This month, we are delighted to shine the Member-Owner Spotlight on Rev. Dustin Wright (MO#821), whose powerful commitments to expanding food access through increased sovereignty in our food systems also include leadership in the Rotterdam Community Center's food pantry and the Schenectady County Food Council Steering Committee.
 
Born and raised in Connecticut, Rev. Dustin Wright (he/ him) joined Messiah Lutheran Church as Pastor in August 2014 after graduating from United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. Rev. Wright received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Religion (focusing on Islam) from The George Washington University in the spring of 2008. During undergraduate studies, he interned with the Interfaith Alliance, the RFK Center for Human Rights and several congressional campaigns during undergraduate studies. He proudly served on staff for seven summers at Camp Calumet Lutheran in Freedom, New Hampshire. He LOVES to have called Upstate New York his home for over a decade and has served in leadership roles with a variety of local and statewide interfaith justice movements and nonprofit organizations as Co-Chair of the Schenectady County Food Council Advocacy & Empowerment Working Group; past Chair of the Sycamore Collaborative Interfaith Task Force; past Chair of the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club; and past President of the New York State Council of Churches. He is also a proud member of the Schenectady Rotary Club. Dustin is a mystic, pastor, mountaineer and suburban farmer in that order. He has a beloved little fur baby, Willard Excelsior Bear.

What do you like about being part of the co-op community? 

 I love being part of a dedicated group of neighbors working to build sovereignty over Schenectady County's food system and social capital with one another.

What will having a downtown grocery mean to you?

 I serve as Executive Director of the Rotterdam Community Center, a hub built to fill a critical gap in our local food system. Previously, Rotterdam, the highest-need suburb in the Capital Region, had no weekly food pantries. I see Electric City Community Grocery as a similar hub of community that will lessen the burden on neighbors living in Downtown Schenectady's food desert.

What do you love about Schenectady?

As a small county, we operate like a village, deeply collaboratively. The City of Schenectady has long had that collaborative ethos, and this spirit is growing in our suburban and rural areas as well.
 
I am so grateful be part of this legacy. My proudest professional achievements have all been reflective of Schenectady's collaborative ethos - including leading the now Sycamore Collaborative to become an interfaith organization in January 2020 and serving Messiah Lutheran Church as Senior Pastor during the COVID-19 pandemic and working with partners across the county to respond to pressing challenges.  The Rotterdam Community Center - which opened in September 2023 - was born out of this collaborative spirit. At RCC many hands come together to nourish our neighbors in mind, body, and soul, and serve as a community hub where all people can connect to the resources they need. 
 
All around the county, I see diverse people coming together as ONE Schenectady. We are stronger when we support each other, build on one another’s strengths, and create a united community where our differences make us better together..