​616-522-COOP (2667)  •   grfci.info@gmail.com
Co-op Volunteers Make Connections
Our volunteers have been busy this past month! They have been meeting regularly and getting the word out about our project. We are establishing our business in the best way possible, meeting with folks who want to get involved and connecting with folks in the community who share our passion for local, accessible and affordable food in central Grand Rapids. Our member/owners have hosted house parties and volunteers have staffed tables at area farmer's markets. 

We are always welcoming new volunteers. If you want to be a part of this exciting project, send us an email at  
grfci.info@gmail.com
Coopers spreading the word at Fulton Street Farmers Market
Host a House Party!
House Parties build member/ownership
Consider hosting a house party! Have an intimate gathering for your friends and family, or you could have a garden party for the neighborhood (once the weather warms up), or you could have a Saturday morning coffee and muffins affair. House parties are a fantastic way to let your circle know about this wonderful co-op project and encourage them to become member/owners. The co-op will provide the program and information about the co-op. Let our outreach circle know you'd like to host a house party by emailing us at  grfci.info@gmail.com.

House Party guests
News From the Board
Action Circles Set Regular Meeting Time
Third Tuesday of each month
6:30-8:30 pm, location to be announced. Check our website.

If you are thinking about getting more involved to help make our co-op a reality, plan to attend one of our regularly scheduled action circle meetings!

We begin with information about our project. Then we proceed to working in our specific circles. Our circles are working on outreach in the community, business development and diversity.

The plans we make are bringing our co-op into sharper focus and closer to a physical reality.

We need many actively engaged volunteers to realize our goals. If you want to get involved, send us an email at  grfci.info@gmail.com  or visit our  website .  
New Member/Owner Benefit!
GRFCI Members can  shop 
West Michigan Co-op as members!

The West Michigan Co-op (WMC) has offered to accept GRFCI's member/owners as members of their coop as well. West Michigan Cooperative is the region’s first online farmers market, an innovative way for local farmers and consumers to stay connect­ed all year long. Formed in the fall of 2006, the Co-­op is a non­profit organization providing local farmers within the Grand Rapids region with another product outlet. ( http://www.westmichigancoop.com/home/home)

If you want to shop with them, simply visit their website sign up for a membership and place your order. After you place your order they will wave the membership fee. Orders can be picked up the third Wednesday of every month from 5:45 - 8 pm at their location: 1475 Michigan St. NE. (Behind New Beginnings Restaurant)
 
http://www.westmichigancoop.com/
 
Pop-up Event
Food for Change

Join us for an indoor drive-in movie event

Friday, February 24 7 pm - 9 pm

We'll gather at 7 pm and hear from a few of the co-ops in town. Then we'll watch the documentary about food co-ops recently released called Food For Change.

Location is the West Michigan Food Co-op
1475 Michigan St NE (Behind New Beginnings Restaurant)

We'll have picnic style seating. Bring a blanket or folding chair. Popcorn and snacks will be available for a small expense (BYOB).

Suggested donation $5 per person $10 per family to cover streaming cost. All are welcome!

Last Tuesday Social Events
Come meet your fellow cooperators!

Tuesday, January 31, 6:30-8:30 pm
Linda Jones' house: 511 Morris Ave. SE.
Movie:  Gaining Ground : Growing Food, Empowering Communities, Changing Lives.  

Friday, February 24, 7-9pm
West Michigan Co-op 1475 Michigan St. NE.
Movie: Food For Change 
(See related story in this newsletter) 

Each month GRFCI is hosting a social event so we can come together and start building our community. They will usually be held on the last Tuesday of each month from
6:30-8:30 pm. Each event will include a potluck dinner and a presentation related to cooperatives, food, equity, or the farming system. Member/owners can attend at no charge, nonmember/owners will have the choice of paying $5 or they can join
the co-op that night and begin their share payments of $25/month, or pay their
full share of $250. 

Oh the Places We'll Go!
Co-opers Attend #Shift Summit
Linda Jones (co-President) and Whitney Potter (Diversity Circle Representative) attended the #Shift Summit. Grand Rapids Area Black Businesses (GRABB) hosted the event. The guest speaker was Dr. Jessica Nemhard author of Collective Courage, a  history of African American cooperative economic thought and practice .   She spoke of cooperative projects going on around the country in the African American community. City Commissioner Joe Jones seemed inspired, saying "a coop is as good as it gets."

Dr. Nemhard stressed that coops
• Develop solidarity and trust between members
• Anchor and recirculate money within the community
• Offer good employment
• Build  community wealth 
• Are economically and environmentally sustainable 
• Address failures of the market. 

Whitney and Linda were excited to make new connections with the members of GRABB and other attendees. Making sure our member/owners reflect the diversity of Grand Rapids is a top priority for us. We see the food coop as a way to build effective and lasting bridges within our community. 

Brian and Linda meet Brian and Toresa Blakely at LINC UP First Friday
  Brian and Linda meet the Blakelys at Linc Up's First Friday.
We've been attending the First Friday events that LINC UP hosts each month in their gallery space at Hall and Madison. This has been a great way to meet new folks and tell them about the food co-op. There is great jazz music (no cover!), a cash bar and dinner prepared by the Soul Food Cafe for a reasonable $6. This is a fun night out, maybe we'll see you there.


Scholarship Money 
for UCUR Conference

We were honored to receive a $500 scholarship from the Howard Bowers Fund for Co-op Education to help send some of our member/owners and volunteers to the  Up and Coming, Up and Running Conference for new food co-op start-ups. We'll be driving to Milwaukee in March to learn all we can about starting our food co-op in the best way. Thanks, Howard Bowers, for this generous support!  Let us know if you want to go along.


Member Profile
Meet Catherine Gage!
Catherine Gage is a lifelong Grand Rapidian and community builder.  She is the mom of 6 active boys and can be found cheering them from the sidelines at sporting events year round

A passion for food and nutrition brought her to GRFCI, her latest community investment. She's excited to bring nutrition and healthy food to those who are economically and nutritionally challenged, with a goal to transform and build community around food and wellness. 

A co-op in GR is important to her because it allows the people to have a say in how their store is run and stocked, as well as providing an economic alternative to big box stores.


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