In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Herbert J.)

In my profession as an Episcopal priest, I have the opportunity to work with young people and am one of the leaders of our church youth group. One of the themes I have been trying to develop just a little over the past few months is how we take responsibility for the gifts we are given through our stewardship of our environment, both our social environment and our ecology. I have been emphasizing concepts like consumerism, sustainability and fair trade. When I saw that The Richmond Food Co-op was opening, I was delighted to be able to become a member and to “walk the walk” in these areas.

Of course, I have my own reasons for joining as well. I do want to live the life I extol, but I also want to be able to purchase the things I need with some assurances. I want to know that the product hasn’t traveled a great distance. I want to know that the persons on the other end of the transactions are getting a fair price and can pay a fair wage. I also want to save money myself!

It’s not that often that we get a chance to benefit personally from behaving altruistically. Being a firm believer in the reasonableness of mixed motives, I am happy to become a member of the Richmond Food Co-op and invite my fellow humans to do the same!

-Herbert Jones, Richmond Food Co-op Member/Owner

In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Grant H.)

If you have ever had to brave the Ellwoods parking lot after work or on a weekend, then you will understand why Richmond needs more grocery store choices. The demand is there. And another big national brand like Whole Foods is not going to satisfy that desire for everyone. Not for me. I want a Richmond grown organization. Something that I can feel a part of and work together with my neighbors on. Something woven into the community. A grocery store that aggressively supports local vendors and farmers. Local products aren't just a feature on the end of an isle in the very back of the store. They are more than that. They are part of the mission statement and the focus.

I also want more value. Being part of a member owned store, I will eventually get return on my investment, that will help save me money on a small part of my groceries. There will also be featured specials for members and other opportunities to save and get more bang for my buck, while still eating healthy. I also appreciate the income based reduced pricing. Eating right should not just be for the wealthy and privileged.

The co op is also about a community of people. There are notifications about events and get togethers with people in my neighborhood. There is a book club and other opportunities to meet people I would have otherwise never come across. It brings people with a similar desire to make a difference through food, health, and well being, under one roof.

-Grant Hunnicutt, Richmond Food Co-op Member/Owner

In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Kathy T.)

I grew up on a farm in North Dakota. My parents (Mel and Vangie), 2 brothers (Russ and Rod), and I worked the farm. We raised cattle and chickens, grew crops and a big garden. I learned how to bale hay, butcher chickens, and can vegetables, amongst many other things just by growing up on my family’s farm. When I went off to college I had to buy meat for the first time. It was a quite the culture shock and confusing because I remember being in the store and thinking this meat doesn’t look at all like the meat I ate on the farm. But I had no choice and when I ate it I was not impressed because it wasn’t half as good as what I grew up eating and that had a real impact me. So when I heard of the Richmond Food Co-op the first thing that came to mind was hope. Hope that someday I could be eating the type of food I was familiar with eating as a kid.

I am a firm believer in supporting farmers. There aren’t many left and I want to help save them. By being a Co-op member I will be able to help the farmers stay in business and contribute to saving their livelihood. That was the driving force behind my decision to sign up as a member of the Richmond Food Co-op.

Who doesn’t want to know where their food is coming from? Who doesn’t want to eat food that hasn’t been sprayed with a bunch of chemicals? Joining the Co-op should be a no-brainer. Not only will you be helping save a farmer but you’ll feel good about yourself knowing that you’re contributing to something great and saving lives, yours included! We are currently almost 700 members strong but we need a 1000 to open our doors. Come on and join me...join the Richmond Food Co-op movement today! What are you waiting for?

-Kathy Tatum, Richmond Food Co-op Member/Owner

In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Doug P.)

“How strange is the lot of us mortals!  Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it.  But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.”        -Albert Einstein

Indeed, we are on this earth for such a short period of time.    How are we going to allow our spirits to grow?  How are we going to self-actualize?  How are we going to make a difference? 

As I approach 60, it has become clear to me over the last few years that we make the biggest impact, the biggest difference – together.  We do it through collaboration, we do it through cooperation.  Is it difficult?  Is it challenging?  Indeed, without a doubt.  But the exponential impact of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts – is so absolutely fulfilling, so absolutely thrilling…that I’ve become a huge proponent of it.  To the point, that being a facilitative leader of it is what gets me up in the morning.  

Our community is so hungry for cooperation.  There is such a poverty of it in our region’s governments, our nation’s leaders and in our everyday dealings.  What better subject and focal point to lead our community in the practice of cooperation, than FOOD?

As a pretty simple guy who is privileged to help facilitate and lead FeedMore and the newly formed RVA Food Collaborative (the Food Co-op is a proud “member”), I was thrilled to learn more about the Richmond Food Co-op.  It brings together so much of what I care about - people working together for the common good and people who understand that food was the original medicine.  These same folks know that the reason many of FeedMore’s clients living in food deserts suffer from hypertension and diabetes is because of their lack of healthy and sustainable food!

I came to believe in and joined the Richmond Food Co-op for all of the above good reasons.  But I must also fully disclose that I’ve recently lost a lot of weight - weight that came about through stress eating and limited knowledge of any good, proper nutritional consumption practices.  Having worked hard to lose it – I have NO intention of gaining it back!

Can you imagine a better group of folks or organization to help shepherd me to a new lifestyle of healthy eating and living?  I have so much to learn, but am excited to know that there are many who will help.

So, indeed I’m thrilled to be a new member and looking forward to all that the Coop will bring to our community, my life and my health.  Here’s to OUR success!

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”  -Henry Ford

-Douglas Pick, Richmond Food Co-op Member/Owner

In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Mark L.)

Why am I a member of the Richmond Food Coop? In addition to a love of food, social justice, and cooperative models, I feel passionately about the power of stories. Each of us brings our own stories to the table and we build community by sharing them with one another. Food brings us together, but what we share with each other through the stories we tell constitutes a meaningful solidarity. A great example in recent memory is the Co-op Book Club where we have enjoyed great food all the while creating good memories and stories.

Growing up in Central New York where I was fortunate to have a caring family taught me the value of family and community. As my grandma would say, “We didn’t have much, but we had each other.” I agree that what is most important is having each other. Grandma Hole (yes that is my Mom’s maiden name) was the matriarch of our family. This woman was a force in and of herself. Not only could she prepare enough food for big family gatherings during the holidays, but she would also invite any person she knew to their tiny home if she thought they might be alone for the holiday. To me there was always a kindness about her that could never be replicated. During those times when we would go over to my grandparents’ house my Mom, brother, and I would always be the first to arrive and the last to leave. I realize now that this was my Mom’s opportunity to actually sit down to talk and to share what was going on in their lives before everyone showed up. I loved to sit and listen to them talk about relatives and how they were doing and “catching up” or telling stories of the past. I believe that my Mom wanted to absorb as much of her parents’ life and their stories before they were not here to share it with her anymore. We would all go to my grandparents for a meal and to indulge in those comfort foods that we enjoy during the holiday season, but it was the time and the stories we shared that made the holidays special. My grandparents were of that generation that lived through the depression where they saved everything they could but also realized that if they had the means they would always give to those less fortunate.  I learned the value of giving from my family and this is something I hold dear to me as I see a world where people increasingly focus on themselves and not others.

I joined the Co-op because I believe in family and community. Our social fabric is being constantly assaulted. It is reaching a point where we might never be able to regain the sense of community, family, and empathy that is so desperately needed. This is my opportunity to do my best to mend our social fabric by sharing my life, my stories and myself. I want people to know they are not alone and that together we can mend the fabric of our community by sharing our stories and lives with one another. My grandma would be proud of me and all of us.

Thanks to Michele for providing me the opportunity to share my story with other Co-op members. I will always miss my home state of NY, but I have my new family here in Richmond with Tracy Citeroni, two dogs, a cat, and the Co-op.

-Mark Lewis, Co-op Member/Owner

In Our Own Words: Member Testimonial (Kristen K.)

As a Richmond transplant, setting down roots and finding my place within the community is an ongoing process. Finding good food options has been the same. That is why when I saw the Co-op booth at the Boulevard Pumpkin Festival last fall, joining was a no brainer. 

Let me give you a little background. I came to Richmond via Durham via New York City via Southern California. All of those places have especially developed food scenes and a passion for fresh, local produce. It was a combination of caring about what was going into my body, about the effects of producing that food on the environment, and reducing my overall carbon footprint that led me to the cooperative concept in NYC. 

What a great idea! A member-owned grocery store: a democratic approach to the food that we are putting into our bellies. A way to see first-hand the decisions that go into how food gets into the aisles: from working with farmers, to being able to provide produce in the off-season, to operating efficiently so that your doors can remain open. A way to be involved in the food process, and not just by what foods I choose to buy at the farmer’s market or grocery store.

And so when I saw that there was going to be a co-op starting in Richmond, I knew that I had to be a part of it. I signed up immediately after receiving the brochure. And now the hardest part is waiting for the rest of Richmond to realize how incredible a co-op is for the community and JOIN THE MOVEMENT! Because I want a storefront today!

-Kristin Klein, Co-op Member/Owner