Giving Update Fall 2025
The Belfast Community Co-op strives to be an active partner in Belfast, Waldo County, and Midcoast Maine. I’m grateful to share a small update about some of the ways your Co-op has been giving back to the community this past year. This past fiscal year, we saw many record-breaking numbers at our Co-op: many of our highest sales days, we surpassed 6,000 owners, and we had our largest ever donation for Common Cents!
- August 2025 was our largest donation ever for a total of $8,276.65 to Restorative Justice Project Maine! Earlier in July, we had our second-largest donation for Wabanaki REACH, which received $8,220.50! For our fiscal year, Oct ‘24-Sept ‘25, we had almost $80,000 go to 12 area groups, all from rounding up your purchases! This was an increase of 28.94% over last year, what a big year!!
- Remember, 100% of all Common Cents donations go to each month’s group. Congratulations to our Common Cents recipients for 2026, learn more: belfast.coop/2026-common-cents. Thanks to our Owners for voting!
- In addition to helping collect funds for our community, the Co-op offers support through our own charitable giving: this past fiscal year, Oct ‘24 – Sept ‘25, we gave out more than $21,000 to many groups in our community, small and large.
- This fall, we began an at-register donation to help support Belfast Soup Kitchen. From early September to mid-November, shoppers donated 6,023.20 to the Soup Kitchen!
- As our fiscal year came to a close, we saw surprising cuts proposed to critical funds for SNAP, and your Co-op worked swiftly to continue supporting our neighbors. We enrolled Owners in our CORE program and supported a temporary fresh fruit and veggie discount based on Farm Fresh Rewards. We also asked for your support, and Owners and shoppers donated funds and Owner Reward points to Belfast Soup Kitchen and the Co-op’s CORE fund. The Co-op took on and distributed more than $3,000 in emergency support due to the funding freeze. And we are thankful that Co-op Owners donated more than $2,000 from their rewards points to help cover these funds for our neighbors. Thank you all!
- In addition, we’ve been running an ongoing food drive in the store, with support from our community. We continue to provide weekly deliveries to the Belfast Soup Kitchen and work closely with their team to provide what is most needed. Just before the holiday, we delivered 560 pounds of vital goods! Find out more about how you can support Belfast Soup Kitchen.
- In other good news, our partnership with Waldo Community Action Partners for the Holiday Giving Tree continues. Visit our tree in-store, and you can help provide gifts to kids and families in need this holiday. Presents are due back by 12/7. Find out ways you can help WCAP.
- Are you looking for a great gift that does some good work? We have new options for Co-op-branded merch (bags, hats, tees), and some proceeds from their sale go back to support our community programs. Look good and feel good!
- Nationally, our Co-op partners at National Co-op Grocers have run several donation campaigns. We’re happy to report: NCG, Industry Partners Raise $191,785 for Project Potluck and National Co+op Grocers Donates $100,000 to Reduce Food Insecurity.
Thank you for your continued support of your co-op and your neighbors. Time and time again, we prove that our community comes together in times of need. We’re grateful for each and every one of you- our Co-op makes a big difference!
– Jamie Cermak, BCC Marketing Manager
info@belfast.coop
Everyone is welcome to shop at the Co-op; it is our mission and our pleasure to bring locally-sourced, reasonably priced, organic and natural products to all.
Owned by you. Food for all.
