Pair of Co-ops Leverage CATAPULT® to Strengthen Community Support

 Boone, NC — December 17, 2025 — ECRS® is proud to highlight the impactful efforts of Littleton Food Co-op (Littleton, NH) and Orcas Food Co-op (Orcas Island, WA) in driving charitable initiatives and supporting their communities. During a recent webinar, both Co-ops shared innovative ways to utilize tools within CATAPULT® and the CATAPULT® Loyalty Suite to simplify and encourage charitable giving at the point of sale. 

Orcas Food Co-op 

Orcas Food Co-op champions food access and community support through several programs: 

• FLOWER (Fresh Local Organic Within Everyone’s Reach): This initiative provides 10% discounts on eligible items for member-owners enrolled in food insecurity assistance programs. 

• Fresh Bucks: Modeled after a national program, Fresh Bucks matches portions of local produce purchases, supporting both shoppers and local farmers. 

• Community Hero Program: A rotating round-up initiative at checkout, powered by CATAPULT, that makes donating to local causes seamless for shoppers. 

Additionally, Orcas Food Co-op leverages the CATAPULT Loyalty Suite to combat food insecurity by enabling donations through loyalty points. In November 2025 alone, over $7,000 worth of points were distributed for custom food item groups. This approach allows individuals who may not have extra funds to contribute meaningfully through accumulated points. Orcas Food Co-op leveraged CATAPULT’s flexibility in enabling these unique programs. 

Littleton Food Co-op 

Littleton Food Co-op shared its own suite of community-driven initiatives, including: 

• Partner-of-the-Month Program: Using CATAPULT’s round-up functionality, members nominate and vote for local charities to receive monthly support. What began as a $200-per-month effort has grown dramatically. Littleton reports year-to-date fundraising of over $66,000 in 2025, with monthly totals now ranging from $4,300 to $9,000. 

• Housing Initiatives: The Co-op sponsors an endowment fund that supports low-income housing projects while reinvesting interest into charitable efforts. 

These programs reflect Littleton Food Co-op’s commitment to member engagement and community impact, enabled by CATAPULT’s customizable features. 

Innovation in Action 

Both organizations exemplify the cooperative model mission of putting people first. By leveraging CATAPULT’s advanced automation and loyalty tools, they have created sustainable, community-focused programs that make giving simple and effective. 

About National Co-op Grocers  

ECRS is honored to partner with Co-ops across North America and with the National Co-op Grocers organization, providing solutions that empower independent retailers to innovate and thrive. The National Co-op Grocers organization features over 165 Co-ops with more than 240 total stores. NCG members are primarily consumer cooperatives, owned by the individuals who shop at the stores. Consumer members exercise ownership rights by investing in Co-op shares, patronizing the store, and electing board members to guide directional objectives of the Co-op.  

About ECRS

Family-owned since 1989, ECRS is a Certified Evergreen® retail transactions and artificial intelligence solutions provider, offering simple, practical solutions that unify operations and empower independent retailers to thrive. ECRS’ revolutionary CATAPULT® POS platform, powered by Unified Transaction Logic®, is the market’s only truly unified transaction platform that seamlessly connects all retail touchpoints. With CATAPULT, all retail touchpoints—including point of sale, back office, self-checkout, deli scale, fuel pump, pharmacy, inventory, loyalty, eCommerce, and enterprise management—share one single transactional logic. Unifying hardware, software, and services, ECRS offers friction-free, cost-saving solutions that make advanced automation accessible while transforming the consumer experience.