Weavers Way is celebrating National Cooperative Month in October — along with 40,000 other cooperative businesses that serve more than 120 million people nationwide! In honor of Co-op Month, and in celebration of our new store in Ambler, we have put together a series of events that explore the many ways in which cooperative companies, suppliers, manufacturers, workforces and farmers are empowering communities around the world. 

The series has been developed in partnership with Upper Dublin and Wissahickon Valley libraries, and will culminate in a talk by Andy Lamas, the formidable scholar and University of Pennsylvania professor (and Weavers Way member), at The Mercantile. 

Ethical Eating: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

Monday, Oct. 2, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Ave., Fort Washington 
Learn about the role food activists have played throughout American history, then focus on the limits and possibilities of cooperative food stores and the ability to create change while shopping on a budget. Led by Keith Brown, Associate Professor of Sociology at St. Joseph's University. Keith studies fair trade, consumer behavior and ethical consumption.

Weathering Change: The Staying Power of Cooperative Economics

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wissahickon Valley Public Library Ambler Branch, 209 Race St.
There’s a lasting and sustainable power embedded in cooperative economics. This talk will explore the staying power of co-ops past and present, and our potential for the future. Led by Jamila Medley, Executive Director, Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance.

Film: “Food for Change”

Thursday, Oct. 26, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wissahickon Valley Public Library Blue Bell Branch, 650 Skippack Pike
A feature-length documentary about the history of the co-op movement and food co-ops today.

Who Owns the Co-op? Prevailing Myth & Promising Reality

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Mercantile, 542 Carpenter Lane
Thinking through who actually owns the co-op is no simple matter. Join us for a myth-busting evening that not only sets the record straight but opens up new possibilities for the cooperative enterprise and for economic democracy across the world. Led by Andrew Lamas, Professor in the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania and a longtime Weavers Way member.