Downtown Wilmington is often referred to as a food desert, but the Northside in particular has been the focus of efforts to address food insecurity. An on-again, off-again 30-year conversation finally has traction with the Northside Food Co-op, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing a grocery cooperative to life within three years.
 
“Three years ago, I was at the table with others planning to bring a grocery store to this side of town,” said Northside native Cedric Harrison. “We were also thinking about how to make it equitable and not just a store that comes in and charges high prices.
 
“We wanted to build a store to serve the people who live there, to have a community presence and ownership, and also have a place where they can access healthy food options and education for more resources they need. A food co-op seemed to be the best route.”
 
Voted in as president of the nine-member board of directors, Harrison said he expects a pilot program to be up and running by the end of the year. The board also includes Jordyn Appel, Genna Wirth, Frankie Roberts, Joe Conway, Joe Finley, Keith Rhodes, Lauren Hurley and Scott Whisnant.
 
Born and raised in public housing on the Northside (which runs broadly from Market Street toward Castle Hayne Road and Water Street to about North 30th), Harrison moved away for a while but was drawn back to the city. He became involved with the Northside Health and Wellbeing Committee, which in 2018 did an extensive assessment of health and safety conditions in the area. Food insecurity and its effects on residents was among the troubling outcomes.
 
With community involvement from individuals to institutions such as New Hanover Regional Medical Center and UNCW, the study helped to guide the direction of the resulting nonprofit.
 
“We hope to increase life expectancy and help folks to make better choices of health decisions,” Harrison said of the decision that a food cooperative would bring badly needed resources to the community. Making nutritious food available is just part of the plan. A dietician will be available to residents on-site, he said. The co-op is envisioned as a centralized point for education and assistance supported by a multitude of community talents and resources.
 
Involved with the idea since 2003, Evan Folds consults with the group as a project manager. A trained biologist, Folds says his passion is to establish regenerative food systems. “[The co-op] cuts straight to the heart of that,” he said.
 
Since incorporating as a nonprofit in March, the board has completed its bylaws and is in dialogue with several organizations about support. The first patron share was sold in December. Lifetime membership is $100, and 189 shares had been sold by mid-January, Folds reported.
 
One of the greatest challenges to this early effort has been educating potential members on what a co-op is, Folds said.
 
“People think, ‘Oh, it’s a business that wants to be cooperative,’” he quipped. “Literally it’s a different style of business. Chapter 54, Subchapter 4 of North Carolina law covers it. It demands a board of directors and a one-person, one-share posture.”
 
Tidal Creek Food Co-op is the closest example in New Hanover County. Members pay $40 per year and get member-only pricing on some items, similar to a retail grocery’s loyalty rewards program. Tidal Creek’s genesis was in response to the desire for organic foods; Northside is more about access to fresh foods.
 
In Brunswick County, two of the largest employers are Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. and Atlantic Telephone Membership Corp., both several decades old. Electric coops, in particular, are common in the state. All operate on the premise of one share and one vote per member. No one can buy multiple shares.
 
“It is literally community owned,” Folds said.
 
He said he hopes to reach 300 members shortly to demonstrate to banks and investors that there is wide community support. He’s also in conversations with community leaders about the value the co-op can bring to residents and the municipal government.
 
“There’s a challenge of having people in underserved communities come to terms with ownership,” Folds noted.
 
A parallel concern is determining how to communicate with a segment of the population that may not have ready access to the internet.
 
For Harrison, one of the biggest challenges is to not overpromise and under-deliver.
 
“Our main goal is to make it where we don’t come in and take advantage of the community. We want to make prices affordable. We don’t want to tell people what to eat, but to provide them with options of things they can eat and more education about what to eat to increase life expectancy,” he said.
 
He said he hopes residents will invest in the idea.
 
While Harrison notes the final project will be two or three years in the making, the group has a temporary building at 11th and Princess streets from which a pilot will be launched.
 
He describes the pilot as being less fancy than the hoped-for permanent grocery, but operational.
 
“The pilot is us building the infrastructure and using that facility as a market study to go into the full term,” Harrison said. “We’re taking risks so we’re taking notes.”

Correction: This version updates the spelling of Evan Folds' last name in the photo caption.