Cynthia Blayer - Park Slope Food COOP

Location: room 1124, amphitheatre at Saint Paul University, 223 Main street, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1C4

Date: Thursday, June 1st, from 7 pm to 9 pm 

In the early 1970s, 12 friends and neighbors got together to find a way to make fresh, healthy food available at low prices to their community. They formed the Park Slope Food Coop (PSFC) in 1973 and today that coop is the largest member run food cooperative in the nation, with over 17,000 members.

What are the benefits of a member owned and run food cooperative? Why has this coop continued to thrive when some others have failed? Can this cooperative model be used in other communities? Cynthia Blayer will answer these questions and more.

Cynthia Blayer is a long time member of the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, New York. She represents the coop in the Mid-Atlantic Food Cooperative Alliance (MAFCA) where she is also a board member. Cynthia has a masters degree in public health and has worked for environmental non-profits, health and educational organizations.