| Wonderful
Community Support
By MaryJo Knowles, Community Loan Program
Coordinator; from the March 2005 Newsletter
The
Co-op Loan Program started off with a bang—and hasn’t
stopped banging. I am getting email inquiries and phone calls
daily. We achieved 76% of our goal in the first month!
Our
goal was to raise $350,000 in loans from members to help finance
our move to the new location. As of February 20, we have
$135,000 in the bank from member loans. We also have signed
pledges (a completed loan prospectus from members who are in
the process
of transferring funds to our account) for another $132,400.
That is a total of $267,400.00.
In
addition, the offers of volunteers on those yellow flyers are
still coming in. We now have 22 volunteers signed up for
various projects. Please note that if you don’t hear immediately
from someone to help you get started volunteering, it doesn’t
mean we don’t love you, it means we’re just overwhelmed…so
don’t give up. Keep in touch. Drop us a note in the jar
at the Co-op.
Our
loans have come from retired long-time Co-op members, children’s
piggy banks, children’s college funds, vacation accounts,
retirement accounts, pillowcases, and coffee cans buried in
the back yard. One loan came from new members who moved here
because
there was a Co-op. Several of our loans came from long-time
members who are so excited to be able to help. The feeling
I am getting
is that so many people have gotten so much from the Co-op over
the years that they are excited to be able to give something
back.
This
community loan position has been wonderful for me personally
as well. It’s been fun to be in contact with long-time
members (not ‘old’ members!) again and to listen
to all the “remember when” stories. I am always
amazed at how the Co-op has continued to be the center of our
community
for so many people.
I
have enjoyed sitting in the Co-op Deli, waiting for lenders
to show up to sign paperwork, and watching the shoppers (it’s
a great place to people watch), especially at lunch time when
the high school students come in. It wasn’t that long ago
that a high school student wouldn’t be caught dead in the
Co-op.
How
fun it is to think that the Co-op’s founders were
not that much older than these high school students when they
got
the idea to start a bulk-food natural food store. And truly,
what a great legacy they created for this community. |
