Newsletter February 2026
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.
Although winter is a time for hibernating, we at Twin Cities Family Cooperative have been busy! We’ve been working on developing our mission, bringing in new members, and striving to make meaningful contributions to our wider community.
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.
Online Drop-In - Wednesday, February 11 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.
February Potluck - Sunday, February 22 4:00-7:00pm
Join us for good food and good company! We’ll provide a vegetarian main dish, drinks, and dishes. Bring your kids, bring your friends, we can’t wait to see you! Use this link to register.
March Online Drop-In - Wednesday, March 18 12:00-12:45pm
March Potluck - Sunday, March 22 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 Our Vision
Some key points in the vision of Twin Cities Family Cooperative are:
Making meaningful contributions to society
Dismantling the systems of racism and oppression in our society
Supporting each other
And relating to each other in ways that are not transactional (capitalistic)
Under exceptional circumstances in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, we are working hard to live these values both within our walls and outside of them. We’re proud of the work that our neighbors have been doing to take care of each other. We’ve been able to connect with lots of people in our neighborhood and build new relationships and work together as we strive to act out our vision.
Get Your Veggies (and Cookies) Here!
Where we source our food is important to us, not only because we care about the food we eat, but also because we care about who we support with our money. We prioritize spending money on food that is local and organic, produced by small businesses and businesses owned by people who are marginalized in our community.
Last summer, we got a share from a local CSA (community supported agriculture). This summer, we would like to promote the CSA at Community Homestead. Here is how they describe themselves:
We are a non profit community including people with developmental challenges. Forty people of all ages and abilities celebrate a sustainable rural life. Together we run an Organic Dairy Farm, an Organic Biodiverse Garden & CSA, a Bakery & Food Processing Kitchen, and many Crafts. This is Life Sharing and learning for all.
We have really enjoyed their CSA in the past and highly recommend it! There was both a variety and generous portions. They have multiple options, including: garden boxes of different sizes, meat shares, bakery shares, and cookie shares! This year, we are hoping to be a pick-up site. For this to happen, we need enough people to sign up for their CSA and choose us (Marcy-Holmes) as their pick-up site. Here is the link to sign up for their CSA. Please share this information with people you know and help us get enough people signed up!
Cooperative Culture: “Mutual Aid”
Yana Ludwig and Karen Gimnig discuss mutual aid in their Cooperative Culture Handbook. These days, Mutual Aid groups are popping up all over the Twin Cities and beyond. So this seemed like a good time to explore what Ludwig and Gimnig have to say about this.
The authors start with the assumption that all people are compassionate and capable providers. There is not a stance of “givers and receivers” but we all both give and receive. How we contribute will be different, in part due to the systems that shape us.
Mainstream culture tends to focus on “rugged individualism” in which each person can achieve what they need “if they only try.” The ways in which the provision of systems provided by our tax dollars serve those who have more, tend to be invisible to those very individuals. And there is often a judgment that those who have less just didn’t work hard enough to get their needs met.
This is contrasted with Counterculture where giving is assigned a high moral value, sometimes to the extent that people don’t care for their own needs and see themselves as martyrs. This can be destructive in intentional communities when those who give to excess without caring for themselves, feel they are owed and should get their way in something they feel strongly about.
In our community we talk about each member giving according to their abilities and receiving according to their need. Everything is not equal, but it does tend to be more equitable. This is not automatic, as we were raised with primarily mainstream culture ways of thinking, but we consciously strive to embody mutual aid in which we all give and receive from our community.
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.
