I am 73 years old.  I have been buying food through various co-op/buying clubs since my mid 20s.  Currently I belong to a club that purchases food through UNFI.  However, as the USA has become more and more interested in healthy food, we, as a buying club, are being forced out by places like Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, etc.  These companies have demanded that if a club is located within 50 miles of a retail store, they no longer want UNFI to continue selling directly to us, and frankly, we pay almost the same prices as the retailers and to be perfectly honest, paying their huge markups and driving almost 25 miles to shop is not something I want to do.  I miss the days of cooperative buying! I have been getting my fresh produce delivered from a company in Chicago, which is great, but not exactly ecologically correct.

I worked at MCC with Kim Haskins for years and watched her enthusiasm and excitement grow with each new Sustainability accomplishment!  I chose to become a Food Shed owner because I think that communities need to band together and become sustainable communities where small farmers and retailers can benefit from local support.  It makes me a little sad that it has taken so very many years for people to realize that eating healthy, natural food should be an affordable option for EVERYONE.  My family used to joke about my kids getting only organic, natural food but now they have seen the health benefits of  this type of living.

I am excited for the Food Shed to open. I miss going into a store where people talked, shared ideas, bought local food, and understood that communities are very important to the well-being of this country. I will do my best to interest other people in becoming sustainable members.

Thanks for all the work that is going on to make this world a better place.

Marie Day

The Food Shed thanks Marie Day for her membership - and for the thoughtful words she has to offer to all of us! As someone who has "walked the walk" for 50+ years we can all aspire to be like "Marie"!

Note: All emphasis added by the Food Shed Co-op