[Co-op] Dawn Marsdens letter

[cheryl thomas]

Hi all - i just had a look at the Blog at the end of Kristeva's email - it is a most interesting read..... and just goes to show what we can learn and share via this marvelous tool - the internet.....
Cheryl Thomas
Box 417, Clearwater, BC V0E1N0
250-674-3260 - phone/fax
zeirlxand12 at yahoo.ca
--- On Fri, 10/23/09, Kristeva Dowling <kristevadowling at belco.bc.ca> wrote:
From: Kristeva Dowling <kristevadowling at belco.bc.ca>
Subject: Re: [Co-op] Dawn Marsdens letter
To: "David Parkinson" <parkidavid at gmail.com>
Cc: "Working Group on Cooperatives" <co-op at bcfsn.org>
Received: Friday, October 23, 2009, 10:28 PM
I think you're spot on David. I agree with Cheryl in that if you can make
such direct connections they are very valuable not only for the cost
savings, but also for the 'social capital' community development aspect.
But, there are many who cannot make those types of connections (for a
variety of reasons) and thus the coop would be the answer for many. And,
it in itself would have a certain intrinsic social capital value for many,
many people. There is a lot of community development that will come out of
such a development. I'm thrilled to be part of this discussion and
development. Thanks again for getting this started!
Kristeva Dowling, M.Soc.Sci.
Howling Duck Ranch
PO Box 45
Hagensborg, BC
V0T 1H0
250 982 0008
Blog: http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com
> Hi Cheryl,
>
> What you're saying is certainly true or some people. But there are lots of
> other people who just don't have the time or initiative or connections in
> the community to start up their own garden, do their own canning, or buy
> food in bulk. And I think there are a LOT of people out there who have no
> idea how much money they could save by growing, canning, swapping, and so
> on... especially when they club together with others to save time and
> labour.
>
> So the more formal cooperatives might serve some of the folks who might
> otherwise not have access to the resources they need -- and bring them
> together with the hardcore local food-security champions to acquire skills
> and knowledge. That's my hope.
>
> --
> David
>
>
> On Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 06:46, cheryl thomas <zeirlxand12 at yahoo.ca> wrote:
>
>>  I wanted to commment on Dawns letter because I thought that she had
>> brought forward a very interesting thought - that of small groups
>> 'co-operatively' buying their food - in that case - single mothers'
>> Un-beknownest this is something that many people who shoose to live on
>> one
>> income through-out these last years 'do'
>>
>> In other words - several mums get together and 'buy a beef' or what
>> every
>> and split it up - thus everyone's price is reduced - they all buy
>> locally -
>> it is a win /win situation.
>>
>> sometimes I think we 'make things to complicated' by thinking we have to
>> set up big - legal networks - and maybe we do, in many cases such as
>> working
>> within a community to form a local buying coop or whatever - but - let
>> us
>> not underestimate the power of small - of 'flighting under the radar' -
>>
>> Our family has successfully survived - raising 3 children to adulthood -
>> by
>> working cooperatively within the community - and - when i look back on
>> it -
>> trading,, gleaning, raising a garden and a few chickens and goats,
>> giving/receiving, re-using, buying  cooperatively - all these are big
>> reasons why we were successful at living quite comfortably on one
>> income.
>>  It can be done - it seems more a matter of not wanting to have 'what
>> the
>> neighbours have ' but rather settling for 'what makes us happy and
>> fulfilled'.
>>
>> We really are on to something though - this co-op development - at all
>> levels - sort of
>> gives a person the feeling of being in control' of ones own destiny -
>> yay!
>>
>> Cheryl Thomas
>> Box 417, Clearwater, BC V0E1N0
>> 250-674-3260 - phone/fax
>> zeirlxand12 at yahoo.ca
>>
>> ------------------------------
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