This past Monday I attended the Student Activism Series event on Anabel’s Grocery. I had heard about Anabel’s Grocery in the news before attending the event and knew it was supposed to be an alternative to the dining resources on campus, but I was intrigued to learn more. Nicholas, Kary, and Lizzie, the three student members that came to talk that day, presented all the information I could have asked for and I came away great impression of them and the organization. Part of what gave me this great opinion of them was hearing about the story of the program and how much work it had taken to get to where it is today. Nicholas mentioned that when he attended the very first meeting for the group as a first semester freshman he immediately recognized the value of having a low-cost, healthy food option for Cornell students, but had little faith that they would actually be able to see it come to reality. As the organization gained more momentum, however, each member of the group there remembered how they began to become increasingly excited and motivated to push Anabel’s Grocery further. Even though they did run into conflicts with the administration over funding, they continued to work and reach out to students about supporting the idea until it was eventually approved. For me it was just incredibly impressive that Anabel’s Grocery was not only going to happen with all of the work that it takes to start a business like a grocery store, but also it was all student-run and the members were deeply committed to that idea. Overall I think the benefits of having a low-cost grocery store like Anabel’s Grocery are innumerable and will have an enormous positive impact on the quality of life for Cornell students.