Who We Are & What We Do
Sankofa is a word in the Twi language of Ghana that translates to “go back and get it." At Cafe Sankofa Cooperative, we're taking a step back to "go back and get" our community, creating deep and lasting roots in the Southside neighborhood.
Mission
We're a volunteer-run wellness cooperative on a mission to support, educate and provide the Southside community with healthy options, informed by a model of cooperative economics and community engagement.
Vision
We're working towards a future where all people in Syracuse's Southside community have equitable access to healthy food, wellness programming, and health-related education and resources, regardless of their ethnicity or socio-economic status.
Meet the Board of Directors
BOARD MEMBER
Marcelle Haddix
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
Shakela Freeman
Tracy Hogarth-Mosier
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
Tobias Vargrim
Yolanda Mitchell
Arlaina Harris
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
BOARD MEMBER
Gwendolyn Pough
Lawrence Davis
Nakeia Chambers
The Co-op building
Our space has a long history in the Southside community, once serving as a well-loved grocery store. Today, it's still a place to get great, fresh food, plus so much more.
Our building is truly a community space where we host things like a local farmers' market, our cafe, Blend Theory smoothies on Saturday, and weekly yoga.
Members are welcome to rent the space for any kind of event that's non-profit and in line with our mission.
What you'll find inside
The Cafe
Our cafe area, open on Saturdays, is a shared commerce space operated by local businesses, including Blend Theory.
Sankofa Wellness & Resource Center
The Sankofa Wellness and Resource Center is a program initiative of Liberty Resources located inside Cafe Sankofa Cooperative's building.
Community space
Our space is available for rent for members for any programming in line with our mission, including workshops, lectures, exercises classes, & more.
Community resource library
Cafe Sankofa is a hub for information about Southside community events and resources. Also located inside the building is a free library project.
Looking for a space to use?
If you're a member of the co-op and are interested renting our space, get in touch. We allow most events that are both not-for-profit and in line with our mission. Non-members can pay to rent the space for most mission-aligned events.