An Investment in Hope By Monica Peabody, Staff member
In 2019, Olympia Food Co-op membership voted in favor of selling beer, wine and low alcohol
beverages in both stores. Based on conversations with members, collective staff and the
Board of Directors created a set of commitments to our community around alcohol sales that
included the following:
- The Olympia Food Co-op is committed to doing the work of overcoming oppression, in ourselves, our organization, and our world. It is with this conviction that we mindfully proceed in establishing our Beer & Wine department.
- We wish to acknowledge that alcohol has been utilized in the maltreatment and displacement of Indigenous peoples. We recognize that in choosing to sell alcohol we have a responsibility to continue to educate our- selves, and our customers on the effects of alcohol in Indigenous communities.
- We understand there is intersectionality of oppression in regard to alcohol consumption. Various populations experience violence, discriminatory law enforcement, and other punitive action, based upon ethnicity, class, gender and ability. Alcohol has been used as a tool in this oppression.
- We are dedicated to expanding awareness of the addictive effect of alcohol. We recognize that by choosing to sell these products, we must do so with respect toward those in our community who are in recovery. We demonstrate this by providing information on local resources for prevention and treatment of alcohol addiction, and by donating annually to a number of these programs.
- Olympia Food Co-op staff will continue to educate ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to our purpose, as we move forward in addressing the wishes of our membership.
At the end of 2023, our Board of Directors chose two treatment programs to donate a share of overall profits from 20221 and 2022, per our policy that relates to donating to our community during profitable years, amounting to a total donation of $40,000.