“Until our prices come down, I think we should keep it.” “I use it,” the former board member said, adding that the fridge is part of what makes the co-op inclusive of the surrounding community. One former board member offered a personal appeal. The contents of the fridge are donated, and do not cost the co-op money. “It shows the potential in the heart of the co-op,” staff member Rashel Rivera told Billy Penn after the meeting. Two staff workers spoke up on behalf of neighbors who regularly depend on the fridge to eat. 'You have made my hunger not an issue.' Beatrice Forman / Billy Penn KCFC employee Rashel Rivera poses next to a message left on the co-op’s community fridge. “I would much rather see a policing of the perimeter so that we have a clean and pleasant place to shop.” “I don’t think we’re a charity,” one member said at the meeting. Others stuck up for it, noting that co-op prices aren’t attainable for many in Kensington. Several members said the community fridge must be shut down, because it attracts the wrong kind of people to the building. Some cast blame on the co-op’s surroundings, saying the store’s success is impacted by the people nearby experiencing homelessness and addiction. Others, KCFC leadership acknowledged, are wary of throwing money into a business with an uncertain future. Membership requires a $300 investment in the co-op, and the board is asking people to increase their contribution, up to the maximum of $1,500.įor some - like two board members who pledged to give $1k on the spot at last week’s meeting - it’s a no brainer. With the business way behind on accounts payable, and several thousand dollars short of making last month’s payroll, KCFC’s volunteer board is asking members to increase their investment in the co-op, work at the store for free, and forgive loans they already made.

Shut in 2017