Maureen Almazan
“I wanted to work on opening a co-op to our community to benefit our economy and because they are socially responsible businesses that just make the world a better place. Our co-op will be not just a grocery store but a community center, a hub, a central place for people to gather.”
Maureen has worked for non-profit organizations in the field of wellness and recreation for people with intellectual disabilities for over 20 years. She received a B.S. degree in Exercise Physiology from Iowa State University with a minor in Health Promotion. She has always been interested in real food and how consuming processed foods affects our health. As a consumer, she wants to know what is in her food and where it comes from. Her hobbies include gardening and reading anything related to natural health and nutrition. She is concerned about the poor diets of Americans today which are the cause of many chronic diseases most often avoidable by eating whole, nourishing food. One of her favorite quotes from Wendell Berry is, “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.”
When traveling Maureen has always found herself shopping at food co-ops or the local natural foods store and currently supports local farmer’s markets. In addition to growing veggies and herbs in the summer, she travels to several grocery stores year-round to find all of the healthy, organic products that she and her husband eat weekly. She is looking forward to having those products all in one place at her neighborhood co-op.
Becoming a steering team member for the McHenry County Food Co-Op was a natural fit. “I wanted to work on opening a co-op to our community to benefit our economy and because they are socially responsible businesses that just make the world a better place. Our co-op will be not just a grocery store but a community center, a hub, a central place for people to gather.”
Maureen is excited to be a part of the food co-op movement in this country today. More and more of them are opening because consumers are demanding real food.
“The wonderful thing about food is you get three votes a day. Every one of them has the potential to change the world.” -- Michael Pollan