Meeting Notes- July 19th, 2012

Thanks so much to everyone who came out! It was wonderful to see so many new faces. If you couldn’t make it out and have any questions about the meeting or the following notes, email us!

7-7:10 Recipe Samples and Rankings.

• Thanks to those who made food to sample- we had Blackened Cauliflower Steak with a Vegan Aioli, Broccoli and cheese Casserole, Peach Cake and Zucchini Bread.
• The focus of the cookbook has shifted to showcase the history of Bethlehem and the values of a food co-op.
• We still need recipes! Please submit any recipes ASAP to Sharon. We have a goal of 150 and were still at about 50.

7:10-7:15 Brief Overview of What We’ve Accomplished So Far

• defined our mission statement & goals
• designed a logo
• designed a brochure and distributed 1700 of them
• built a website
• sold 2 orders’ worth of t-shirts
• created a feasibility study & collected 430 responses
• engaged 682 Facebook fans
• drafted incorporation papers & bylaws
• attended national co-op conference
• sponsored a weekly farmers’ market
• cleaned up the historic district
• created an interactive children’s banner
• tabled at Earth Day, Familia, First Friday, SummerCraft, LV Zoo
• become Buy Fresh Buy Local partners
• fostered numerous community connections
• visited regional co-ops
• developed (then re-developed) a cookbook concept & collected 50 recipes
• learned more about co-ops and our community than we ever thought we could

7:15-7:30 Keystone Development Center

• We were approved because of our commitment to the local food system
• Incorporation Progress (dockets & bylaws drafted, but we’ve been advised to wait until fall)
• Feasibility Study Progress (added 1 question, focus on South Side, KDC will conduct analysis)
• Assistant for Kate Smith
  • Ideally the person should have a background in business with expertise in market studies or feasibility analysis. The person would become a consultant to KDC and provide support to Kate in the feasibility study process. This would include (among other tasks) tracking down population and socio-economic data on your area and writing it up for the report.
  • Individual will be paid small stipend by KDC

7:30-7:35 Website Updates

• We have met with One Roof Media to discuss upgrading our current website. They have agreed to donate a few hours of pro-bono time to get us started! Many thanks.
• If anyone has any ideas or would like to contribute, email us.

7:35-7:40 Communications Report

• A series of posters have been designed to promote the Co-Op around town. Thanks to Christian Weber Creatives for the beautiful posters.
• An E-Newsletter will begin being published in the coming weeks. If anyone would like to contribute or has any ideas to share, get in touch.

7:40-7:45 Outreach Report

• Audrey will be stepping down to take a job opportunity. Good luck! Robin will be taking over as the chair of the Outreach Committee. Thanks Robin!
• We still need volunteers to work various events including the Historic District Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 10:30-3. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help spread the word about what we’re doing, so if you have the time available please step up! You can contact Robin here.

7:45-7:50 Finance Report

• For now, the Finance Committee is focused on fundraising. Our main project is the cookbook (see info above).

7:50-8:30 Guest Speaker David Woo

• David Woo is a member and former Board President of Weavers Way Co-op. He was gracious enough to come out to our meeting and share some of his wisdom with us. After a brief history of the Co-Op, he explained the history of Weavers Way. He offered some useful advice and reminded us to continue to educate ourselves every step of the way. A huge thanks to David and Weavers Way Co-Op for all you have done for us with your guidance and kindness!

8:30-9 Screening of “Locally Grown”

• We watched a brief documentary on the Lexington Co-Op based out of Buffalo, NY. A special thanks to Quinn Popcorn for the donated delicious treat!