International Cooperative Day is the annual celebration of the cooperative movement, celebrated on the first Saturday of July, which this year is July 1. The celebration aims to increase awareness about cooperatives and their contributions to economic and social development, as well as promote the movement’s ideas of international solidarity, equality, and world peace.

Jon Steinman visited 125 food co-ops with storefronts and 23 startups in various stages of development. He took a LOT of photos and his new publication is one of the many outcomes of that journey.

The last time I saw him was on 5 May 2010, when I was being inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. I thought we’d have about 10-15 minutes with John, but he gave us over an hour, speaking about the South and his life working with cooperatives, sharing some of his stories about the Federation of Southern Cooperatives.

Founded in 1968, PTCP is one of the longest standing non-profit cooperatives on the peninsula. Playschool brings together about 50 families from around the county each year.