Does the Co-op have a volunteer program?

The Co-op ended our Volunteer Program in September 2014. It was with deep regret that we came to this decision, and we miss having non-staff members involved so directly in the business operations. We truly appreciate every moment of time, skills, ideas, and energy that each of our volunteers contributed.

For more information about this decision, you can review these Volunteer Program FAQs.

Additional Information and Resources:

A number of articles that we have found helpful for reference and background include:

• Unites States Department of Labor information about Eligible Terms for Volunteering
• United States Department of Labor Opinion Letter regarding Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and use of volunteers in co-ops
• “Will work for food? Co-op programs end amid labor law fears” (Associated Press)
• “Who’s Watching Member Labor in Food Cooperatives?”(article from Cooperative Grocer)
• “Member Labor, Member Loans Threatened (article from Cooperative Grocer)
• “Why Some Co-ops Are Killing Off Their Member-Labor Programs” article from Seven Days in Vermont.
• City Market’s GM’s Response to Seven Days article
• Laddie Lushin, Esq., Memorandum
• Member-submitted list of co-ops with current, active member-worker programs
• Monadnock Food Co-op’s take on why they never established a member-worker program at their start-up co-op
• Letter to EEFC Volunteers
• Open Letter to Members Regarding the Decision to End Our Volunteer Program (by former Marketing & Member Services Manager Heather Hackett)
• Volunteer Decision Matrix

Volunteer Program Discussion Meeting Materials and Resources:

An audio recording of our public volunteer program discussion meeting is available on Soundcloud. Click here to hear what board, staff, and members had to say. (Thanks to the Art Institute students who made this recording possible!) You can also read the Volunteer Program Discussion Notes. Center For Victims, who provided facilitation services at this meeting, have also shared member comments that were submitted by way of feedback forms distributed at the event.