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In 2005, after much thought into the future of the organization, the Victoria Women In Need Community Cooperative was incorporated as a nonprofit, worker co-operative association.

WIN’s original Leadership Team became the Cooperative’s founding members, giving it time to establish and train new members. The Society donated to the Cooperative a significant portion of the equity of one of the Society’s two buildings. In these ways, the Society has incubated the co-op and strengthened its ability to carry forward WIN’s vision and mission.

Since then, three WIN stores in Victoria’s downtown neighbourhoods have come to be known for the quality of the merchandise they provide. WIN is also known for creating employment for women and providing many kinds of programs and support for women in the transition process.

Good Works

WIN has never relied on government or any other funding body to cover the costs of operation. From the beginning, it has been a priority for the Board of WIN to remain a self-sustaining organization.

WIN has partnered with women’s organizations and with retailers and other community organizations to promote their work and to encourage a steady supply of high-quality donations (clothing, accessories, household items, linens, furniture, books, collectibles, jewellery, etc.), mostly from Victoria residents. The first priority for the donations is to meet the needs of the clients. What remains is sold in WIN’s resale shops. The revenue generated by loyal store customers sustains the community programs and services:

• New Start Program: the WIN Society has provided over 1500 women with the furniture and household items they needed to set up their own home as they left a transition house in the Greater Victoria Area.
• Gift Certificate Program: enables women and their children who are residents or outreach clients of transition houses and second-stage houses to receive essential clothing, household, and children’s items.
• Community Gifts in Kind Program: provides essential items to other organizations to support their program development. (Individual Victoria residents can also gain support from this program on a walk-in basis.)
• Bursary Program: an annual $500 bursary has gone to graduates of an employability program to help them in their educational and vocational pursuits.

Creating employment in supportive working conditions has always been a priority. Over the last ten years, WIN’s stores have employed an average of 25 women in any given month. WIN has also created volunteer opportunities for hundreds of women over the years.

Vancouver Island Heritage Foodservice Co-op was launched at the founding members meeting on February 17, 2008.

The co-op was incorporated in November 2007 as a multi-stakeholder co-op. The purpose of the co-op is to mobilize partners to rebuild local food systems in the Island Coastal region. 

The co-op’s business plan includes providing distribution, warehousing, co-packing services aimed at the ‘foodservice’ market channel:  institutions, restaurants, etc.  

The co-op brings together non –profit organizations concerned with health, food security, community economic development and climate change with farmers, alternative distributors, workers and co-packing kitchens in the Island Coastal region. The co-op mobilized 35 members in its first month of operation. 

Nanaimo Foodshare, as an incorporating member is sponsoring a community based research project in partnership with publicly funded food purchasers on the Island as well as developing a seasonal box program in the Nanaimo Region as a pilot project. Nanaimo Association for Community Living, another founding member of the co-op is leading a workforce development strategy to introduce potential workers to farming, food processing and greenhouse work opportunities.

The co-op is open to membership from individuals and organizations that wish to support farmers to be able to increase their production by offering them premium prices and facilitating value-adding product development. The co-op will incorporate values of sustainable production, fairness for workers, stewardship of the land and ensuring wealth generated is