Photo Credit: Philabundance

You are invited to participate in a free online/dial-up conversation on Tuesday Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. EST. Peter Block and John McKnight with guest Mike Basher will share about experiences working with citizens to improve access to healthy food. Mike is the VP of Retail Operations for Fare & Square, a unique nonprofit grocery store making affordable, healthy food available in a former food desert. The conversation will open up for questions and insights from listeners.

Abundant Community is hosting the call and no advance registration is needed, you can join online or dial in.

Details below are reprinted here from the Abundant Community Feb. 15, 2017 newsletter (shortened) or click here to learn more.

 

Join in a special conversation with Mike Basher

Good Food Right Around the Corner 

You’re invited to a

free online / dial-up conversation 1:00 pm Eastern on Tuesday, February 21,

with our special guest:

Mike Basher

Mike is the Vice President of Retail Operations for Fare & Square, the first nonprofit grocery store of its kind in the US, which has made healthy, affordable food available in what was once a food desert. What is unique about Mike and his food store is that it operates in a low-income neighborhood and demonstrates that people can eat healthy food at the same or lower cost than fast food. Fare & Square is proof that when a business decides to care for the common good, they can compete with anyone.

We will take about fifteen minutes to talk about our experiences in working with citizens to improve access to healthy food. Mike will also describe the challenges he faced in making the store financially stable.

After the opening remarks we’ll open the conversation up for questions and insights from listeners.

HOW TO JOIN IN

 

Our Guest

Mike Basher is the Vice President of Retail Operations for Fare & Square, the first nonprofit grocery store of its kind in the US, where he oversees all store operations including item selection, community outreach, and managing Fare & Square employees.

With 38 years of retail and operations experience, Mike has helped many local associates in low-income neighborhoods fulfill their dreams of upward mobility into full-time management positions.

Prior to Fare & Square, Mike was the first Executive Director for Uplift Solutions, a nonprofit formed to help solve food desert issues across the country. Before that, Mike was Director of Community Development and District Manager & Store Director for Brown’s ShopRite, which has 11 locations around Philadelphia.

 

 

 

Learn more about Mike and Fare & Square from these sources:

Community at work

A Happy Place to Shop
By Leslie Stephen

Sixteen years ago the only grocery store in Chester, PA closed. Today, there’s “good food right around the corner” at Fare & Square, the nation’s first nonprofit grocery store, which is making healthy food available to all and stretching customers’ dollars so they get more for their money.