300 Coop workers (and friends) pack the hall for Member Appreciation Dinner

by Deborah Trupin

The Honest Weigh Food Coop held its third annual Member Appreciation Dinner on Saturday, November 5. At least 250 working members and staff attended gathered at St. Sophia’s church in Albany, bringing along enough guests and children that total attendance was more than 300 people. When I arrived around 6 pm, the social hall at St. Sophia’s was a swirl of activity. Member labor coordinator Nate Horwitz, accompanied by some of the many musicians who performed, was leading the crowd in a newly composed song/chant: “It’s the Honest Weight Food Coop, a really good place to shop!” When not singing along with Nate, members were enjoying the feast and catching up with old friends. Many Coop’ers were also working at the event — serving food, clearing tables, washing dishes and greeting new arrivals. Children were painting in an adjacent room, led by Satanta Walsh and Cassandra Hall of the Pine Hills Montessori School and assisted by HWFC member Rose Bohmann. In the gym, HWFC member Paul Rosenberg was calling dances accompanied by the band Tame Rutabaga, which included Sue Mead, Jim Mead and HWFC member George Wilson. Coop members Laura Hagen, on recorder, and Jack Toritto, on bass, sat in with the band.

Nate was the primary organizer of this year’s event, as outreach coordinator Jessica Allen was away on her honeymoon. Thanks to the large number of members who worked hard on the dinner, Nate declared the event a success — but that made him appreciate all Jessica’s work on dinners past. He extended particular thanks to Mary Kay Delgiacco, who did a tremendous job organizing the cooks for the second straight year, and to David Lackie, who stepped-in last minute to run the kitchen. The evening revealed a hidden side of David, whom Nate had known as a weekly cashier: David turned out to be a Culinary Institute of America graduate, so handling this kitchen was probably a snap for him. Jean Berkey did a terrific job organizing the hall set up. Special thanks were also given to Chris Connell, Doreen Hughes, Anthony Aversano and Lynda Steuer, as well as to Sayla Eisner-Mix for kitchen work, Hank Olzak for great desserts, Ed Englander for dish washing, and Ray Bradshaw and Lexa Juhre for staying late.

In addition to the children’s painting and dancing, members enjoyed performances by several musical groups, all of which have at least one Coop member. Paul Cronin (pjccie@aol.com) played piano in the early part of the evening. Later, Margaret Bernstein (www.gamusic.com) played piano and flute. Bobba Culpa (macleanbarb@aol.com), with Coop member Donna Eastman on bass, closed out the dinner with energizing near-Eastern flavored music. Between musicians, a rough cut of a video about Honest Weight was previewed. The work-in-progress does not yet have a title, although that catchy chant — “A really great place to shop: The Honest Weight Food Coop Story” — has been suggested. The video has involved the work of many people, including Branda Miller, Eleanor Goldsmith, Rachelle Menshikova, Cherie Johnson, Gustav, Ken Runquist, Guinevere Thaler, Gayle Anderson and Elizabeth Woodbury. They hope to have a more polished version ready for the Coop’s 30th anniversary in 2006.

Saul Rigberg won the 50/50 raffle, which raised $237. In addition to winning half of the pot, Saul was able to decide which group (of five organizations selected by the Board) should receive the other 50%. He selected Capital District Community Gardens, saying that group combines coop values, particularly community development and local, organic gardening.

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