Cooperator of the Month: Tina Phipps

Joined Weavers Way: Late 1970s. She and her wife, Barbara Rice, were originally members of the East Mt. Airy Co-op, a division of Weavers Way that was subsumed into the main membership sometime after they joined.

Lives in: Lafayette Hill

Former job: She‘s a retired anthropologist and ethicist. She directed the Center for Urban Health Policy and Research at Albert Einstein Medical Center, and was co-director of a medical ethics consultation service.

Why they joined: “I think we were interested in community…and we liked the co-op model.”

Why they’re still working members: ”I particularly like working outside, so having the farm as an option is great. I enjoy doing that….plus I learn stuff.” She does all the household hours.

Co-op job history: In addition to the farms, she’s also tended the flower garden behind Martin Luther King High School for Food Moxie.

Favorite Co-op products: Organic carrots and greens, local apples, Bell & Evans chicken. Barbara makes her own granola, so they buy all their ingredients in bulk. Since the pandemic, they’ve been doing about 98% of their shopping at the Co-op.

Thoughts on the Co-op: “It’s a wonderful place to shop. The people are nice, it’s clean [and I] feel safe.”

— Karen Plourde