Cooperator of the Month: Deborah Wyse
Lives in: Mt. Airy, with her husband, Keith Gregory
Joined Weavers Way: 2010, soon after the Chestnut Hill store opened
Why they joined: “We’d been living in Philadelphia for a while, and we heard about the Co-op, and the Chestnut Hill location was more convenient…we also liked the social mission.”
Why they’re working members: “It’s nice to get the discount, but also, it’s interesting to get the behind-the-scenes look at the business, and have a sense that you’re making a contribution to the business…it’s a different experience than when you’re shopping.”
Current job: She was hired in June to join the grants team at Vanguard Charitable in Malvern.
Above & beyond: From March through the end of May, she helped out daily with home delivery operations in Chestnut Hill. At the time, her contract job with the Opportunity Finance Network had ended.
What that was like: “What really impressed me was how the team there was really working to adapt and respond…they were adapting to the change and [would try] something, and if it didn’t work, they’d try something new.”
Pre-pandemic Co-op job history: She likes doing the early morning bakery shift in the Hill (“It’s easy to integrate that if you’re working full time.”); she’s also helped out at the Mort Brooks Farm at Awbury Arboretum.
Favorite Co-op products: Weavers Way Farm produce; Claudio’s fresh mozzarella and burrata; Brown Cow cream-top yogurt (coffee flavor).
Thoughts on the Co-op: “I’m impressed by them as a business — that they’re always trying to respond to what’s going on in the world in a very thoughtful way and have a positive impact on the community.”
— Karen Plourde