Ort.

As member-owned grocery stores and gathering spots, food co-ops educate and engage. They support small farms, reduce carbon emissions, stabilize neighborhoods, and spawn economic development.

That’s why U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) says he will introduce the National Cooperative Development Act of 2011 next month.

Fattah will seek an appropriation of $25 million annually through 2015, creating a National Development Center under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which will make loans and grants to all kinds of co-ops - not just those that sell food - and to organizations that support co-ops (such as universities).

Food deserts - neighborhoods without supermarkets - would be a priority, he said. Co-ops mean job growth and economic expansion.