By Nick Albicocco

After 44 years of serving the university, the Maryland Food Co-op is in danger of permanently closing if its workers are unable to repay their outstanding debt by May.

According to the website, the Co-op, which is worker-owned and vegan-friendly, is “committed to providing healthy, conscious and affordable food to the UMD community.” The Co-op’s workers are also its managers, and decisions are made collectively.

The Co-op was established by UMD students in 1975 and has been located in the basement of the Stamp Student Union for nearly 20 years. While many of their items are highly priced in comparison to other chains and delis, workers at the Co-op say that their pricing is determined by the real cost of food items.

The Co-op was operating on a lease with Stamp through the 2017-18 academic year, but because of their outstanding debt, Stamp declined to renew their lease for the current school year. An agreement was reached instead, which allowed the Co-op to remain open in hopes that they would eventually be able to repay it.

Ultimately, the Co-op wasn’t able to “get [its] numbers where they needed to be to be successful,” said Peter Myers, who graduated in 2017 with a degree in economics and has worked at the Co-op for four years.

The Co-op’s financial struggles aren’t a recent development. Sales had been steadily declining during Myers’ time working there “for internal and external reasons.” Myers chose to stay in the area after graduation so he could continue to work at the Co-op, and he would be “heartbroken” to see the place close.

With less than two months to repay its debts, groups of students are pitching ideas and discussing ways to keep the Co-op alive in some respect, said Myers. One recent development is the solidarity Co-op initiative, through which students can donate $10 a month in exchange for a variety of discounts and deals.

A GoFundMe page was also created for the Co-op last week. Despite a goal of $23,500, just over $5,000 has been raised. Myers said that all money raised will go to repaying the Co-Op’s debt.

Myers believes that the Co-Op stands as a testament to cooperative movement and that it adds a lot of value to the school’s campus, including the fact that “our food’s great.” Ultimately, it makes him “sad that this wouldn’t be around for me or other students.”

The Co-op’s customers feel the same way.

“It’s sad [since] it’s been there a long time but if they’re in debt, then I understand [why they’re closing],” undeclared sophomore Ryan Kapoor said.

Sophomore aerospace engineering major Max DeBello echoed the same sentiment, saying “it’s a shame because it had… a lot of nice sandwiches. It’s kind of sad but if they’re in debt and they can’t sustain, then… it makes sense.”

According to a financial viability document, the Co-op’s workers believe it could be a sustainable business going forward. As of now, its future is uncertain.