The Boston Scope, August 5, 2021, Dorchester Food Co-op – a model for community ownership in a neighborhood “not for sale”
At first glance, the Dorchester Food Co-op could be any other business in a wave of gentrification hitting the majority low-income, Black and Brown neighborhood of Dorchester in Boston. But co-op members offer a different backstory.
With its alternative structure and ideals, the co-op has secured its first brick-and-mortar location during a pivotal moment for Dorchester. According to a 2017 study by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the neighborhood of Dorchester was in the lower 40th percentile of income and home value and therefore “eligible for gentrification.”
