Fundraiser for 1st Oakland Cooperative in 30 Years!

This is a press release for a fundraiser for the
Mandela Food Coop opening in West Oakland in Summer?
2006. West Oakland contains only one
grocery store to serve it's 30,000 residents, making
it not only the lowest income neighborhood in the Bay
Area but also incredibly food secure. Many of
you have heard about the variety of projects that aim
to bring fresh food to West Oakland residents and
support local entrepreneural activities, and
the Coop promises to be among the most exciting.
Please forward this widely and please RSVP if you can
(but if you don't rsvp, go anyway).


Press Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 06, 2006

Media Contact: Dana Harvey, 510-436-7466,
envsciinst [at] earthlink.net

MANDELA FOODS COOPERATIVE FUNDRAISER

MARCH 30TH, 2006

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
2501 HARRISON STREET
OAKLAND, CA 94607

DOORS OPEN 5:30 PM

Hosted by Mandela MarketPlace Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit
that works to
build
and sustain local social and economic enterprise.

Mandela Foods Cooperative is a worker and
community-owned full service
grocery and nutrition education center slated to open
Summer 2006. The
Cooperative brings wholesome products at affordable
prices to an
inner-city
community that is under-served in grocery retail.
Mandela Foods chose
a
worker and community ownership structure because it
fills a need for
goods,
services, local enterprise and employment
opportunities for surrounding
community members.

Mandela Foods Cooperative joins customers and owners
in a collaborative
effort to provide fresh food and quality affordable
products to
inner-city
residents under-served in grocery retail. The
Cooperative actively
supports a variety of local community members and
business owners to
showcase the important cultural heritage of West
Oakland¹s 7th Street
corridor.

To introduce The Cooperative to Oakland, it currently
operates as a
farm
stand booth at three area senior centers in East, West
and North
Oakland.
Moreover, The Cooperative has already established
accounts and working
relationships with several local product suppliers,
including:

Peoples Community Partnership Federal Credit Union,
Vital Vittles Bread
of
Berkeley, Marian Farms of Fresno, Sweet Home Ranch of
Dinuba,
Thanksgiving
Coffee Company, Good Foot Farms of Livingston,
Consolidated Yams of
Livingston, The Food Mill of Oakland, Fowler Brothers
of San Rafael,
and JCG
Farm.

Mandela Foods Cooperative has obtained local support
from the West
Oakland
Project Advisory Committee (WOPAC), City of Oakland
Redevelopment, West
Oakland City Council Representative Nancy Nadel,
Bridge Housing, and
from
Mandela MarketPlace.