Events › Past, Present, and Future of Food Cooperatives of the SF Bay Area

Participate in a panel discussion on how food cooperatives have been an integral part of both the food and justice movement, and workplace democracy in the San Francisco Bay Area since the Sixties; featuring Celia LoBuono Gonzalez of Other Avenues in San Francisco, Sue Lopez from Arizmendi Bakery in San Francisco, Paula Schnese from Cultivate Community Food Co-op in Benicia & Jameelah Lane of The DEEP Grocery Coop in Oakland, moderated by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, author of Other Avenues are Possible: Legacy of the People's Food System of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Panelists:

Celia LoBuono Gonzalez is a worker-owner of Other Avenues Food Cooperative in the Sunset of San Francisco. Born and raised in SF, she is a food sovereignty organizer with a decade of experience in local and global grassroots campaigns.

Sue Lopez is worker owner and founding member of the second Arizmendi Bakery in the Sunset neighborhood of SF. She also worked with the Arizmendi Association's internal Development Support Cooperative for 4 years.  

Paula Schnese is the Founder and President of Cultivate Community Food Co-op; a consumer-owned food co-op in the Benicia/Vallejo area. Paula believes everyone should have access to clean, healthy foods which is lacking in her area.

Jameelah Lane is a founding member & worker owner of the DEEP Grocery Cooperative in Oakland. She also owns a juice company called MelanAid. She is a powerhouse on a mission to make impactful changes in her community.

Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, a cofounder and a former co-owner of Other Avenues Food Cooperative. Shanta is a writer who creates and writes recipes. She also writes on topics of nutrition, food politics and food distribution.