La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

It’s international Co-op month.

Here in the United States and around the world people are recognizing cooperatives as humane economic engines in their communities. Co-ops mean, fundamentally, “I belong.” To their members, co-ops mean “I matter” and “I count.”

Co-ops are owned by their members, whether it is the fairly small Anacortes Food Co-op or the gargantuan Boeing Employees Credit Union, BECU. Everyone in a co-op belongs because each person made the choice to join.

Everyone matters because co-op members own equal shares of the business. And everyone counts because all mem...