The Co-op Q&A with Juliana Pinto

We’re happy to announce that our new Outreach Chair is Juliana Pinto, who comes to us with experience running a local play school, and creative ideas for reaching different neighborhood institutions. She is looking for new members for the Outreach Committee, so reach out to her at outreach@greenehillfood.coop if you’d like to pitch in!

Q: How did you become involved with the Outreach Committee?

A: I am the new Outreach chair at the Co-op. I run my own business in the neighborhood and thought that a lot of my skills would be transferable to a committee position. I asked around the different committees to see who needed help and landed at Outreach! I'm excited to work with the other committees to spread the word about our co-op and hopefully add more members.

Q: When did you join the Co-op?

A: I became a trial member in the summer of 2016  but I was still in school and working full-time, so I didn't follow through to a full membership. I graduated from Hunter College in the summer of 2017 and officially joined then. I love living in the neighborhood and wanted to join the Co-op to meet more folks who feel the same way. Let's be honest, I also am here for the cheaper food. There is a grocery store one block from my apartment that charges an arm and a leg for crappy vegetables and overpriced, over-packaged dry goods. I'd much rather spend my money and my time at the Co-op, knowing that we are striving for sustainability and have transparent pricing.

Q: How can members get involved in the Outreach Committee?

A: I'd love to add more members to the Outreach committee! They can email me at outreach@greenehillfood.coop to help out. I'd like to streamline the prep for Open Houses and maybe hold them more than 3-4 times per year, but we need more Outreach members to do this. I also would like Outreach to visit some neighborhood institutions this year to reach a lot of people all at once and let them know all of the good stuff going on at the Co-op.

Q: What do you like to do outside of the Co-op?

A: Outside of the Co-op I own a teeny preschool called Honeybirds Playschool. This takes up most of my time, but I really do love my job. We've been open since 2014 and are now seeing younger siblings of my first students come back, and it's been sweet to see the community built around the shared goal of child-rearing. Beyond Honeybirds, I've been in a book club for over six years and recently started taking ceramics classes at Artshack Brooklyn.