Co-op structured to help the needy eat healthier foods

February 13th, 2009 @ 1:22pm

By Becky Bruce

Charity work is going green. A new co-op in the Salt Lake area seeks to help people with everything from diapers to food, but with an organic twist.

Mercedes Zel-Pappas is one of the people behind the concept. She got the idea when she realized most of the help for the hungry isn't really healthy.

"Since we don't have to worry about profits, we just have basically rent and that's it, that we could go through and start making everyone's eating habits healthier, better and more affordable," she said.

All of the people who work for the Utah co-op are volunteers, and Zel-Pappas says they are working with about 20 area businesses to get organic and healthy products at the same cost a grocery store would pay. Then, because the co-op's operating costs are very low, the mark-up on any given item is only a nickel to a quarter, far less than the mark-up you'll find at the grocery store.

The end result is a savings of anywhere from 25 to 90 percent off retail for people who want to eat healthy but maybe can't afford it.

Zel-Pappas says she was struck by how many people who are struggling to get by are actually overweight, in part because the cheapest food available to them tends to be the least healthy.

"They were in a situation where they had a little bit of money, and they'd go out and spend it all on their food, and get the most unhealthy food possible, because it was the cheapest."

Right now, most of the items on the co-op's donated shelves are non-perishables: canned goods, packages of organic noodles and so on. Zel-Pappas says they hope to add local produce soon.

For now, the co-op's location at 1899 S. Redwood Road is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. Zel-Pappas is hoping to expand that and move to a larger space in the future. The garage-like structure they use now is only 1,000 square feet.

Eventually, Zel-Pappas says the Utah co-op will be like other co-ops, where people must become members in order to shop. At the moment, it is open to the public and operating under the umbrella of Utah charities. You can visit the co-op's Web site at Utah Coop.org or Utah charities at UtCharities.org.

E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com