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Featuring mostly vegetarian and organic fare, the co-op is nonprofit, independent, open to the public and run by College Park students and community members, who all call themselves worker-owners or volunteers.

Besides sandwiches, the store also sells organic health food items, including bags of nuts, corn cakes — similar to rice cakes — and vegan chocolate-covered blueberries.

‘‘Everyone who volunteers participates in the process. The workers hire each other. The workers decide what to carry,” said worker-owner Jimmy Cooney, a senior from Silver Spring.

The co-op uses volunteers, who earn credit toward merchandise, and paid staff. The staff also has to volunteer extra hours, which keeps with the spirit of the store, said worker-owner Hannah Cassana, a former student from University Park.

‘‘Anyone can come in off the street and volunteer. Volunteer an hour and earn your lunch,” said Cooney, who has worked at the co-op for seven years.

The co-op dates back to 1972 with what the worker-owners refer to as the ‘‘guerrilla sandwich lines.” The worker-owners at the time sold sandwiches after having been frustrated with the available food service options, which they considered of poor quality, according to the co-op’s history on its Web site.

These days, relations with university officials are more pleasant. The co-op has been in its present location, which it leases like the other eateries, since 1980.

Stephen Gnadt, associate director of the student union, said having the co-op coexist with other eateries serves an important niche among the student population, numbering about 35,000.

‘‘It has a long, rich tradition. They do a good job,” Gnadt said. ‘‘The co-op fits in with our attempts to provide options. Not everyone wants to eat fast food or Chinese food.”

Today’s worker-owners seem more determined than ever to continue making the co-op a success. A portion of the profits is donated to causes the worker-owners support, but they also put some of it back into the business to upgrade equipment.

The worker-owners meet once a week to discuss what items to order, and a worker-owner is responsible for ordering a section’s inventory. Everyone stocks shelves, makes sandwiches and runs the register.

A regular topic is whether to continue ordering organic, free-range turkey and turkey salad — the only concession to omnivores — for the sandwiches, which contradicts with many worker-owners’ vegetarianism. But the other school of thought is to continue bringing in customers who are not necessarily vegetarian.

‘‘In the October 1976 newsletter, we established ourselves as an anti-establishment, anti-meat collective. There are always people who have eaten meat, but our consciousness is to move from a meat diet,” said Cooney, who was wearing a cap emblazoned with the word ‘‘vegan.” ‘‘There’s a debate almost every year to go vegetarian, but we’re here to serve the community. Some eat meat, so we want to serve healthy meat.”

Patrons said they appreciate the alternative in dining options. They also said they appreciate the philosophy behind the co-op.

‘‘We support the idea of eating here because almost all the food is organic and fair trade. Most of us eat here anyway,” said junior Elliot Cohen of Columbia, who was signing up himself and the six roommates from his commune to pool their hours as volunteers.

The worker-owners say they could use more volunteers like Cohen and his roommates. Their number fluctuates from as many as 22 during the school year to 12 in the summer. Currently, they have 14 worker-owners, which makes it tough to keep the store open all the time. The co-op is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to either 6 or 8 p.m. The hours are shorter on the weekends.

Working at the store can interfere with a student’s studies, Cooney acknowledged. Some have dropped out or cut back on their credits. Others have cut back on the hours they work or volunteer. Only four students are worker-owners now, he said.

At the same time, working and volunteering at the co-op is its own education because of the responsibility that comes with being a volunteer or a worker and an owner, Cooney said.

‘‘It’s a great way to run a business,” he said. ‘‘You’ll have more control over your job than somewhere else.”

E-mail Jennifer Donatelli at jdonatelli@gazette.net.