The co-op's resilience in hard times really was reflected during the pandemic when a lot of stores had empty shelves and we did not. And we did not because our staff had relationships with closer distributors and suppliers to get things. We didn't have orders that were decided for us six months ago and now couldn't be changed. We were able to call people and say, we need toilet paper. And toilet paper came. I think we're the only place in town with toilet paper most of the time, some months. Those relationships really, they make a difference.

The co-op holds a special place in our family's hearts because Bea and Rose, who are twins, were born at the very beginning of the COVID lockdown. We didn't go anywhere in town for a full year. And the first place, once vaccinations started to roll out, the first place that we went and felt safe going was the co-op. I'll also just never forget the feeling that I had the first time I walked into the co-op after being at home for over a year.

And I just remember standing in the produce section and feeling this incredible sensory overwhelm in the best way possible, where I was like overjoyed and overwhelmed with the abundance that was in front of me. I sat there and just watched for a minute as all the staff was kind of fluttering all around and doing such hard work. And I just remember feeling such gratitude that this place existed, that we felt safe coming here.

And we had been doing sort of like bare bones groceries for a long time. And I'll never forget the dinner we had that night where I just got so many treats. Like we had rainbow sprinkles for the first time in a year and like so much color and flavor was on our table. Yeah.