; Whereas 2,106 such cooperatives exist and represent over 2 million owners and provide for over 190,000 jobs from familiar consumer names such as Blue Diamond Almonds, Florida’s Natural, Ocean Spray, Sun-Maid, and Sunsweet; Whereas in the food and grocery sector, cooperatives are consumer-owned grocery retail businesses that provide high-quality, organic, and locally sourced products to their member-owners and customers; Whereas food cooperatives range in size from small, local buying clubs to multistore regional giants that go head-to-head with national chain stores, having combined annual sales of nearly $2 billion, where 38 percent of revenue is spent locally, accounting for $1,600 returned to the community for every $1,000 spent; Whereas these cooperatives do 2.5 times more business with local farms and producers than conventional stores; Whereas in the housing sector, housing cooperatives and resident-owned communities are an alternative to conventional rental apartments, mobile home parks, and condominiums; Whereas a housing cooperative owns the building or land and empowers each resident with ownership and responsibility; Whereas housing cooperatives have roots dating to the late 1800s and today are mostly concentrated in major cities like New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC, and increasingly are becoming an alternative for students at colleges throughout the United States; Whereas over 6,400 housing cooperatives provide housing to over 1.2 million families; Whereas 23 colleges and universities offer access to housing cooperative units, saving students an average of 50 percent on their room and board; Whereas consumer or storefront cooperatives serve a number of the Nation’s consumer needs and wants in many industries; Whereas stores that offer outdoor gear such as REI, automotive parts such as NAPA, as well as those that make and sell baked goods, beer, and wine, and services such as taxi services and pedicabs, are increasing in popularity and use