Happy 2018! We hope your year is off to a happy, healthy start.
First and most importantly, we're hosting a happy hour on Thursday, January 25, and you're invited! Please join us from 6-9 p.m. at the Black Cat Tavern to celebrate the new year and hear more about what the Co-op has in store in the coming months. All attendees will get $1 off all drafts and $1 off all well drinks. We'll also be raffling off some great prizes, like 76ers tickets and a beer basket donated by The Black Cat! Hope to see you there!
If you've been following us over the past couple of months, you know that in November, we launched You and Yours, a big year-end campaign with really big goals: to gain 100 new member-owners and $100,000 in member loans by December 31.
We knocked on lots of doors, made lots of phone calls, met with lots of folks and had a ton of great conversations about what it means to own a grocery store along with hundreds of your neighbors. We hosted events at coffee shops and bars around the city, and asked you to deepen your involvement -- and your investment -- in the Co-op. So many of you stepped up as member-owners and pledged member loans, and we're so grateful for your support.
We can file all those conversations and connections and commitments in our “win” folder, but we also think it’s important to be honest with our supporters and let you know that, despite our very best efforts, we have yet to reach our 2017 year-end financial goals.
We raised nearly $8,000 in member loans from folks just like you in South Philly who believe in the power of taking ownership of our local economy. Plus, we added 38 member-owner households to our roster over the course of just six weeks. That means we're 853 strong, and growing every day.
And we can't do it without you. Do you know a neighbor, friend or relative who's been meaning to become a member-owner? Would you reconsider making a loan to the Co-op? Please think about helping out. Can you offer any suggestions on furthering our outreach and community engagement efforts? We’d love to hear from you.
We’re all dreaming about shopping at the South Philly Food Co-op. If we continue to work together, we can make it happen.
Cooperatively yours,
The South Philly Food Co-op
P.S. Looking for a Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone? On February 7, hand-paint something personal for the ones you love at Co-op Night at The Expressive Hand, where you’ll get 10% of your purchase, and 10% of all sales will be donated to the Co-op. Or, grab your sweetheart some sweet Co-op swag! We’ve got a handful of our limited-edition T-shirts and onesies on sale at Nice Things Handmade; and some storefront-sketch tea towels over at the Occasionette.