When: Sunday, August 7th at 4pm
Where: 1815 W Farwell

I, Shelby Hatch, have never belonged to a food co-op before or even lived anywhere that had a food co-op, but I quickly became an owner-member (#35!) when I first heard about the Rogers Park Food Co-op (RPFC) almost a year and a half ago. I’ve been somewhat of a lurker since then. Sure, I volunteered at an event, my partner Ann-Louise Haak and I hosted a Coffee last September (and recruited two more member-owners!), and the RPFC “office” is in our garage, but, for the most part, we’ve been sitting back.

Several weeks ago, I was asked if I would be interested in attending the “Illinois Food Co-op Start-Up Day” hosted by the Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana, and co-sponsored by the Food Co-op Initiative (FCI). I have to admit that I was on the fence. It’s a long drive, it was a beautiful Saturday in July, and I’d be spending a lot of one-on-one time with another RPFC member (& I.T. guru), Hank Rouse, who I didn’t know very well. But I went – we went! And I was inspired – but also discouraged. Why do other start-ups have so many more member-owners than we do, even though they haven’t been at it as long as we have? No fair! But Jacqueline Co-op Hannah of FCI  reminded me—and everyone in the room—that RPFC is trying to do something that really hasn’t been done before: start a co-op in a diverse community with all of the members of that community. So how do we do that? There was so much good information from FCI, and so many great ideas we could steal from other start-ups, that my head almost exploded and my hand almost fell off as I frantically tried to write everything down. But what’s the good of all of that information if it just stays with Hank and me?

I want to share this great information and all of these fabulous ideas with all of you—you who are already member-owners, who may be more or less involved; you who are volunteers; you who are not yet member-owners, but are thinking about it. Come by our house (1815 W. Farwell) at 4PM on Sunday, August 7 for Cocktails and Conversation about the Co-op. Ann-Louise and I can’t wait to see you – and if you’re one of the first 20 people to RSVP, your name will be entered in a raffle for a First Slice Pie Cafe cherry pie. Must be present to win, so we hope to see all of you here!

Please RSVP here 

The Rogers Park Food Co-op needs the help of all of our supporters to reach our goals. Hosting a meeting in your home is a great way to generate interest in the co-op vision!

Your event doesn't even need to include coffee! You could host a wine and cheese tasting, or a pot-luck

The Rogers Park Food Co-op will provide you with informational materials, as well as coffee from Equal Exchange. A member of the Co-op Board will assist as a presenter as well.

Are you looking for a great way to support the Rogers Park Food Co-op? We need your help!

The success of Rogers Park Food Co-op depends on generous volunteers to move the Co-op forward. Are you a designer? Great at data-entry? Love talking to people? We need your skills!

Build your resume by contributing your talents and skills and developing some new ones. Become part of the developing community of people who are building the co-op.

Meet and engage with your neighbors to create an amazing food co-operative in our community. Learn about food, the food system and the local food system we are creating by partnering with our local farmers. Have fun while doing all of this amazing work.

Want to help? Visit http://volunteer-rogersparkfoodcoop.nationbuilder.com/become_a_volunteer.

The Events Committee of the Co-op is always busy planning and executing fun and exciting activities for the Rogers Park community. We have held events such as a wine tasting and a film screening in the past, and we are the ones who bring to life the Co-op's Annual Meeting each year. The big plan for the coming year is to organize a series of chef demonstration and tasting events based around some of the many cuisines found in our neighborhood. We plan to bring you entertaining, interactive, and flavorful evenings to learn about a new cuisine or to celebrate your own.

Events always require many Volunteers, from the people who brainstorm ideas through, the planners who execute those ideas, to the people who show up early to set up for an event and stay late to put everything away. If helping to plan and execute Events is something you enjoy, consider joining the Events Committee!

Join a Committee

R Public House

R Public House, 1508 W. Jarvis, is your average Rogers Park gastropub—except that owner Renee Labrana has strong community ties and a community-driven mission. Fundraisers at the Jarvis Square fixture are a regular occurrence, supporting everything from rock musicians at Sullivan High School to the Flint Kids' Water Crisis Fund. So, it's no surprise that R Public House was a big donor of food to the Rogers Park Food Co-op's Annual Meeting in March. And there wasn't a scrap of their thin-crust pizza left over, either! Stop by and sample their food and their beverages. .

Quesadilla La Reina del Sur

Quesadilla La Reina del Sur, 1418 Howard St., is a newcomer to Rogers Park, having opened on Howard St. in 2015. It serves authentic Mexican food that is all vegetarian, with vegan options. Even reviews by meat-lovers are enthusiastic about their cooking. The potatoes with Mexican (soy) sausage they sent to the RPFC Annual Meeting was certainly a hit. Whether you are in Rogers Park or near their first location in Logan Square, be sure to stop in and try their food or something from the juice bar.

Co-Owners:

Join our Exclusive Owners Group here: