Our cooperative is a member driven business ~without YOU~ there would be no cooperative. "Buy in" from the community is the ONLY way that cooperatives thrive. First, our cooperative is a democratically run operation ~every vote assures that we are going in the direction that the community wants! Second, membership is how we prove to banks and other institutions that we mean business! The sooner we can raise funds, the sooner we have our grocery store ~it really does come to that!
Share the Vision, Buy a Share
How to Buy A Share
There are four basic steps to becoming a member in the Vancouver Food Cooperative.
1. Be a legal adult, at least eighteen years old
2.
Download, print and sign a copy of our share agreement
3. Write a check for $60-180 dollars payable to Vancouver Food Cooperative
4. Mail both items to Vancouver Food Cooperative at:
Vancouver Food Cooperative
1701 Broadway #B
Vancouver WA 98663
If you have questions that are not answered here, please add the extra step of TALKING with another co-op member or someone on the Outreach Committee or the Board! We are glad to meet you!
Buying More Than One Share
Members may purchase up to twenty shares, but receive only one vote. If you are able to buy more than one share, please send in $180 for each share. Only a first share is available for the $60 initial payment option, so to purchase two shares would be $360, three would be $540, ten for $1,800 and so on up to a maximum of $3,600.
Gift Shares
You can help the community and Vancouver Food Co-op by donating to the share scholarship program or buying gift shares.
Help bring people into the co-op, buy a share for the scholarship fund, or choose the recipient yourself by buying a gift share for someone you know who would value and appreciate a share.
♦ Mail a subscription agreement with the recipients name on the form with payment. We will mail the form to them for their signature
♦ Your gift can be anonymous if you prefer, just include a note stating you want it to be anonymous.
♦ Please include your contact name, business or organization name so we can acknowledge your contribution on the web site. (If you do not wish to share your information on the web site, please indicate.)
Scholarships
VFC has some funds available for membership scholarships. Individuals wishing to become a member of VFC and feel they cannot afford to do so, are encouraged to apply. While funds are not unlimited, the membership committee will make every effort to help the applicant become a VFC member.
The initial scholarship amount is $30, half of the regular minimum initial payment of $60. Once the scholarship is approved, a $30 payment is due from the applicant, along with the regular VFC membership application.
To qualify for a scholarship, individuals must: have an income at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level (under 2009 guidelines, this means a total income of $44,100 for a family of four), live in Clark County, and agree to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours to VFC within the scholarship year. Renewal of scholarship for the second and third annual payments is not automatic; individuals must reapply each year.
Scholarship requests are reviewed quarterly. To receive a scholarship application, please email:membership@vancouverfood.coop or scholarship@vancouverfood.coop for more information.
