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The East Chicago Heights Or ganization (ECHO) co-opera tive celebrated the grand open ing of its store on Saturday with ceremonies at the new ECHO Co-op store, 1651 Drexel. It marked the opening of the sec ond direct charge co-operative in the United States. Funds for organizing the food buying co-op were funneled through the Cook county Office of Economic Opportunity, Inc. A total of $27,950 in capital funds was raised in teenage “Walks for Development’’ throughout suburbs of Cook county last spring. Walk lead ers earmarked the funds for or ganization of direct-charge co ops. Each of the more than 300 members of the ECHO Co-op will help pay back the interest free, long-term loan to CCOEO through small quarterly invest ments. This money will be used to capitalize other co-ops in low income suburbs of Cook county, ECHO MEMBERS also will make weekly payments for rent, maintenance and salaried staff. These costs will be re duced through volunteer work by members. This will enable the co-op, which is housed in half of an abandoned skating rink, to “‘sell’” merchandise to its members at cost. Members also have a direct voice in operation of the co-op through election of officers and direc tors who set policy and select staff. ECHO co-op officers who took part in the Saturday opening were Wallace Massey, presi dent; Doris Stone, vice presi dent; Joyce Gordon, secretary, and Ruth Harris, treasurer. Board members are Gloria Bryant, Gloria McCann, Ruth Massey, Virginia Scruggs, Mary Bouler, Ruth Harris, Grant White and Edgar Brin son. Manager of the store is Er nest Bell. He and assistant manager Andrew Redd spent 16 days studying and working with direct-charge co-ops in Toronto, Hamilton and Oshawa, Canada, and in Milwaukee. The Milwau kee operation, the Grocery Bag Co-op, is the only operative di rect-charge co-op in this coun try. It was organized by Arthur H. Cahn, who is serving as CCOEO staff adviser to co-op organizers including Murphy Mayes, instrumental in organ izing Fast Chicago Heights. Those representing CCOEO at the opening celebration in cluded Benjamin T. Scott, gov erning board president, and other CCOEO board members from the co-op area, Charles D. Hughes, Jr., executive direc tor; Booker Henderson, as sociate director for community development, and Stanley C. Kapuscik, director of food and medical services.
Newspaper Details
Chicago Heights Star
Chicago Heights, Illinois, US
Thu, Dec 10, 1970
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Lora R.
USA 14 Jun 2026
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