Fast Food or Co-op?

Manayunk and Roxborough Residents,

As most of you knoaw, the historic Bunting House has been demolished, and developers plan to build a fast food restaurant in its place. Over 800 people have stepped forward to protect the character of Roxborough and promote other options for positive change by signing a petition on change.org.  Now is the time to help neighboring residents, local businesses, and revitalization initiatives that are threatened by the development of a fast food location in our neighborhood.

The Manayunk-Roxborough Food Co-op Initiative is working toward our goal of opening a community-owned grocery store.  We have received a great showing of support from the community and our volunteer base is growing and growing.  Several of our supporters have asked,  “Why can’t the Co-op purchase the land and provide healthy food choices there, instead of a Wendy’s?”

The corner of Ridge and Roxborough Aves would be a great location for the food Co-op, providing easy access to healthy food choices for Roxborough and Manayunk residents.  Unfortunately the current land owners are looking for maximum profits with no regard to neighborhood impact, and we are not yet in a position to make an offer on their property.  Six months from now we will be in a better position to find a home for the new Co-op, with a completed market study and increased community involvement.  Now is the time for you to help, by joining our initiative, getting involved, and putting the interests of our neighborhood first, ahead of outside developers and corporations.

We’ll create local jobs.  We’ll provide healthy food choices and education programs. We’ll keep your money in the neighborhood.  By getting involved in the Co-op you can help bring HONEST FOOD at HONEST PRICES to our community.

We ask you to look ahead and realize that it’s up to you to shape this neighborhood by working for positive changes, or else our neighborhood remains open to the development of fast food chains and other invasive businesses.   We ask for your support so that we can fulfill our goal to open a community-owned Food Cooperative.  Find out how you can help at mrcoop@googlegroups.com.

"The Wendy's initiative isn't the first attempt to bring unhealthy choices to ridge ave, and it won't be the last.  Given that, our answer is to work even harder to bring fresh choices to the area.  We hope that the community uses the same passion it has shown against the Wendy's project to help us reach our goal."

At the very least we ask everyone to sign the petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/wendy-s-fast-food-restaurant-stop-the-development-of-wendy-s-in-our-neighborhood ) so that Wendy’s corporate and our local officials take notice that, as a community, we continue to take a stand for our future in Roxoborough.


To our future,
Manayunk/Roxoborough Food Cooperative Initiative