Food Security
Cooperative groceries create short-term impact & long-term systemic change that provide fresh food and ready-to-eat offerings as alternatives to convenient stores. GateBridge and National Co-op Grocers (NCG) are developing a cooperative grocery concept, tailored to the specific needs of black, brown, and low-income communities in the DC metro area. This project will be able to improve access to fresh, healthy, and culturally relevant food in low-income, low-access (LILA) communities.
Food access is an urgent need for communities to address health and wellness. Cooperative groceries not only address food access and food insecurity, but offer well-paid, stable employment, build wealth for community owners, and provide safe spaces to support communities with health and wellness. Through cooperative ownership, community members transform into leaders and promote equality and health in their lives, families, and neighborhoods.
Rosie's Grocery
Rosie’s, a cooperative grocery initiative, is the flagship initiative of GateBridge. We are currently fundraising to build a flagship store and later a local chain of cooperative grocery stores in targeted low-income, low access (LILA) neighborhoods. These stores will bring fresh foods and culturally relevant ready-to-eat meals to thousands of low and moderate income residents in the DC metro area. Additionally, Rosie’s grocery stores will:
- Deliver health and wellness programming in neighborhoods without access to health care.
- Create ownership opportunities for over 100 predominantly BIPOC workers and thousands of resident-owners.
- Offer jobs with competitive wages, ownership dividends, profit-sharing, and 401k wealth building plans.
- Reinvest profits in community initiatives.
- Develop circular economy and supply chain opportunities for further entrepreneurship, employment, and wealth-building in diverse industries.
