Update and Call for New Members
By Jonathan Farber
The Park Slope Food Coop is unique in all our lives. It is also a very different type of business in the wider economy. For nearly fifty years we have been bucking the system and showing the world how we provide good food at low prices for working members. Our model challenges the status quo. To bring about positive change in our food and farming systems you would be hard pressed to find a more effective vehicle than the Park Slope Food Coop.
The Coop is also very successful. We are emerging from the pandemic battered but not diminished. Thanks to committed members and staff and to an infusion of millions of dollars by the federal government, we are still here. In fact, once the IRS pays us for the tax credits to which we are entitled, we will have more cash than when the pandemic started. And, with folks returning to work their shifts and the Coop once again admitting new households at a rapid clip, there is every reason to believe we will rebuild our membership and sales.
Which leads us to the Park Slope Food Coop Second Location Study Committee (SLSC) and the upcoming release of our Draft Report and Recommendations. Approved by the General Meeting in 2016, we have been busy exploring whether we should open a new store in addition to the location on Union Street. The Coop members on the committee and the general manager of the Coop think it is now time to have a robust discussion about this important topic.
The SLSC is recruiting new members. Committee members receive PSFC shift credits for their work. This is an exciting venture and an opportunity to join a diverse team studying the next expansion of the Coop. We are especially looking for members with professional experience in community organizing, public relations, real estate, planning, business management, finance and marketing. PSFC members interested in joining the committee may contact us at secondlocation@psfc.coop.