Newsletter December 2025
Building a community that enjoys a rich quality of life for all ages, brings a more equitable society, and a harmonious and responsible relationship with the natural world.
2025 is coming to a close. Looking back over the goals we had for this year and the progress we’ve made, we’ve done pretty well! Our goals were to buy a property, grow our membership, and start to live together. We’ve done all of that! We also continued networking with other individuals and communities, learning together and deepening relationships through online and in-person events, and finished the work we wanted to do on our Community Agreements. We’re grateful to those that supported us and cheered us on!
Upcoming Events
In an attempt to not fill your inbox with unwanted emails, we don’t send out reminders throughout the month. If you would like to receive email reminders before each event, email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com and say “sign me up for reminders.” You can specify if you only want reminders about online events and not in-person events.
December Potluck Update
We have a lot going on with holidays and growing our community so we’ve decided to skip having a potluck in December but plan to be back to monthly potlucks in January.
Online Drop-In - Wednesday, December 17 12:00-12:45pm
A time to drop in and ask a question or just say hi. Life can be busy but this is an easy, informal opportunity to connect. No need to register ahead of time, just put this link on your calendar and show up.
Virtual Tour - Wednesday, January 14 12:00-1:00pm
Curious about life in our community? Join us for this online event. We’ll give a presentation packed with information, take participants on a virtual tour, and have plenty of time for questions. Use this link to RSVP.
January Potluck - Sunday, January 25 4:00-7:00pm
Check our website or facebook page for events in the coming months. If you can't make it to these events and you want to connect, email tcfamilycoop@gmail.com. We’d be happy to connect in person or online.
Living Together
We mentioned last month that we had a new family move in. Here are some highlights from the first week of living together.
Eating (and learning how to cook) new dishes
Going on walks outside
Sitting at the table after dinner and chatting
Kids playing together
Kids cooking together
Kids having a sleepover
We look forward to many more fun times together!
Highlights of 2025!
When asked what were some highlights in our community this past year, this is what different community members had to say.
“Closing on our property”
“Moving in”
“2 Exploratory Member households moving in”
“Our Fall Free Sale - meeting lots of people and getting rid of lots of stuff”
“3 months of work intense work with contractors”
“Creating community spaces in our building”
“Sharing meals”
“Inspection done”
“Live dinner music”
“Going places together”
Cooperative Culture Study Group
“Ask With Vulnerability”
This month Nancie reflects on “Ask With Vulnerability,” one of the Cooperative Culture keys in Yana Ludwig’s and Karen Gimnig’s book “The Cooperative Culture Handbook.”
What does it mean to ask something of others? I am particularly aware of this as I age and my body can no longer do many of the things it used to freely do. Often shame is associated with needing to ask (as in mainstream culture) or asking comes with a sense of entitlement that a partner/family/friends will meet all of my needs (sometimes seen in counterculture or also in mainstream culture). Sometimes entitlement is that one’s requests will be met affirmatively, and for others not being “allowed” to say “no” is associated with gender roles.
Ludwig and Gimnig talk about the vulnerability of asking members in one’s community to meet a need/want, is only truly possible when the ability to say “yes” to a request is only possible if one can also at times say “no.” “Asking with vulnerability means exposing our need or want to the group without knowing how it will be received or whether the group will do anything about it. … We aren’t saying it’s easy, and we certainly aren’t saying you won’t get hurt. … Building vulnerability into your life isn’t so much about accepting the possibility of getting hurt, it’s about embracing the certainty that you will get hurt and being willing to do the work of recovery.” This is a cooperative culture value.
A community that embraces cooperative culture living opens itself up to the impact on relationships of asking and responding authentically, and the commitment to heal whatever impact that might entail. This in turn can deepen the quality of relationships in the community.
Questions offered by the authors to self-check about this value: “Do I say ‘no’ and remain connected when asked to do something I cannot easily give? Am I clear when giving that I am doing so simply because it is good for the group and I can, without ulterior motives? Am I willing to risk vulnerability in order to get my needs met?”
Our Vision
We are an intergenerational community of individuals, couples, and families. We are queer-affirming, gender-inclusive, and multicultural. We value the spectrums of the human experience and each individual’s diverse abilities. We support each other in raising children and throughout all stages of life.
We strive to live out of a place of abundance. We develop internal economic policies that actively push back against capitalist expectations.
We are committed to nonviolence and environmental sustainability. We believe in the potential for radical transformation of society and see communal living as an element of that change. We strive to make meaningful contributions to society, engaged in dismantling the systems of racism and oppression in our society.
If you would like to learn more about Twin Cities Family Cooperative, please watch a virtual tour of our community, visit our website and facebook page, attend our events (online and in-person), or fill out our Interest Form to connect. All past newsletters can be found here. If you would like to be removed from our email list, please email us and let us know.
