Newsletter July 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.
Last summer was our first summer in our community building and we spent much of it moving in and working on the building. While there are still always things on our to-do list, this summer we’re getting to enjoy a little more relaxed pace (if such a thing is possible with 4 children).
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.
Cohousing Picnic - Saturday, July 18 3:00-6:00pm
Learn about cohousing and hear from some local communities that are forming or adding members. Enjoy conversation, face painting, games, a playground and giant bubble making. This picnic is hosted by CohousingMN and Twin Cities Family Cooperative. All are invited! Use this link to RSVP.
July Online Drop-In - Wednesday, July 29 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.
August Potluck - Sunday, August 2 5:00-7:00pm
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 RSVP.
August Online Drop-In - Wednesday, August 26 12:00-12:45pm
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.
Cohousing Picnic
Learn about cohousing and hear from local communities that are forming or adding members. Enjoy conversation, connection, face painting, games, a playground and giant bubble making.
Co-sponsored by Twin Cities Family Cooperative and CohousingMN.
Bring a dish or appetizer to share. Organizers will provide disposable plates, cups and utensils, and cookies (gluten and gluten free), and ice water. (Please let us know when you register if you will provide your own reusable items to reduce waste.)
Look for the CohousingMN and TCFC signs at the parking lot entrance at 1227 Montreal Ave., on the north side of the street, near Highland Golf Course. Bathrooms are nearby. FREE and all are welcome!
Please pre-register to help with event planning. For more information and to register, use this link.
Food Glorious Food
The evening meal is a community meal. Eating meals together is an important part of our community life together. It encourages sharing in each other's daily lives, builds a sense of community, and distributes the workload.
- From the TCFC Community Agreements
Food has long been a key aspect of all gatherings of these odd social primates that we are. We've gone from food being a central and subsistence concern to having so many choices that some of us go to bed hungry not for lack of availability, but instead from the profusion of choices and an inability to or desire to engage in the decision making process. Which is more often than not at the end of a day that has ushered us to extreme decision fatigue long before dinner is a burdensome concern.
At TCFC we try to live our values by being intentional about all major and some minor aspects of our burgeoning togetherness. In our ongoing process of building community, we've all been thinking hard about food, cooking, and eating together. Considering our collective needs around food, socializing, and order were key to our discussion.
As a growing community we try to start with the clarity that our main focus on our daily dinners is not all about our bellies. It's a chance to hear what's been magical in each of our lives individually and as Nancie remarked one evening, it's often that, “We've all had great adventures today!” The gathering at the time of refueling ends up being a key part of how we learn to embrace each other.
As we all recognized quickly months ago, cooking for up to 9 very diverse stomachs is not as easy as doubling or tripling the recipe. We love our kids through dinner, food and social connection. We watch others reach out to give or accept an embrace, a nod, a word of care, and of course a plate of yummy freshly prepared food. And we work to make that food healthy and organic. We're beginning to understand both the social aspects as well as being more aware of biosafety needs. We’re committed to helping our younger members make wise food choices without scarring or scaring them.
When you sit down to dinner tonight, look someone in the eye, sincerely care about their existence, and ask them what they loved about their day. Eating alone? Send a note, write a postcard (yeah, I'm old. What of it!), drop a line, make a call, or if you feel compelled… use the Socials on the Internets knowing the old dude somewhere is slightly disapproving or whining about kids nowadays and black mirrored palm protectors.
Written by Malik
Cooperative Culture: Individual & Collective Responsibility
This month Nancie reflects on “Individual and Collective Responsibility,” one of the Cooperative Culture keys in Yana Ludwig’s and Karen Gimnig’s book “Cooperative Culture Handbook: A Social Change Manual to Dismantle Toxic Culture and Build Community.”
Blame, “who’s responsible?” is taught in mainstream culture throughout our lives. Names of disrupters in class are written on the chalkboard, caregiver’s asking “who started it?” when children quarrel, and in adulthood employees who make a mistake being called out. And so people often resist accepting responsibility and try to push the blame onto someone else.
Counterculture often focuses on the widespread belief that the individual creates their own reality. "Create your own reality" means that your personal experience of life is shaped primarily by your thoughts, beliefs, and interpretations, rather than just objective circumstances. And while claiming one’s own personal power can be a positive thing, it can be carried too far when it makes invisible the very real impacts of oppression and a variety of externally imposed limits. This way of thinking can also result in victim-blaming where anything negative that happens to someone is their own fault because they “created their own reality.”
Cooperative culture focuses on acknowledging both the individual’s responsibility and the collective’s responsibility. The authors highlight the struggle there is in integrating the perspectives of others in a way that reflects this dual focus. They recommend that we all “get curious” about another’s perspective and what makes sense about it as a way to achieve the balance of this Key.
At TCFC we try to make it a practice to own when something is not working for us without criticising someone, simply asking for what one needs and the behavior one wants to see, without blaming or putting the other person down. We certainly aren’t perfect in how we do this, and we make mistakes that then need to be repaired. But when done purposefully, this kind of cooperative culture behavior tends to deepen relationships rather than leading to blame and conflict.
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 and ways of relating.
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.
