At The Food Co-op, a program years in the making is putting spare change to good use in the community.

Change for Change (previously RoundUP at the register) is a program offering Co-op members the opportunity to round up purchases to the nearest dollar in support of non-profits, farms, and co-ops that are helping to feed the community.

In October, the program collected just $200 in donations. In mid-November, Food Co-op payment devices were re-configured to include a new prompt about Change for Change at checkout time.

By the end of November, the program brought in $9,500. In December 2023, an additional $12,000 was collected.

Andrea Stafford, the Co-op’s marketing director, said this program was mostly passive during the past few years, with funds going to the Jefferson County Land Trust. Recent updates to point-of-sale software and IT automations were required to improve the program’s impact and success.

“I am speechless,” Stafford said via email. “I knew that we would collect more donations through the program, but I couldn’t have guessed that it would have had such a huge impact so fast.

“We determined that in order for this program to be successful, it was imperative that we get a question on the pay device so cashiers didn’t have to ask more questions of customers at checkout,” she said. “Year after year, we have been circling back to this project to see how we could move the needle in the right direction.”

Now through September, funds collected by Change for Change are designated to the Co-op Farmer Fund, to be distributed as grants to farmers and local food producers, helping strengthen their capacity to produce healthy food for the community. Grant recipients are chosen by the Co-op Board’s Community Engagement Committee, with funds divided equally among three local farms each quarter.

The overall goal is to strengthen the local food shed and increase access to healthy food. Previous Farmer Fund recipients include One Straw Ranch, SpringRain Farm & Orchard, and Dharma Ridge Farm, among others. The Co-op will announce their next grant recipient in early February, selected from 16 farmer applications. 

“After the pandemic, we saw a need to support our local farmers and find a way to help them grow their business and supply our community with local healthy food,” Stafford said. “I am so excited to see where this fund will go in the next year. We could really make a difference in our community helping farmers get capital for improvement projects without the burden of having to pay back huge loans with crazy interest.”

In October, Change for Change collects funds for the Co-op Grow Fund account, which offers small grants to qualifying local nonprofits. In November and December, the program supports the Food Bank, with funds being made into Co-op gift cards for Food Bank clients, to supplement their holiday trips.

In early December, the Co-op produced 199 $50 gift cards to distribute to Food Bank clients.

“Our community is generous, our members are generous,” Stafford said. “We are just happy that we could provide such a meaningful opportunity for people to give directly to our community.”

Look for the Change for Change prompt at check out time during your next Food Co-op shopping trip. Visit www.foodcoop.coop/change-for-change to meet grant recipients and learn more about how to support local farms.