This month we are spotlighting ECCG's very first Member-Owner and steadfast champion, Kat Wolfram (MO#1). Kat's passion for creating a food cooperative in downtown Schenectady is rooted in her commitments to supporting farming families, cultivating ecological literacy, nourishing diverse communities, and caring for the land that sustains all life.  Her rich life experiences have shaped these commitments and motivate her ongoing support of the Electric City Community Grocery. In her words:

After growing up on a farm, I left home to study science - marine biology, genetics, nitrogen fixation, microbiology. Married with 3 kids, I left the lab for education. Starting with preschool science, I taught every level of education - elementary, middle and high school, college, adult ed - and spent a time in administration as a district curriculum and special programs director. 

After a stint teaching in an international school in Germany, back to school for a Masters degree in Forensic Biology and a few years training DNA analysts, I found myself thinking about food sovereignty, local farming, and food insecurity, recognizing that farmers need markets to survive and that several parts of Schenectady lacked full service grocery stores. 

I studied entrepreneurship and food co-ops, talked to farmers, and worked with a steering committee. With a committed group of 8 visionary people, a new food co-op was born!

It’s a complete circle, really, from the land of food and community back to the land of food and community.

1.What do you like about being part of the co-op community? 

The cooperative business model! In this case, a business model in which people and planet are equally as important as profitability - a win for the community and a food system that minimizes impacts on the environment. It’s phenomenal to engage with others who love food and community!

2.What will having a downtown grocery mean to you?

That we feed community and connect with people that share the values of a vibrant, resilient food system and healthy environment.  Full access to food is part of the story of an activated, dynamic downtown!  

3. What do you love about Schenectady?

The love! Even though I have spent less than a third of my life here, I have lived in Schenectady longer than anywhere else and Schenectady feels like home! I have found a beautifully diverse community in which I feel connected. Whatever your interests, there is something for you! Art, history, farmers’ market, yoga, books, restaurants, food, urban farming, theater, sports, architecture, and proximity to wild natural areas and to NYC! Schenectady has it all!