How suburban food co-ops are ‘bearing fruit' after years of organizing

Kathy Nash used to shop at a locally owned grocery store in downstate Urbana. It wasn't your standard supermarket. The Common Ground Food Co-op off...

March 16, 2023
1:22 AM

Kathy Nash used to shop at a locally owned grocery store in downstate Urbana. It wasn't your standard supermarket. The Common Ground Food Co-op offered an alternative to big-box grocery store chains. 'It really changed the way I thought about how I put food on the table for my family,' Nash said. 'I was a young mother. I had two small children, and shopping there gave me the exposure to the importance of supporting local agriculture and local farmers.' Nash, her husband, Jerry, and their family moved to Lombard in 2009, expecting to find dozens of Chicago-area co-op stores stocked with locally produced food.

Katlyn Smith