Mural Day Four: Transforming 10th Street

About 40 volunteers came out last Saturday, April 10, to create a work of art of the east wall of the Pogue's Run Grocer building at 2828 E. 10th Street. Among those volunteers were members of the co-op, neighborhood residents, and about a dozen Tech High School National Honor Society Seniors.

After three years of planning, tangible signs of a new grocery store along East 10th Street have arrived. The volunteers painted a mural that screams FOOD so that there will be no mistake about the cornucopia of healthy, fresh, local food housed inside those front doors. Other volunteers working indoors worked on scrapping, cleaning and prepping the area that will soon be the office of the co-op's general manager.

The all volunteer artistic team lead the mural effort and dedicated hours of time leading up to the work day. That team included local graphic designers and Irvington residents, Sara Lunsford and Jackie Norris, local photographer, Coleman Norris, and near east sider, Sarah Charles. The Indy Food Co-op is so appreciative of these local artists sharing their time, talent and creativity to make the mural such a tremendous success!

Also, local videographer/filmmaker, Steven Shattuck, volunteered his time to capture a portion of the day on film. Look for his edited video on the Indy Food Co-op website soon, and thanks to Steven for contributing this additional creative element to the co-op effort.

Thanks also to the members who provided food to our hard working volunteers. Katherine dropped by a yummy Japanese rice dish, and Bruce provided an incredible pan of brownies flavored with a hint of tangerine zest (we need this recipe for the co-op cook book)!

Critical to our on-going success has been the support of the media to help spread the word about the co-op. Thanks to Jim Poyser and Moriah from NUVO Newsweekly and Bill Brooks from Urban Times for covering the mural project as well as the on-going progress of the Indy Food Co-op and Pogue's Run Grocer.

As has been the case along each step of the co-op development, it is through the hard work, dedication and generosity of the community that our community grocery store will open later this spring. Thanks alone is not enough. But, soon all the work and effort will pay off in the opening of an affordable, convenient healthy food option for Indianapolis.