MAYNARD: On Friday, July 8, at 12pm, the Assabet Co-op Market will break ground on a full-service, community-owned grocery store at 86 Powder Mill Road. The store is owned by almost 2,000 residents from 40 local communities and will be the only cooperative grocery store in Metro West. State and local officials, including State Representative Kate Hogan and Senator Jamie Eldridge, will attend the groundbreaking. 

"We are thrilled to be opening a community-owned grocery store where everyone is welcome – a grocery  store committed to supporting local farms, food justice, and the environment," said Sam McCormick, the  store’s general manager. "And because we’re democratically owned, we’re keeping control of our food  system and our economic future here in our community." 

The Co-op has agreed to lease the property from the Coffman Development Group and plans to open an 8,000-square-foot grocery store with 6,000 square feet of retail space later this year. Designed by Scott/Griffin Architects and Jenna Soberg - Sota Box Consulting, it will include every department found in a conventional grocery store, including an extensive bulk foods section. It will also have a cafe, prepared foods, community space, and ample parking. 

Unlike conventional grocers, food cooperatives prioritize local producers, including local farms, bakers,  cheese makers, and more. McCormick said the Co-op has built relationships with more than 170 local  food producers.

Sourcing from local producers keeps money in the local economy, something co-op leaders say will build  economic strength across the region. According to Food Co-op Initiative (FCI), a national nonprofit that  advises startup food co-ops, every $1,000 spent at a food co-op generates $1,600 in the local economy. 

"Cooperatives exist to serve the communities that own them, not enrich far-away corporate shareholders,"  said Jacqueline Hannah Reid, FCI's assistant director. "That mission -- and the fact that local residents  own the business they're supporting -- builds community and builds loyalty. It's just one reason why co ops are so successful." 

The Co-op also aims to increase access to local, healthy food, regardless of a shopper’s income. The  store will be open to everyone to shop, regardless of whether they become owners, and it will accept  SNAP benefits. As a member of the National Cooperative Grocers (NCG) network, the Co-op will also be  able to sell natural and organic staple items at affordable prices. And Co-op leaders are seeking grants to  build a Healthy Food Access program to provide additional discounts to low-income shoppers.  

Co-op owners purchase a one-time $200 share and are entitled to benefits, including an annual dividend in profitable years; a say in products and classes; bulk ordering discounts; and voting rights for store initiatives and board elections. Maynard has a long history of cooperative  businesses, with Russian and Finnish immigrants establishing a host of cooperatives stretching back to the 1800s. 

Across the country, food co-ops are thriving and with good reason, said Lorne Bell, Assabet Co-op Market’s director of outreach and communications.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, he said,  community-owned grocery stores stepped up as only they could. 

"Food shortages in the industrial food system hit conventional grocers hard, but cooperatives turned to  their relationships with local producers to source more local food, keep shelves full, and keep money  flowing to the local economy," said Bell. "Food co-ops have been sourcing locally and strengthening  communities for more than 170 years." 

The Assabet Co-op Market hopes to carry on that legacy in Metro West Boston.

CONCORD/MAYNARD: Open Table, the Concord and Maynard charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, announced that it is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The Concord and Maynard-based organization was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process.

Currently Open Table distributes bags of groceries, which include fresh produce, proteins, dairy, baked goods, and shelf-stable produces, to over 300 households each week and provides over 800 prepared meals to clients that hail from the Metro West suburbs.  Open Table has received incredible support from the communities it serves through donations of food and funds, making it possible for us to continue to address food insecurity in our region.

“The Cummings Foundation grant  will help Open Table  expand its services as a community food hub and support the increased number of individuals and families facing food insecurity during these challenging times,” said Jeanine Calabria, executive director of Open Table. “In addition, the grant will be used to help Open Table grow its mobile food program.”

The Cummings $25 Million Grant Program supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties.
Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the areas where it owns commercial property. Its buildings are all managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate, Cummings Properties. This Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of debt-free space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.

“We are so fortunate in greater Boston to have such effective nonprofits, plus a wealth of talented, dedicated professionals and volunteers to run them,” said Cummings Foundation executive director Joyce Vyriotes. “We are indebted to them for the work they do each day to provide for basic needs, break down barriers to education and health resources, and work toward a more equitable society.”

With the help of about 90 volunteers, the Foundation first identified 140 organizations to receive grants of at least $100,000 each. Among the winners were first-time recipients as well as nonprofits that had previously received Cummings Foundation grants. Forty of this latter group of repeat recipients were then selected to have their grants elevated to 10-year awards ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 each.

“Our volunteers bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which is so critical to our grant selection process,” said Vyriotes. “Through this democratized approach to philanthropy, they decide more than half the grants every year.”

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including food insecurity, immigrant and refugee services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 45 different cities and towns.

The complete list of 140 grant winners, plus more than 900 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.  Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $375 million to greater Boston nonprofits.

Open Table is a 501(c)(3) established in 1989. Their mission is to address hunger in their local community by providing healthy food in a welcoming environment while respecting the dignity and diversity of those served. For more information, visit: www.opentable.org

Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities, in Marlborough and Woburn, and Cummings Health Sciences, LLC. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.