The Team | Anabel's Grocery

Our Mission

To provide fresh, nutritious, and affordable food for all Cornell students. Through our store and educational programs, we provide information about the connection between quality food, health, justice, and sustainability. By collaborating with diverse student organizations and local food producers, our student-run, nonprofit food store is a learning lab dedicated to creating an equitable and ecologically-sound food system.

Our Seven Values

Assume Goodwill: Suspend judgment

Be Your Word: Do what you said you would do

Experience the Edges: Be willing to be uncomfortable

Respect Autonomy: Encourage ownership

Design for the Margins: Take care of those in the margins for the greater good

Create to Regenerate: Minimize your environmental impact

Recognize that Impact Matters: Examine your ripple effects

Our Committees & Coordinators

The student team is comprised of five core committees:

People and Operations
Purchasing, Sales, & Product Promotion
Marketing
Collaboration and Education
Fundraising and Finances

Each committee is compromised of its coordinators and members, who are currently enrolled in AEM 3385: Practicum in Social Entrepreneurship, and work within a flat hierarchy of power. Each committee has one designated liaison to the advisory board, CTA's Executive Director & Operations Director, and AEM 3385 respectively. All committees meet weekly and are charged with a set of responsibilities to uphold the organization's mission and values. In this flat structure, i.e. one in which every person's voice and vote are equal, each member takes one or several roles within a committee and takes on shifts to stock, cashier, and organize the store.

Hannah Guan

Store Operations

Class of 2025: Nutritional Science in Human Ecology

Jacob Blizard

Store Operations

Class of 2025: Environment & Sustainability

Ori Wachman

Strategy & Innovation

Class of 2025: Economics

People and Operations

The People and Operations Committee is responsible for all work relating to staff and to store operations. This includes: developing and maintaining in-store procedures and protocols; staffing the store; keeping the store stocked with necessary supplies; coordinating delivery, stocking and pre-packaging shifts; ensuring the store is clean and able to pass inspection at an time; being accountable to those managing Anabel Taylor Hall so we always stay on the right side of building rules; and communicating with/training all staff so that our in-store procedures work, the store is a well-organized, beautiful and welcoming place, and CTA operations and HR policies are being followed. This committee schedules the inspection of the store and the certification of our scales.

Linh Bui

Purchasing

Class of 2025: Hotel Administration

Milan Poland

Purchasing

Class of 2025: Food Science

Purchasing, Sales, and Product Promotion

The Purchasing, Sales and Product Promotion committee is responsible for all work related to keeping inventory, tracking sales, assessing sales and financial reports, curating a culturally diverse, sustainably sourced and nutritious product mix, purchasing, pricing products so they are at or below comparative prices (e.g. Wegman’s prices), maintaining good relationships with all our vendors, scheduling deliveries, and promoting products and sales with in-store displays and samples. Those involved with product promotion are in frequent communication with the Marketing Committee and CollabEdu Committee to make sure weekly marketing and recipe development are aligned with our current product mix and the products we want to highlight.

Ava Tan

Marketing

Class of 2023: Computer Science

Marketing

The Marketing Committee is responsible for all work related to Anabel’s public relations, marketing, and outreach to key stakeholders including donors, Cornell administrators and other key stakeholders. This work includes: updating and maintaining our website and social media; publishing a weekly newsletter; responding to media inquiries and inquiries from external organizations and key stakeholders including Cornell alumni, donors and administrators; providing reports of our social impact to these key stakeholders; and implementing an effective marketing strategy to increase foot traffic to the store and attract diverse shoppers. This committee uses our social media platforms and our website to curate our external communications. To this end, it includes a member knowledgeable in maintaining the website and our social media platforms.

Alexandra Mantilla

Fundraising & Finances

Class of 2024: International Agriculture & Rural Development

Fundraising & Finances

The Fundraising and Finances Committee is dedicated to ensuring that Anabel's can continue to do all the amazing work we do by acquiring sufficient, sustained funding for the store. The goal of this committee is to support our subsidy fund (which allows us to maintain low prices for high-quality products!), wages for coordinators, and overhead costs through fundraising to assist Anabel’s in fulfilling its mission of creating an equitable and ecologically-sound food system for the Cornell community. The committee is responsible for developing and overseeing fundraising campaigns, creating a donor newsletter, and reviewing financial reports to gain insight into customer behavior.

Collaboration & Education

The Collaboration and Education Committee, or CollabEdu, is responsible for creating recipes, blogs, articles, food guides, and other food justice related work to be distributed by the Marketing committee. CollabEdu also hosts cooking demonstrations and partners with other student organizations to host coalition- building community events.

Dylan Rodgers

Collaboration & Education

Class of 2023: Environment & Sustainability

Lesly Gissell Zhicay

Food Justice

Class of 2023: Industrial and Labor Relations

Ainsley

Fleming-Wood

Collaboration & Education

Class of 2023: Nutritional Sciences

Eliza Gifford

Collaboration & Education

Class of 2024: Environment & Sustainability

Noa Dijstelbloem

Collaboration & Education

Class of 2025: Agricultural Sciences

Testimonies

I had the opportunity to speak with a past student regarding the course and its objectives, which peaked my interest. As a Dyson student, Anabel's Grocery satisfies a Grand Challenges requirement, but I found a deeper connection to the course through its social entrepreneurship focus. In Fall 2019 as I wrote my Dyson admissions essay before eventually joining the class of 2024, there was no topic that spoke to me more than social entrepreneurship, and I feel re-dedicated to this passion through Anabel's. For the first two years of Dyson curriculum, there are many requirements like statistics and financial accounting, but taking Anabel's has granted me the opportunity to reflect on what I gain from my courses as well as how I use what I learn in the classroom to make a tangible impact in my larger community. My favorite part by far is the community! Everyone is so welcoming and supportive, making it instantly feel like family, and everyone is passionate about the mission.

Kellie Graves '24 (she/ her)

Philadelphia, PA

AEM '24

I was inspired to join Anabel’s because of its commitment to providing fresh, affordable groceries on Cornell’s campus. In addition to collaborating with local vendors, my favorite part of working at Anabel’s is connecting with other students through food, from chatting about new products in the store to cooking meals together at community dinners.

Elinor Behlman '26 (she/her)

Montclair, NJ

Environment & Sustainability

I joined Anabel's to learn more about the intersection between food systems and social change. It's so meaningful to be part of such a vibrant group of people who care about food and community-building!

Eliza Giffords '24 (she/ her)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Environment & Sustainability

I joined Anabel’s Grocery to learn more about the local food system as well as to promote less food waste. My favorite part of Anabel’s is the ability to stay in contact with local farmers and know what is growing locally in each season!

Teagan Smith '25 (she/her)

Westport, CT

Environmental Engineering

Anabel's provides the unique opportunity to be part of hands-on, dynamic food justice work. The organization plays a pivotal role for many students and faculty members on campus, and I enjoy seeing the growing impact of our collective work every semester. I love working with new Operations committee members every semester and assisting in articulating and strengthening the impacts of their projects.

Jacob Blizard '25 (he/they)

Mooresville, NC

Environment and Sustainability

Teagan Smith '25 (she/her)

Westport, CT

Environmental Engineering

I joined to learn more about sustainable and equitable food systems through the lens of social entrepreneurship. My favorite thing about Anabels is the welcoming, friendly, and supportive community and that everyone is very passionate about the mission of the store.

Noa Dijstelbloem '25 (she/her)

Rose Valley, PA

Agricultural Sciences

A Note on Governance

We are a not-for-profit social enterprise housed within The Center for Transformative Action (CTA), an independent, education-based nonprofit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with Cornell University. As a project of CTA, Anabel’s does not have separate legal standing and is required to uphold CTA’s policies and procedures as determined by the CTA Executive Director and the CTA board of directors. CTA’s board of directors is legally responsible for all our activities. As part of CTA’s organizational structure, we have an advisory board that supports our student-led team by offering strategic and programmatic guidance, financial oversight, and fundraising support. Once a month, advisory board members join the student team’s All-Staff meeting.

Our Mission

Our Seven Values

Our Committees & Coordinators

People and Operations

Purchasing, Sales, and Product Promotion

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Marketing

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Fundraising & Finances

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Collaboration & Education

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Testimonies

Kellie Graves '24 (she/ her)

Philadelphia, PA

AEM '24

Elinor Behlman '26 (she/her)

Montclair, NJ

Environment & Sustainability

Eliza Giffords '24 (she/ her)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Environment & Sustainability

Teagan Smith '25 (she/her)

Westport, CT

Environmental Engineering

Jacob Blizard '25 (he/they)

Mooresville, NC

Environment and Sustainability

Teagan Smith '25 (she/her)

Westport, CT

Environmental Engineering

Noa Dijstelbloem '25 (she/her)

Rose Valley, PA

Agricultural Sciences

A Note on Governance