By Patrick Pauley

After an exciting time at internet startups focused on online usability, member-owner Rikki McGinty decided to return to graduate school to fulfill a lifelong dream of contributing to criminal justice. Currently, Rikki spends most of her energy caring for animals—she regularly feeds a group (or “colony”) of feral cats near her home in Clinton Hill, and she recently became TNR certified (which stands for the trap-neuter-return process for feral cats). Most recently, she built a cat shelter (pictured above!) for the first time after a workshop with Bideawee’s Feral Cat Initiative (the effects of COVID have been catastrophic for New York’s outdoor cat population).

Q: How long have you been a member of the Co-op, and what motivated you to join?

A: I’m going on five years now, during most of which I worked a floor shift. I was drawn in by the argument that Amy’s Soups were cheaper at the Co-op than at the grocery store! Also, I wanted to meet nice people and find a social hub, being a bit of a hermit in graduate school at the time. 

Q: Can you describe your work at the Co-op? 

A: I had the privilege in September of restarting the long dormant Governance Committee, which I chair together with the excellent Nick Murphy. Our mandate is to help the Board, committees, store managers and members at large reach transparent decisions that benefit the Co-op. I evaluate current policies, communications and business goals to make sure they align with cooperative principles and the Co-op’s bylaws.This involves much inspiring collaboration and sometimes controversial debates over the status quo.

Q: Has the Co-op changed the way you interact with food? If so, how?

A: I discovered that organic vegetables and fruit really do taste better. I’d never been interested in food or excited about meals; now I’ll find, say, a caprese with heirloom tomatoes a highlight of my day.

Q: What’s your favorite hidden—or not so hidden—gem about the Co-op?

A: I treasure the brief but meaningful conversations with other members while shopping. There are generous and thoughtful people to meet.

Q: Anything you’d like to see more of at the Co-op, whether it’s a product or practice?

A: Civic engagement among our members to make Co-op decisions and policies more transparent and participatory. I encourage people to come to the monthly meetings on the last Wednesday of each month. And I desperately want roasted edamame restored to our bulk offerings.