Community Shopper Project

This project is a concept and a dream and it needs dedicated leaders and volunteers to bring it to life. Please read this description and any application information completely before submitting an application.

What is a Community Shopper and why is it important?

A Community Shopper is an individual who is providing shopping assistance to other households in their local and social communities.

By the simple act of shopping for one or more other households, everyone can make a difference in the spread of Covid-19, as well as helping to protect vulnerable and at risk members of our communities from the ongoing struggles of food insecurity, isolation and lack of access to essential supplies.

Can't everyone just use Amazon, Instacart or something like that?

No. Those services not available everywhere and, particularly during the current economic crisis, many households cannot afford the additional fees and raised prices hidden within the prices of the platform. Neither can your local merchants.

** Average price increase over listed store price on most instacart partners is 10-25%, this is charged to cover the fees Instacart charges the stores. Partners offering in-store pricing are exclusively corporate entities that can afford a reduction in margin **

** Amazon Professional sellers pay variable closing fees and referral fee percentages ranging from 6% to 25% (an average of 13%). Professional sellers also pay $39.99 per month but are exempt from the $0.99 per item fee. **

There is an additional social cost to those impersonal, corporately driven services. They don't actually care who you are or notice what or if you order. How many lives could be saved because a person who cares has noticed that someone hasn't asked for groceries or their requests have changed drastically?

OK, so what can be done about it?

Food has always been the essence of community. Providing for ourselves and others is what binds every society, from the simplest ants and bees, to the greatest nations in the world.

Now, with the power of social media, our communities are larger and more diverse than ever, and it is time to leverage that power to bring our communities together to ensure that everyone has access to good food, essential needs and is not isolated during these trying times.

The immediate goal of the Community Shopper Project is to create a system to allow households to share their shopping needs within their local and social networks to promote cooperative shopping, increase access to essential food and supplies and create a reduction of Covid-19 exposure.

What do you want from me?

To launch the project correctly, we need to begin with a group of self-starting leaders in all aspects of business and project management who are excited to create a formal organizational structure and lead the development and implementation of the first phase of the project, as well as setting the groundwork and developing plans for ongoing improvement and growth.

If you have the skills, experience and knowledge to help create something new and powerful, we need you as a leader now.

Please refer to individual postings for positions. All current postings are for leadership roles but check back for updated requests in the near future.

The Facebook link is to the parent page and group that inspired the project.

** A personal note from the founder **

Folks, we can make a difference but I need your help. I have the drive and I think the vision to help create this project, but my skills, experience and knowledge are lacking in almost every functional category.

If you are wondering what you can do to make a difference right now, this is it.

Hoping to chat with you soon,

Patrick Handley-McCarthy
Community Shopper Project