The Tacoma Food Co-op Has Arrived!

This e-mail was sent out to our listserv last night:

Dear Tacoma Food Co-Op Supporters (AND founding members),

Well, we did it!  After months of preparation, anticipation and cooperation, the Tacoma Food Co-Op hosted its first annual summer benefit last Saturday, July 19, at People's Park.  Our best estimates put attendance for the event at well over 2,000!  We raised over $12,000 and now have 150 member-owners that have purchased shares in the co-op. 

There was a tremendous amount of work that went into Saturday's event and we'd like to thank all those involved, especially the volunteers that served on the event committee (either officially or by default).  An extra special appreciation to the sponsors, vendors, musicians, speakers and raffle donors that helped make the event a success.  We have listed these organizations, businesses and individuals by name at the end of this email.

If you missed us at People's Park last weekend you still have a chance to come out and meet some of our wonderful volunteers at the farmers' markets – all THREE of them – as we continue our outreach and member recruitment efforts.  We hope to add more events to our calendar in the coming weeks, as we simultaneously work to establish a more organized structure that can accommodate the volunteers that have offered to donate their time to the cause.

We are planning on holding informal monthly gatherings – starting in August – as a chance for our community to get together and talk about the vision for the co-op, hear updates on our progress, meet fellow member-owners and, generally, to have a good time.  Our first gathering will be at Franklin Park on August 22, from 5 to 8 pm.  We would like to make this a potluck type event, so please bring a dish to share and some utensils to eat with.  The co-op will provide the beverages.  (We will send out an evite two to three weeks before the event.)

We are continually working to get the website up to date and filled with more content.  Our priority right now is to create a space on there for member sign-up.  This is, of course, the most important step in making our co-op a reality.  We are looking for at least 2500 members to make the investment by the time our doors are opened which, at this time, we are hoping to accomplish by this time next year.  But please don't wait that long.  Make your investment today: your financial support is the seed capital we need to grow our co-op.

The question we are most frequently asked is, Where is the co-op going to be located?  Our best response at this point is that a site committee will be formed in the coming weeks to begin to look at this very issue.  Ultimately, however, the decision on where the store is located will be made by the member-owners.  If you have any interest in helping to determine where the Tacoma Food Co-Op will open its doors, you must first become a member.

The easiest way to become a member right now is to print up the attached sign-up form, write a check for $100 or provide us with your credit card information, and send it to:

Tacoma Food Co-op, 1615 6^th Ave., Tacoma, WA, 98405

In addition to the money we raised on Saturday there was also a tremendous amount of non-financial capital that was generated.  We all witnessed a great showing of community support; new friendships being formed and old friendships renewed; the safe, friendly, positive environment that we created in the park.  Congratulations to all involved!!! 

Please stay in touch and please join today!  Go Co-Op!!

Sincerely,

The Tacoma Food Co-Op Board of Directors

Thank you to the musicians, speakers and sponsors of our event: Adriatic Grill, Affairs Chocolates and Desserts, Ale House, Babblin' Bab's Bistro, Beautiful Angle, Best Loved Baby, Bombay Bistro, Brilliant Life Chiropractic, Broadway Center, Buzzard Discs, Calendula Nursery, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Courtyard by Marriot, Crown Bar, Dan Borba (rainbarrels), Deborah Kane, E-9, Tacoma Farmers' Market Association, Farrelli's Pizza, Free Jazz T, George Woodward, Goldfinch, Goldie Caughlan, Grand Cinema, Hampton Inn, Heading East, Herban Café, Infinite Soups, Java Fusion, Jazzbones, King's Books, Kusikia, La Quinta, L'Arche Farm and Gardens, Lincoln Hardware, Nick and Willy's Pizza, NWEI, Old Milwaukee, Parkway Tavern, Pierce Co. Aids Foundation, Pierce Co. FARM Program, Plugintacoma.org, Pre-Paid Legal, Puget Sound Meat Producers Co-Op, Red Hot, Satellite Coffee, Second Cycle, Six Olives, Sofia Bistro, Sound Bites, South Sound Healers Network, Stadium Video, Tacoma Power, Tacoma Rainiers, Tempest Lounge, Terra Organics, Terry's Berries, The Art Shop, TPC Libraries, U Build It, United Way, UTBA, Wai Baby, William Kupinse, Wine Styles, Worm Factories, AND Zestful Gardens!!!!

Social Justice and the Co-Op

This, an anonymous message from a community member subscribed to our listserv:

"In considering whether I want to be a member-- or recommend it to others-- I want to clarify the low-income policy.

The $100 membership fee itself is not waived or reduced for low-income members? What about discounts for low-income members? I want to know this co-op's approach to economic justice & equal access before I throw my support behind it."

And this, my response:

Good to hear from you. As you can imagine, the steering committee spent considerable time deliberating this issue. In the end, the desire for an equitable membership trumped the arguments in favor of setting up a multi-tiered membership. However, we did decide to waive the "processing fee" - which is being assessed on members that decide to use the payment plan option - for low-income and disabled members of our community. Unfortunately, the sign-up forms went to press without this important information. We will correct this in the next version that we print and make sure this is explicit in the online version of the member sign-up form.

I wish you had been present at the discussions around this issue which, at times, were very impassioned. Julio Quan (Board Member) had a strong argument against setting up a "second-class" membership level based on his experience working with disadvantaged populations. To paraphrase his argument, there is already so much institutionalized denigration of certain populations, we need not promote this inequality. Additionally, his experience is that low-income populations are very prideful when it comes to supporting something they believe in; their contribution to the co-op, because of its greater relative significance in their budgeting and financial calculations, will be more meaningful to them and it is more likely that they will be active and engaged members.

A bit of insight that I shared with those gathered at the July 19th event: it was recommended to us by the food co-op 500 folks that a share price of $200 would somehow ensure a greater likelihood of success. Their argument, as best as I can understand it, is that there is a "known" percentage of the population that is willing to be founding members of the co-op (investing before the store exists). Of course, we're talking about those are financially secure: those that are willing to invest at $100 or $200 equally, or so the argument goes. The SC ultimately dismissed this argument, believing instead that a $100 share price IS more accessible to a greater number of individuals and households. Yes, it is still a significant amount. And so is the capital needed to open the doors of the co-op.

Which brings me to two additional points that I'd like to address: location and pricing. One way to address the social justice issues that are intrinsic to the co-op's mission is to locate the store in a neighborhood where access to the products that the co-op will carry is limited to non-existent. As the Board has stated elsewhere, the decision of where to locate the store will ultimately be voted on by the membership. One member, one membership level, one vote.

On average, at food co-ops across the country, only 20% of the shoppers on any given day are members. In all of the development models that we reference for our own roadmap, we can expect membership to double within the first year of operation. Which means that our own financial projections are based roughly on an increase in membership from 2500 on the day that the doors open to 5000 one year later. What this tells us is that a large number of people will hold out until they see how well the co-op meets their needs and then make the decision whether to join or not.

This is important because the current Board of Directors is committed to making affordability the top priority for the co-op once its doors are opened. We will ensure that this objective remains intact throughout changes in leadership at the Board level, is an explicit directive given to the general manager and is communicated to the purchasers and those that set pricing across the entire store. Regardless of the share price for member-owners, this is the most direct and impactful way that the co-op can ensure "economic justice and equal access."

Again, thank you for expressing your concerns.

In Cooperation,

Dan Hulse

A HUGE Thanks to everyone who participated on the 19th! It was a success!

The first public outing of the Tacoma Food Coop was a great success. Lots of people came out in support of the TFC and expressed their excitement and support of the Food Coop's efforts.

Over 100 people signed up for memberships that day, giving us a great start to our membership goal of 2600 members!

In the spirit of supporting the community, People's Park came alive with activities for all. With games set aside for our young ones, local vendors showing their support of the Tacoma Food Co-op, and of course all of our talented volunteers Saturday was an event to behold.

We could not have been more fortunate to have such great weather for the day.

As Mt Rainier shone in the background, people of all walks of life were afforded the opportunity to hear more about the Tacoma Food Coop, speak with the numerous volunteers face to face and really come to better understand the goals we as a Cooperative have set for the future and how we plan to achieve them.

We thank you for your support and look forward to making a healthy, local source of quality food. If you have not yet signed up for a membership, contact us today for information about signing up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Join us in People's Park on the 19th!

Celebrate with the Tacoma Food Co-op on July 19th

Do you have a hunger for fresh, local, affordable food? Come celebrate the evolution of the Tacoma Food Co-op from 4-9 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at People’s Park, South 9th & Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Efforts for creating a food cooperative in Tacoma began in the fall of 2006 with a meeting of just 12 people. There is now a mailing list of more than 600 people, and, the big news: as of June 26, the Tacoma Food Co-op is officially incorporated.

The July 19 event is your chance to:

Learn about progress the Tacoma Food Co-op has made.

Discover what’s next for the co-op. 

Find out how to become a member.

Mingle with local farmers, musicians, restaurants, businesses and community organizations who share a common goal of providing healthy, affordable and fresh food for the residents of Tacoma. 

Confirmed speakers include Tacoma Poet Laureate Willian Kupinse and community activist Julio Quan.

Restaurants and farmers slated to showcase their wares include: Herban Café, Woody’s on the Water, Bombay Bistro, Quickie Too, Terry’s Berries, Zestful Gardens, Puget Sound Meat Producers Co-op/Cheryl the Pig Lady and others. Other activities include South Sound Healers Network with children’s activities, Second Cycle with bike repairs, Best Loved Baby, the Tacoma and Pierce County Libraries … and more!

For more information, call (253) 272-8819, ext. 109, or e-mail tacomafoodcoop@gmail.com.

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Help make this a sustainable event:

Spread the word via e-mail, radio, blogs, Web sites and your own community events.

Bring a reusable bag, cup, mug, plate and silverware to the event.

Bring your checkbook to support and take ownership in the start-up of the Tacoma Food Cooperative.

Arrive by bus, bike, on foot or via carpool.