Joined Weavers Way: Over 30 years ago

Lives in: Mt. Airy, with her husband, Stuart. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.

Current job: She’s an English professor at Camden County College.

Previous co-op experience: As a student at Clark University in Worcester, MA in the 1970s, she and a few classmates started a co-op called “The Community Stomach” to stretch their food budget. “And we ended up eating healthy because…it was all vegetarian and whole grains.”

Why she joined: Based on her college experience, when they moved to Germantown and heard about Weavers Way, she wanted to join. Later, they moved to Mt. Airy and shopped at the Co-op often when their kids attended C.W. Henry School.

Working member job history: She enjoys representing the Co-op at events at Awbury Arboretum or those associated with Friends of the Wissahickon. “Over the 30-plus years, I’ve done pretty much everything.”

Why she’s a working member: “I love cooperating. I like the idea that it’s the heart of the community.”

Favorite Co-op products: Produce, cheeses, gluten-free selections. She shops here a couple times a week, and does 90% of her shopping here.

A lot of Co-op love: “It’s a third space; it’s a place where you can stand in line and go ‘What can I cook with this?’ and someone will tell you. Or you can go up to one of the people who work here and use the word ‘Do we have?’, as in ‘This is our space.’”

— Karen Plourde