A New Year’s Resolution for an Uncertain Future

A strong progressive value system informs the merchandising: The co-op members believe that it’s healthier for us, and for the planet, to eat locally, organically, without too many GMOs or additives (and we recently passed a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, resolution). We bring our own bags.

All this is easy to mock, and I’m not above having fun at the expense of small woke subcultures. Early on, I shared a laugh and an eye roll with a fellow member after our promotional post on our local Thanksgiving turkey offer—a charming photo of turkeys frolicking on their upstate farm—was met with ire by a vegetarian member. And of course, neighbors, including myself, can be annoying in far less well-meaning ways; we are all bossy, intrusive, meddling, forgetful. But the co-op is worth it.

Much of the food sold at the co-op is local, an important food security measure in a country increasingly reliant on long and vulnerable supply chains. For us, that means food grown or raised in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, upstate New York, Vermont, and even on a nearby roof in Brooklyn. This, and the fact that the co-op is run for the community rather than to make a profit, makes me feel a little safer in case of a crisis. It sets a good example, too—we all need to strengthen such communal, voluntaristic institutions so our society will be more prepared if the commercial and governmental sectors break down.