PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles shoppers may soon have another option for locally grown food.
A group of five is working to open a food cooperative, much like those in Port Townsend and Clallam Bay, in the city.
They formed an interim board at their first meeting July 27, and though they don’t have a name yet, the board members are preparing to raise funds and get the organization off the ground.
“We’re pretty much in the planning stages still,” said board member Glenda West.
Food co-ops are owned by the customers themselves, and like many others, said West and another board member, Jane Hielman, this one will focus on offering locally grown produce and other items.
“The more people who have ownership of an organization, the more they get to express themselves,” said Hielman, who started the Sunsets West Co-op in Clallam Bay four years ago.
“We’re working towards sustainability in our area.”
Hielman said the idea for the co-op came out of the Clallam County Food Policy Council, of which she is also a member.
“Food co-ops are known for bringing options for people,” West said.
The food co-op could take at least five to six months to organize for opening, she said.
A location, The Landing mall on the waterfront, has been offered. But as much as $250,000 may need to be raised for the co-op to open its doors, West said.
For now, the group is meeting weekly to work out all the details.
The next one is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at The Landing mall, 115 E. Railroad Avenue.
For more information, email West at adnelg@hotmail.com or Hielman at sunsetswestcoop@gmail.com.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
