from the Kiggins Theatre. Store hours are Monday to Friday 11am-7pm, and Saturday to Sunday 11am-5pm.

Thank you for your interest and support of the Vancouver Food Cooperative; a local non-profit business in the community, for the community, by the community. Monthly Board meetings are held every month on the first Wednesday from 6pm-8pm at  the store. Members and the public are welcome to attend the meetings.

To learn more about volunteering at the Vancouver Food Cooperative, please visit the volunteer page on their website, or contact Joyce at joyce.vfc@gmail.com. You can also find them on Facebook.

“We strive to support our local economy by providing a space for local farmers and food artisans to feature their products, while providing our community a place to purchase seasonal, fresh, organic, wholesome foods.” -VFC