In the March 11th edition of the Gambit Weekly, the headline News & Views article focused on the co-op and the developing Healing Center. We are pleased to re-present this article in it’s entirety here by permission of the Managing Editor of the Gambit. The article is also available on their site via this link. Click more to read the entire article, and many thanks to author Sarah Andert and Editor Kandace Graves.
NOFC
Mar 142008
New Orleans Food Coop Work Group Meeting #1
Calendar
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Mar 112008
New Orleans Food Coop Work Group Meeting #1,
Wednesday March 12, 2008, 7-9pm
LHA Community Center, 623 N. Rendon
Tentative Agenda
A. Establish meeting guidelines and roles
1. Deciding a name for this group (5 minutes)
2. Developing the Process and Ground Rules for this group and subgroups (10 minutes)
-Roles of the facilitator, note-taker, and coordinator
B. Hearing of new agenda items and the existing parking lot (5 minutes)
C. Discussion of the Five Committees:
1. Their membership, chairpersons, definitions and reporting (5 minutes)2. Discussion of the main roles of each committee in context of the items that need to be accomplished by May 1, in order to break out of Stage 1:
a. Membership/Volunteers (10 minutes)
b. Money/Financials/Grants (10 minutes)
c. PR/Marketing/Communication/Education (10 minutes)
d. Feasibility/Timeline/Planning/Spurring (10 minutes)
e. Hiring/Search (10 minutes)
D. Discussion about Volunteer Coordinator (5 minutes)
E.
1. Discussion of the meeting timeline from now until May 1. (5 minutes)
2. Agenda for next meeting, meeting location (5 minutes)
F. Evaluation of Meeting, What worked/what didn’t? (10 minutes)
Over-run allowance time (10 minutes)
List of Items to Be Accomplished by May 1:
Get 300 members
Outreach for diversity
Hire an employee to prepare for Anne leaving, etc. Explore Job Descriptions.
Streamline communication via the forum, email lists and the website
Research member benefits
Develop a system for sending out member acknowledgements and following-up
Website calendar updates and redesign
Develop open use potential member database for follow-ups w/contacter names
Develop a description and rendering of the store
Plan member loan drive
Have fun!
Tentative Committee Memberships
Membership – John, Cassandra, Michael, Andy
Money/Grants/Financials – Anne, Kirsten, Phillip, John
PR/Communication/Marketing – Mimi, Victoria, Andy, Michael, Hunter, Kirsten
Hiring – Erin, John, Anne
Feasibility/Planning – Mimi, Anne, Erin, Phillip, Hunter
Parking Lot from Workshop
Vision – Balancing of Ideals
Revisiting the Membership Plan
History of the Previous Efforts to Find a Site
Product Overlap and Coexistence with the St. Roch Market
The Developer is Pushing the Site
Plan B
Business Planning Workshop
Announcements, NOFC news, Store
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Feb 212008
A representative from the Food Coop 500 will be in town in early March to lead a business planning workshop. The Food Co-op 500 Program is a support system that seeks to enable a faster and more efficient start-up process to develop new retail grocery co-ops. These heavy hitters are getting behind our effort here in New Orleans.
Roadmap to a Storefront
Store
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Aug 102007
Well, the New Orleans Food Co-op is still homeless. But we are resuming full steam with finding the perfect home for our first grocery, and we are now in the first leg of our road map to a storefront. The image below describes our plan in general terms…
We are on this road right now, but there is nothing that says this is the only way it will work. As close as we have come in the past, and as much time as we have spent working and practicing on these ideas, we know that a start-up co-op storefront requires a strong engaged membership. Once this membership is built, the concrete work of finding a property, possibly refurbishing it and opening a storefront are just an exercise to be completed. As with all small businesses, just starting-up is less a part of long-term success than than the enthusiasm and skills of those involved. And in a co-op, the enthusiasm and skills collectively originate from the membership.
Basic requirements for a storefront
We are considering either renting or buying. In this post-Katrina environment, there is potential for buying property fairly cheaply, and getting volunteer labor to help with renovations. Other criteria to consider include a minimum size of 2000 square feet, parking, 18-wheeler accessible, the presence of commercial zoning and what type, and structural soundness. The target area surrounding the storefront must simply have enough members, and since membership is open to everyone, that could really be anywhere people are living in New Orleans.
We can’t do it without you!
There are several ways you can help with the search for a store location. If you see or hear of a space available that might meet the above criteria please send email to info@nolafoodcoop.org, and provide us with the location and contact info, if you have it. Even better, if you can join our Location Search Committee, then send us your contact info and we’ll let you know when the next committee meeting will be. Membership is also crucial to this entire process and our eventual storefront, consider becoming a member today and help spread the word to new potential members in your neighborhood.
Come on out to the potluck!
NOFC news
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Sep 052006
Hello co-op friends! The New Orleans Food Co-op is hosting a potluck dinner on Wednesday, September 13 at 7 p.m. in the community center building at 623 North Rendon. As always, these dinners are open
to anyone and everyone.
This is a good opportunity to find out more about what the co-op is up to theses days, to find out how to get involved, or just enjoy a good meal with good people.
This is an exciting time for our co-op as we are looking to open a mobile market next year. We’re also planning for our October 14 art auction.
This dinner immediately follows our regular board of directors
meeting at 6 p.m., which is also open to all.
I can’t wait to see what you are going to bring to the co-op potluck. See you on the 13th!
Board of directors meeting
Calendar
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Apr 252006
The next meeting of the New Orleans Food Coop Board of Directors will be at 2825 Orchard Street, home of board member Tommy Boehm. This meeting is open to all NOFC members.
This meeting will be at 2825 Orchard Street, New Orleans on Wednesday, May 3th at 7:00p.m.
Apr 252006
The New Orleans Food Coop will hold it’s monthly vegetarian potluck dinner on May 3rd at 7:00p.m. in the lovely backyard at 2825 Orchard Street, home of board member Tommy Boehm (map).
As always these dinners are open to anyone and everyone. This is a great way to meet the people involved in the New Orleans food co-op and have a good meal with good people.
The May community potluck dinner will be at Tommy Boehm’s house, 2825 Orchard Street, May 3rd at 7pm.
Apr 042006
The pickup location is to be announced, but the pickup time will be between 6 and 7pm.
Apr 012006
The pickup location is to be announced, but the pickup time will be between 6 and 7pm.
