Page 8
A Divergence of Views: Two Food Co-ops
Food For People.
Not For Profit
by Martha Robertson and
John Margenot
Are you interested in good
quality, low priced grains,
beans flours, nuts, dried
fruits, teas, cheeses and
produce? If so, you may be
interested in Deep Roots! We
are a non-profit co-operative
store concerned about com
munity needs. We will have
honest, straight-forward pric
ing, nutritional information,
a lending library, and a center
for focusing community ener
gies and concerns. Also, it's a
fun place to work and be
together.
Deep Roots is a co-op based
on old concepts newly
expressed! As the co-opera
tive movement developes,
new structures are continually
being created to meet the
needs of new situations and
times. We, who form the core
of Deep Roots, see the store as
being a combination of a
participatory co-op and a
worker's collective.
For those of you who have
yet to become involved with
co-ops, I*ll try to explain the
general distinctions. A partic
ipatory co-op is one in which
all members are expected to
participate at the same
level-sharing the easy and the
hard jobs and the simple and
complicated ones as well.
These co-ops are usually
limited in size because of the
proglems of sharing work
equally among large numbers
of people. Some co-ops have
taken the participatory system
to another level by designat
ing a rotating board to be
responsible for certain areas
(like the finances and work
systems). On the other hand
is the worker's collective.
Most worker's collectives
develop out of people's need
to support themselves and the
desire to control their own
lives. Generally speaking, a
worker's collective is a group
of people who work together
equally, selling to or servicing
the consumer at lower-than
average prices, and who
collectively own their busi
ness. These collectives are
more homogeneous than
co-ops and often have a
political and/or philosophical
belief which helps to hold
them together.
Our philosophical policies or
our political philosophy:
Profit-motivated agibusiness
and large corporations have
taken not only the wealth, but
also the power, from the
common people. If we expect
to gain control over the quality
and prices of the food we eat
(and the rest of their lives),
then we need to support
systems in which the power is
decentralized, where the
consumer has control over
what she/he consumes. We
believe in eliminating as many
middle-persons as possible so
that cost is lower, and so that
we may more directly support
small farmers who care about
the quality of their goods.
Necessary for this is the
development and support of a
regional co-operative ware
house (which means prior
development of state-wide
co-op communications. We at
Deep Roots will also support
people's boycotts and non-vi
olent direct action campaigns
which we believe to in the best
interest of the community and
the co-operative movement as
a whole. We want the
immediate and surrounding
community to come together
and regain that sense of caring
which seems to have been lost
in today's centralization. We
want to be a center for
community concerns of all
kinds.
How Deep Roots fits in: we
are organized as a worker's
collective of 4 people who will
run the store with the aid of
members who volunteer their
time. Although final decision
making authority rests with
the collective itself (and is
made on a basis of concensus),
every effort will be made to act
consensually, as well, within
The Guilfordian
agM
IS
UP
JJMH
the broader group of people
who take an active interest in
the store through volunteering
their time and attending open
staff meetings. The store itself
is non-profit, and members of
the collective will be paid a
susbistence wage as soon as it
is financially reasonable.
Refundable membership
fees are $5.00 base for the
household plus $2.00 per
person. Yearly dues are $5.00
per adult on a pro-rated basis,
(so a 1 person household pays
SIO.OO, a 2 person: sl9, a 3
person $26,...etc.) Working
members are expected to work
4 hours per month. There will
be a membership registration
and get together Saturday,
February 28th. Pot luck dinner
5:30 PM and registration 3-8
p.m. at Deep Roots, 1837
Spring Garden. Contact Mar
tha or John at 274-7884, or
Jenny 274-4577 for other
information.
Food Co-operative Opens
It s Doors to Everyone
by Antaeus Natural Foods
Antaeus, a Greensboro
natural foods co-operative
welcomes the students and
faculty of Guilford College to
participate in an alternative to
high food prices. Antaeus is a
co-operative which is funded,
owned, managed, and operat
ed by members with a mutual
interest in better food quality
and a common goal of less
expensive food. The business
and co-operative policies of
this organization are esta
blished through membership
meetings working under the
principles of democratic con
trol and employing the one
member, one vote law.
The concept of Antaeus was
established with a non-profit
principle. All proceeds from
sales are re-invested in the
co-op for purposes of
expansion and improvement
of facilities. Some profits will
also be invested in community
services.
The co-op will be commu
nity oriented. It will be
organized and operated with
an awareness and concern for
community needs and involve
itself in consumer issues. We
hope to include such projects
as a community garden and a
skills and information ex
change, along with our regular
potluck suppers. We will be
earnestly striving to reach all
the members of the Greens
boro community and hope to
be instrumental in improving
community awareness, com
munication and a close unity.
Food Committee
Meeting
There will be a meeting of
the Senate Food Committee on
Wednesday, February 25, at
12:30 in the smaller back
dining room in the cafeteria. If
you are interested in the
preparation and serving of
food in the cafeteria and
grill-room, come to this
meeting. If you are unable to
attend, there is a suggestion
box located in the foyer of
Founders.
I will be taking the Civil
Service Exam on Saturday,
Feb. 28, at UNC-G. I will be
able to take anyone who needs
a ride down there and back. If
interested, contact Forrest,
292-1333, Shore 109. Even if
you haven't made prior
arrangements, you can still go
down and take the exam,
attempt to register at the door.
February 24. 1976
The co-op will carry a
complete variety of natural
foods, including basic whole
I grains and flours, dried fruit
and cheeses, nuts, oils, teas
and herbs, soaps, and toilet
articles. We anticipate carry
ing seasonal produce and
fruits from the local farmers.
The store, which has
recently moved, has been
relocated at 101 Paisley
Street. This location is
. situated off Lindsey St., which
runs west of N. Elm, and sits
behind the Goodyear Tire
Store on Elm. A map is
available for those unfamiliar
with the area. For total
information, call 292-7594,
288-4985, 299-0779, or 275-
0186 any day or night. We
welcome everyone's help in
making this co-operative a
unified success.
GOOD
CURTIS
BUR I C K
CRI T Z
BAI L E Y
EDWARDS
JAN N E Y
POLI 0 C K
WILLIAMS
the
senate
candidates
speak
GET S INGER
WILKINSON
the
union
candidates
speak
all
on
Sunday
night
at
8:00
only
on