permaculture

["Richard Forster" <mulchpig@hotmail.com>]

Sorry if a similar message to this also appears. Not sure if I sent it or 
deleted it...
I have recently been elected to the Board of Directors of my local food co-op 
here in Las Cruces, New Mexico (yep, 
they were that hard up) and have discovered that we have a fairly large debt. 
There is talk of refinancing with a cheaper 
loan, however plans are to take this out with a big bank. I could be wrong, 
but I bet that the bank spends our huge 
amount of interest payments on things that the membership would not support, 
so that the warm fuzzy feeling they
experience when they buy organic products from the store will probably be a 
fairly hollow and false one. Sadly.
I am wondering if anyone here can point me to any funds in the US that would 
be likely to support a currently fairly 
financially stable organic food co-op/market? Seems like there must be a 
better option than big business. If I was in 
south east Qld I would get in touch with the Maleny Credit Union, but here I 
am in the Chihuahan desert...
Thanks,
Richard