Do you remember that time you were sitting on your couch, minding your own business when your doorbell unexpectedly rings?

You weren’t expecting company, but you answer it anyway. On the other side of the door was somebody you have never met who wants to strike up a conversation about … well, something. It could have been someone trying to sell you something or a politician looking to get your vote on Tuesday. Whoever it was, you took five minutes out of your day to hear them out because, you know, it could be interesting.

Back in March I was the guy on the other side of the door looking to get the word out about the Bethlehem Food Co-op.  Admittedly, this was something new to me. I had never canvassed before and didn’t know what to expect. Would people talk to me? Or slam the door in my face?  Heck, would they even answer the door? At least I had a fellow Cooperator with me to keep me entertained. If I’m being honest, my expectations were low.

Then a funny thing happened …

In two hours of knocking on doors (on a Saturday afternoon) my idea of how this experience would play out turned completely on its head.  Of the people we talked to, only a few had heard anything about the Bethlehem Food Co-op or the grocery store we are looking to open up. This did not come as a surprise to me. What did surprise me were the positive reactions, inquisitive questions, and general positive thoughts we received on the project. Everyone wanted to know where it would be, what we would be selling. Just about everyone – including a 14 year old girl – wanted information about joining. Nobody slammed the door in our face. Nobody had a bad thing to say.

There were 10 people who canvassed that day. The results of our efforts were four new member-owner households with an additional 15 signing up to receive updates from our Facebook page. Personally, I ended up having some great conversations with some extremely nice people I would have never met, all while talking about the Bethlehem Food Co-op.

It was a good day.

If you are a member-owner who would like to help spread the word about the Bethlehem Food Co-Op, please join us for our next canvassing day on 6/28! You can find details and RSVP here.