A rundown of our work: We are creating opportunities for Urban Farmers to work in a cooperative business enterprise. By coordinating small plots of land intensively grown across the city we’ll achieve access to a CSA share of produce for each member and the opportunity for future profit sharing by members.
We are currently in the middle of a process of forming the business structure and operating processes for having a successful business! By the end of the month we’ll have our Membership Requirements, Incorporation Documents and Vision Statement in first draft form. We’ve had three general meetings and a series of coordinating team meetings moving our work forward. After we’ve created membership requirements, decisions will be made by members and membership will include financial and hourly commitments.
Besides the benefits of having access to a CSA program from food grown in Seattle we are also providing members with hands on experience and learning opportunities. We are currently building a relationship with a local organization to develop a training program tailored specifically for our members and urban farming, including hands-on and site specific learning. We also have plans to build a greenhouse on one property and have plenty of work to be done for developing a distribution and harvesting plan.
Further down this post, you’ll see a schedule of meetings and workshops. If you’ve not made it to one of our meetings, please try and attend our Welcome Meeting for Potential Members, next Wednesday the 21st at 7pm. We can give you a rundown of the organization and opportunities and help you plug in to the work.
We look forward to connecting up with you soon.
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Here is a schedule of upcoming meetings. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions.
Wed, Jan 14th @ 5:30pm
Season Planning Meeting: Tatiana & Derek’s Apt (2700 E Yesler Way Apt 202, 206-324-6224)
Time to get our groove on for the season. Attached is a document laying out the work we need to do. Let’s get some strides made this Wednesday.
Thursday, Jan 15th @ 4:30 pm
Business Planning Team: Dad Watson’s 3601 Fremont Ave N. (coffee and a happy hour)
We will be reviewing governance and incorporation documents and requirements. We’ll also discuss the general meeting plan. Current Agenda posted on Basecamp.
Thursday, Jan 15 @ 6:30pm
Mondragón Presentation @ Fremont Public Library
Presented by Shaula Massena with Northwest Socially Responsible Investing. She had a chance to visit the organization and is reporting on that experience. A quick link for her talk: http://nwsri.com/Mondragon.aspx
Fremont Public Library meeting room – 731 N. 35th St. Seattle, WA 98103 – Between Fremont Ave N. and the Aurora bridge on N. 35th.
For more information on Mondragón can be found at Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Cooperative_Corporation
Wednesday, Jan 21st, @7pm
Welcome Meeting for Potential Members: Tatiana’s and Derek’s Apt (2700 E Yesler Way Apt 202, 206-324-6224)
Every week we are getting emails and contact from folks interested in participating. This meeting will give them a breakdown of what we are doing and how they can get involved.
Saturday, Jan 24th @ 2pm-7pm
Governance & Decision-Making Workshop (Location TBD)
We’ll have a check-in from each Team on the work they are doing with an opportunity for feedback from the group. Then start forming our decision making process and apply it to forming our Membership Requirements. Plenty of breaks and social time during this extended meeting.
Events Coming Up:
Greenhouse WorkParty – First few weeks of February
1st Annual Membership – February 28th (if all goes to plan)
Planting Season is just around the corner and on-site work will start in the next two months!
