The co-operator The co-operator
Round Up to support local non-profits
The East End Food Co-op’s annual Register Round Up program is back, offering a simple yet impactful way to support local non-profits that make a difference in our community. Since its inception in April 2013, this initiative has empowered Co-op shoppers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, with the extra change directly benefiting a curated list of local organizations. Over the years, this program has raised substantial funds for causes close to our hearts.
This year, we’re proud to spotlight eight remarkable organizations that will benefit from your generosity in 2025. Each one brings unique contributions to our community, serving a diverse range of needs.
Harmony Dog Rescue provides safe homes for dogs whose owners are experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, medical emergencies, or drug and alcohol rehabilitation. They work to make sure dogs are not left behind and to ultimately reunite them with their people.
National Opera House’s mission is to restore the building and legacy of 7101 Apple Street, home of the first black Opera Company in America. Restoration plans honor the historic structure, nature, and feel of the facility while creating a functional building for Opera House planned activities and programming.
Pittsburgh Struggling Student Association’s mission is to ensure that school works for all students in the
Pittsburgh Public Schools so that the racial achievement gap disappears, all students achieve at high levels, and 100% of high school students graduate ready for college and career.
Allegheny CleanWays’ mission is to engage and empower people to eliminate illegal dumping and littering in Allegheny County. They have been instrumental in engaging and partnering with community groups to remove more than 5.4 million pounds of debris.
Bird Lab is a Pittsburgh-based 501c(3) nonprofit that conducts research, public outreach and community education about birds and our human impact on the stunning but declining diversity of resident and migrant birds of Western Pennsylvania.
Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition (PPCC) is a group of clinicians, healthcare professionals, social workers, parents and community members committed to improving access to quality pediatric palliative and hospice care for children and families.
SisTers PGH is a black and trans-led nonprofit organization that serves the transgender community of Southwestern Pennsylvania. They provide holistic, supportive services, including: housing, rent/utility support, emergency shelter, and a drop-in center for trans youth, adults, and seniors.
Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas helps to support birthing persons and their loved ones who are experiencing pregnancy or newborn loss by providing compassionate guidance through the process of birth, meeting a baby for the first time, making the time together meaningful, and saying goodbye. Support is offered at no cost to families.
To donate to these charities, simply ask your cashier to “round up” at the register when you shop at the Co-op.
Tim Lydon, co-founder of Harmony Dog Rescue, works to make sure no dog is left behind.
Welcome 2025 board members
By Tom Pandaleon
EEFC completed the 2024 election on December 1st, and we are happy to announce the following results:
Staff seat (1 year) - Michael Murphy
Member Seats (3 year) - Desmond Zheng, Nick Liese, Heather Kenner
Member Seat (1 year) - Nico Demkin
The EEFC board includes a one-year staff seat, elected solely by our employeemembers, which had been left vacant for most of 2024. The board is gratified to have it filled once again by Michael Murphy, who was hired as part of the café beverage counter reopening initiative, and brings relevant skills gained as a student advocate at Duquesne University, and more recently with eight years in the service industry. Welcome Michael!
As a result of prior board resignations, three of our current board members, Desmond, Nico and Nick, were elected
to one-year seats in last year’s election. All three have decided to stand again for election this year, and have been reelected.
Nico Demkin works in the accounting field, and has brought insight gained there in areas like human resources and administration which have enhanced our board deliberations. Nico worked on the general manager search sub-committee this year, helping to plow through the applications and aiding the rest of the board in narrowing the field. In addition, his experience of this last year’s Expansion activities enhances the board’s bank of institutional knowledge as we continue to move forward in our search for more space.
Desmond Zheng also returns to the board, having served this past year as our secretary, a job he has performed with a thoroughness and alacrity from which the
rest of the board benefits greatly. Desmond is a sustainability consultant, and he melds a lifelong involvement with food co-ops to his professional expertise and his interest in promoting our cooperative enterprise as a vital player in the culture and economy of our region.
Nick Liese returns to the board, having stepped in earlier this year as vice president. Nick is a construction project manager whose extensive experience in real estate development was a major asset to the board this year as we dealt with various expansion-related initiatives and an in-depth evaluation of the Uptown project in particular.
Heather Kenner is our other new board member this year. Heather brings substantial experience with food co-ops and small “a” agriculture to the position, and currently works in food sustainability with an international non-profit. Heather’s professional work experience fits well with EEFC’s institutional commitment to an “ethical and resilient food infrastructure,” and we welcome her to the board.
Finally, we say goodbye to our fellow board member Lucia Covato. Lucia performed her board duties this past year with absolute commitment, and was a great asset in our deliberations on expansion and the general manager search, bringing much relevant professional experience to the latter. We will miss her.
Michael Murphy
Heather Kenner
Co-operation Among Co-operatives
By Tyler Kulp
As 2025 loiters around the corner, waiting for us to just stroll by, I recall the question I’ve often asked myself, my family, and our kind and patient staff: Could this be the best year ever?
The phrasing of the question allows the competing viewpoints residing in my brain (in all of us?) to engage in an amusing, robust debate. Could it be the best year ever? Absolutely it could be. But will it be? Unlikely, but we will have to let future historians decide. Regardless of the strength of your personal optimist or pessimist, we can all commit ourselves to positive change in our communities and making an impact on a larger scale.
Cooperative principle number six was the subject of passionate discussion at our recent board of directors finance committee meeting. The International Cooperative Alliance states “cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.”
We are a member-owner of a larger cooperative network throughout the country, National Cooperative Grocers (NCG). Working together we aggregate buying power, decreasing costs for each member, share knowledge and other resources, increasing the likelihood of success for each Co-op. As global chains homogenize the industry and remove any trace of “local” from the shelves, this is how our small community-owned grocery store can be more impactful on not just our local economy, but the
community of every co-op in the NCG network, than the larger chain stores.
East End Food Co-op is also a memberowner of Frontier Co-op, based in Iowa. They are our largest supplier of bulk herbs and spices, found in our small but mighty aisle one.
As a member of EEFC, you may not visit Belfast Co-op in Maine, or Wheatsville in Austin, TX, but by shopping here on Meade Street you are supporting the cooperative movement everywhere.
The United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives, with a theme of Cooperatives Build A Better World . The goals for this proclamation include raising awareness of cooperatives and their contributions to sustainable development, promoting growth and development of cooperatives, advocating for a better policy environment for cooperatives, and inspiring youth to join cooperatives. There will be events literally all over the world in 2025 to celebrate co-ops and put in work to achieve the above goals and more. The official launch event was in New Delhi, India, right before Thanksgiving. This is truly a global initiative with work that can start right by shopping our store, voting for our board of directors, and participating in board meetings or committees.
In closing, ask yourselves could 2025 be the best year ever? It certainly could be, if we want it. I hope everyone has a delightful New Year and I look forward to seeing you all around the store.
Co-ops, Charity, & Community
East End Food Co-op is proud to be part of a large network of cooperatives that actively support meaningful charitable initiatives. Together with 165 member co-ops across the country, National Cooperative Grocers (NCG) raised over $139,000 in recent weeks for the North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS). This nonprofit organization is dedicated to revitalizing Indigenous foodways and preserving Native American cultural traditions.
From October 30 through December 3, NCG member co-ops participated in a campaign that donated $0.05 for every Field Day product purchased. Field Day, the co-op value brand, offers more than 270 affordable, high-quality food and household products. The funds raised will help NĀTIFS support its mission through programs such as the Indigenous Food Lab, which provides training, education, and resources for Indigenous entrepreneurs and communities to reconnect with traditional food practices.
In addition to this recent campaign, an earlier fall initiative provided relief for those affected by Hurricane Helene. NCG member co-ops collectively raised over $100,000, triggering an additional $100,000 matching donation. The cooperative spirit continues to make a powerful impact on communities nationwide.
East End Food Co-op thanks its members and shoppers for contributing to these efforts. By supporting our coop, you’ve played a vital role in fostering sustainable food systems and supporting our community. Let’s continue making a difference together!
Many of our bulk herbs come from Frontier Co-op in Iowa
tropical island cafe sea moss
The East End Food Co-op is proud to work with local supplier Tropical Island Café, bringing their unique and healthful offerings to our shelves. Founded in 2023 by Chuck and Ness, Tropical Island Café has quickly become a trusted source for high-quality, fair trade, and organic sea moss products.
Tropical Island Café is dedicated to providing products that promote health and wellness while staying true to ethical and sustainable practices. Their sea moss is harvested by divers from the pristine waters off the coast of West Africa, where it is naturally sun-dried to preserve its nutrients and quality. Unlike many other suppliers, Tropical Island Café ensures their sea moss is never farmed, offering customers a truly natural and authentic product.
Sea moss is often hailed as a superfood, and for good reason. It contains 92 of the 102 minerals essential to the human body, making it a powerhouse of nutrition. Tropical Island Café takes this a step further with their Infused Sea Moss Gel, which includes burdock root and bladder wrack. These two additions provide the remaining 10 minerals, resulting in a product that boasts all 102 minerals the human body needs.
For those who prefer to customize their health journey, Tropical Island Café also offers dry sea moss. This versatile ingredient can be soaked and prepared at home, giving you the flexibility to incorporate it into your favorite recipes.
In addition to sea moss, Tropical Island Café is proud to introduce their premium Batana Oil. This sustainably sourced oil
is celebrated for its ability to nourish the scalp, as well as hair and skin. Packed with fatty acids and nutrients, it’s an excellent choice for those seeking natural beauty solutions.
By working directly with their suppliers, Chuck and Ness ensure that every product is fair trade, supporting the hardworking communities who make their offerings possible. This dedication to transparency and sustainability resonates deeply with the values of the East End Food Co-op and its members.
Stop by the East End Food Co-op today to explore the Tropical Island Café product line, and discover how their offerings can elevate your health and self-care routine.
membership has its benefits
• 2% discount on all daily purchases
• 10% quarterly discount on one transaction
• Save up to 20% on cases via special order
• The opportunity to run for the board
• Voting priveleges in Co-op elections
• Access to the EEFC Federal Credit Union
• And more!
7516 Meade Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208 412-242-3598
Taylor recommends Mitica Taralli crackers from Forever Cheese.
Ness is especially proud to bring organic, naturally harvested sea moss to Pittsburgh.
Zee recommends Aloha plant based protein bars.
Alex recommends Garlic Lovers’ Pasta from our very own café.