If excitment is catchy, you just caught the

Co-op Bug!! Pass it on!

Some new things to share and some updates -

May 19th - keep that date in mind. 5pm to 6:30 pm at the Manitowoc Library.

We will be showing a portion of the film Food For Change by Steve Alves - a film about the story of cooperation and the co-op movement in the USA. 

A short piece of the film, a little bit about Clipper City Co-op and plenty of time for questions.

May 6th - a few of the steering committee members were interviewed by Ken Ivey of The Manitowoc Buzz. The more exposure we get, the better! Spread the word!

Here is a link to watch the video. It was also posted on Facebook - the ladies had a blast and got some good info out there. Thank you Ken.

Also had a meeting with Nic Sparacio, Community Development Director on May 11th. We are starting to get the community involved and excited with us - yeah!

He is excited about the Co-op - had some great advice and tips for us. We will be in contact with Nick as the Co-op progresses.

Speaking of excited - Mayor Nickles attended our  Steering Committee meeting on May 11 - Yeah!!

We were thrilled to have a chance to fill him in on our progress, let him ask any questions, get his advice and support - which we did!

Justin was pleasantly surprised at our progress and thinks our Co-op "will be just what Manitowoc needs".

We are fairly confident that Justin Nickles will become one of our Seed Members and we may even get a Party out of him down the road.

 At our last Outreach Meeting, Cath and other Steering Committee members  had the extreme pleasure of meeting Jena and Mary - they are in our picture with Mayor Nickles. Both of them were able to attend the last meeting - a great meeting for their first time!

Mary has experience with co-ops in the area and a love for organic. She is considering becoming a Steering Committee member and we will be thrilled to welcome her aboard.

Jena will be our Manitowoc Farmers Market co-ordinator. The 2nd Saturday of the month in the summer, the Clipper City Co-op will have a presence at the Market - talking to people, providing information, showcasing some local producers, maybe even having a 'tasting' of some great food! Jena is our intern from NWTC - she will also ensure that press releases and photos are sent; coordinating the volunteers for the table, and also assisting with Farm to Table and the Community Garden. We are so happy to welcome her and hope she has a great time this summer.

We are very proud to support Grow It Forward and are thrilled at the success they are having - and look forward to watching them grow along with us.

Amber - a Steering Committee member - is on the board for Grow It Forward and many of our other members are very much involved.

A community garden - open to all, growing organic food - is just what the Clipper City Co-op will continue to support, encourage and embrace!

Check them out - a wonderful addition to Manitowoc.

Jill had our first Seed Member Party and it was a fantastic, happy success! Both couples that attended were very interested in the co-op and also gave us some valuable feedback which we will use for future parties. We hope to end up with 2 new Seed Memberships and a summer filled with Partys!

A Seed Member Party can be in any setting, any theme, big or little - a garden, living room, on a deck, anywhere you can image. It's a chance for a group to get a lot in information, ask a ton of questions and find out how to become a Seed Member and why it's so important to our growing Co-op. Contact a Steering Committee member directly, on Facebook, by email - any way you can and we can fill you in on the details.

Some quick follow-up notes (and a few other things...this is getting too long) :)

*Please take our Survey if you haven't already. We have had a great response, but time is limited and we need more! Share it with everyone you know.

 *Become a Seed Member, show your support for the future Clipper City Co-op - I predict this will become the new fad of Manitowoc County. Everyone will want to do it - you could be among the first! How astute of you!

*We are developing a time line - surprised ourselves with just what we have all accomplished in the past 2+ years. This will be available at the house parties and I'm sure on the website and more.

* We are looking in to and possibly applying for matching grants to help us get to our feasibility study - another reason to become a Seed Member!

*Make sure you check out the website, the blog and Facebook. We are just all over the place!