The Foundation is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Greater Prospect Store onSaturday, July 26, 2014, at 11a.m. (110 William Penn Ave. Johnstown, PA 15901).
This store is a food co-op that was formed by a collaboration of Stevens Memorial Holy Church, Bethel A.M.E., Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, and many volunteers. This store is addressing many needs that the Greater Prospect area has had for a long time, including food insecurity, an abundance of vacant lots in need of revitalization, and a lack of knowledge on growing and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.
The store is in the process of becoming LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. This will make it one of the few buildings in the area to meet the high standards set by the United States Green Building Council.
The GPS Co-op grew out of an effort that began in 2010 to identify and act on the needs of the neighborhood of Prospect. A working group, board members, and store committee were formed and comprised of representatives of the neighborhood churches as well as other interested people. The group was incorporated and took the name of “Greater Prospect, Inc.”
The Co-op is based on the needs of the people so they will have a safe place to shop for convenient items like bread and milk and be able to purchase not only fresh food, but also freshly prepared food. Additionally, there is an energy-efficient laundromat facility on-site. A community garden is in the near future plans, which will include classes on gardening, canning and cooking. The co-op store is the first of its kind in this area, and can serve as a catalyst for future neighborhood committees to learn from and build on to the ideas started here.
Greater Prospect, Inc. is a non profit 501 (c)(3) organization. Their ultimate vision is to lead the community of Prospect in a new direction. Their goals are to: make the community of Prospect a greater place to live in, to serve the needs of its people and attract others from outside the neighborhood who want to be part of our community-building efforts.
