Meeting Set for Potential Food Co-op

Small meet-ups and Internet buzz surrounds a potential , and now organizers need residents to demonstrate their interest.

The community will gather at April 18 at 7 p.m. to discuss if and how a food cooperative could launch in Manayunk and Roxborough. Organizers waited until Wednesday to announce the location, as they wanted appropriate space. The synagogue off Shurs Lane at 4101 Freeland Ave. can hold the few hundred people proponents seek to show up.

From , David Schiman has been a member of Weavers Way Co-op in Mt. Airy for several years. When talks began about a more local option, he joined the steering committee.

"I really like the feel of the co-op. The people there have such a sense of ownership. They really respond to it, and it's like a home away from home," he said.

Weavers Way has stores in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. The approached the organization for advice and potentially to launch another store here. Jane Lipton, executive director for the MDC, said will attend the April meeting.

"David has done these community meetings several times. He said if you bring in 40 people, a co-op is possible but it's a long haul. If you bring 100 in, maybe there's some interest," she said.

Talks on a co-op began in February, with a meeting date set to really take the community's pulse. As a community-owned entity, a cooperative can't exist without public support.

"We're really looking for a couple hundred people who are interested. If we make a good showing, then we've increased our chances of making this happen," Lipton said.

Schiman usually stops by Weavers Way twice a week. He recommends healthy eating to his clients, but they often are unaware where to get quality items.

"What I'm surprised about is a lot of people from Roxborough say they don't know about Weavers Way. It's not easy like the Acme to get to," he said, adding a local option helps that.

For more information on the potential, visit its Facebook page.