September President's Message: A Shrinking South Philly (in a good way!)

Dear Friends, LoMo, East Passyunk Crossing, Newbold, Pennsport, Point Breeze, Passyunk Square... when I first moved to 12th and Dickinson in 2008 I have to admit that "South Philly" felt so big to me. So many different neighborhoods... distinct boundaries of civic associations... feeling like I needed my passport just to cross Broad Street. In fact, my husband and I chuckle about the question our realtor asked when I mentioned that there were some houses listed on Jackson Street... "does she know how far Jackson is?" A few weekends ago, a group of committee members and I started hand delivering Co-op share certificates to everyone who has paid up their full $200 equity. As I walked from block to block and house to house I began to sense that South Philly was somehow smaller now - no longer a bunch of distinct neighborhoods or blocks - but a community of people connected to each other by the Co-op. I discovered so many great little blocks that I’d never been down and I noticed a lot of similarities - the cat and dog finder rescue stickers, little planter boxes or container gardens - among the houses of Co-op members. Most of all, I loved getting to meet the many people who were home when I rang their doorbells to drop off the certificates. For everyone involved in the Co-op, our community has gotten bigger (292!) while South Philly itself feels that much smaller. If you haven't joined yet, becoming a part of this community is as easy as clicking on this link to fill out an application and sending your first equity payment. If you pay off the whole $200 you can expect a ring on your doorbell from one of our committee members who will be delivering your Co-op share certificate. We print the certificates twice a year before the general membership meetings. In the meantime, we have another great way for you to see parts of the neighborhood you may have never experienced before: the Second Annual South Philly Garden Tour on 9/8 (THIS Saturday!). Check out the many Garden Tour Countdown posts on this blog for more information about how you can finally get into that neighbor's backyard that you've been dying to see. Have a great week! Alison L. Fritz President, Board of Directors South Philly Food Co-op P.S. If you had paid your full $200 before our spring membership meeting and haven't gotten your certificate yet, don't worry. We haven't forgotten you. We will be stopping by soon to drop it off soon. Thanks!