Locust Street Festival
Make sure to visit the Co-op's booth at the 2013 Locust Street Festival, Sunday, June 9th!
Make sure to visit the Co-op's booth at the 2013 Locust Street Festival, Sunday, June 9th!
Annual Meeting: Meet your board candidates!
Nick Gates
I’ve been a member for two years now. Besides being a member at the RW Co-op, I’ve also been a member at the Public House, plus a member at UW and Educators Credit Unions. I’ve worked at Educators Credit Union for almost three years. I show up when I can, and I evangelize cooperatives as much as I can.
I have a master’s degree in geography from UWM. For my thesis, I studied local politics, community empowerment, and the dangers of privatization. I also have hands-on experience with credit and finance through my job at Educators Credit Union, where I’m a Member Financial Representative (the credit union equivalent of a personal banker). I’ve also lived in Milwaukee for eight years, five of those in Riverwest. So I’d like to think I’ve gotten training through my formal education, and through experience in the Real World.
Nick has an interest in participating in the Finance and Inclusion committees.
Kristin Mannion
I am a new member of the co-op and have been an active customer.
I am a relatively new resident of Milwaukee. I live on the east side and I have enjoyed being able to come to such a great place to buy my groceries and delicious Sunday brunch.
I recently graduated from college and moved here to take a job with GE Healthcare out in Wauwatosa. I was a business major in college with a focus on IT, but also did quite a bit of study surrounding local and global food systems. I participated in the founding of a food co-op in a low-income neighborhood, and now that I am more settled here I would love to get more involved with the Riverwest coop team.
Kristin is interested in working with the Communications and Finance Committees if elected.
Meghan McDonald
I moved to Wisconsin in 2010 and joined on my first shopping trip to the co-op. During summer of 2011, I became a member-volunteer in the café. Besides sampling much of the menu (love the free meal perk!), I also learned awesome vegetarian kitchen skills—ahh, life with seitan is delicious! It was a good time.
These days I volunteer with the membership committee and am more interested in behind-the-scenes work to ensure the co-op is running smoothly and working towards its potential as a true community establishment.
Also, between steady volunteer gigs I helped out at the Locust Street Festival. And, kudos to the volunteers who help with events! Those can be busy and hectic, but it’s such a great opportunity for more folks to get to know the co-op.
In both Texas and Wisconsin, I have spent time as a grassroots activist spending time engaged with economic justice, LGBT issues, and civic participation.
Social justice, community engagement and inclusion issues are very important to me. I am interested in helping the co-op function in healthy and transparent ways, as well moving our community closer to being representative of our diverse neighborhood and welcoming of all people.
I am also interested in alternative economic structures that effectively subvert the capitalist order, which is another pragmatic reason I want to see the co-op thrive.
Meghan is interested in working with the Human Resources and Membership Committees if elected.
Nick Gates
I’ve been a member for two years now. Besides being a member at the RW Co-op, I’ve also been a member at the Public House, plus a member at UW and Educators Credit Unions. I’ve worked at Educators Credit Union for almost three years. I show up when I can, and I evangelize cooperatives as much as I can.
I have a master’s degree in geography from UWM. For my thesis, I studied local politics, community empowerment, and the dangers of privatization. I also have hands-on experience with credit and finance through my job at Educators Credit Union, where I’m a Member Financial Representative (the credit union equivalent of a personal banker). I’ve also lived in Milwaukee for eight years, five of those in Riverwest. So I’d like to think I’ve gotten training through my formal education, and through experience in the Real World.
Nick has an interest in participating in the Finance and Inclusion committees.
Kristin Mannion
I am a new member of the co-op and have been an active customer.
I am a relatively new resident of Milwaukee. I live on the east side and I have enjoyed being able to come to such a great place to buy my groceries and delicious Sunday brunch.
I recently graduated from college and moved here to take a job with GE Healthcare out in Wauwatosa. I was a business major in college with a focus on IT, but also did quite a bit of study surrounding local and global food systems. I participated in the founding of a food co-op in a low-income neighborhood, and now that I am more settled here I would love to get more involved with the Riverwest coop team.
Kristin is interested in working with the Communications and Finance Committees if elected.
Meghan McDonald
I moved to Wisconsin in 2010 and joined on my first shopping trip to the co-op. During summer of 2011, I became a member-volunteer in the café. Besides sampling much of the menu (love the free meal perk!), I also learned awesome vegetarian kitchen skills—ahh, life with seitan is delicious! It was a good time.
These days I volunteer with the membership committee and am more interested in behind-the-scenes work to ensure the co-op is running smoothly and working towards its potential as a true community establishment.
Also, between steady volunteer gigs I helped out at the Locust Street Festival. And, kudos to the volunteers who help with events! Those can be busy and hectic, but it’s such a great opportunity for more folks to get to know the co-op.
In both Texas and Wisconsin, I have spent time as a grassroots activist spending time engaged with economic justice, LGBT issues, and civic participation.
Social justice, community engagement and inclusion issues are very important to me. I am interested in helping the co-op function in healthy and transparent ways, as well moving our community closer to being representative of our diverse neighborhood and welcoming of all people.
I am also interested in alternative economic structures that effectively subvert the capitalist order, which is another pragmatic reason I want to see the co-op thrive.
Meghan is interested in working with the Human Resources and Membership Committees if elected.
Chili Cookoff Hot, Sloppy Fun for All
Eleven contestants. Thirty-three gallons of vegan chili. Ten spicy peppers and nine martyrs to eat them in ridiculous quantities. The congenial cheer of Linneman’s and accompanying beer flow. Riverwest friends and neighbors with a hunger for something hot and sloppy. With ingredients like these, what besides a fun night could possibly be in order?
The Riverwest Co-op’s 2013 pre-WMSE Chili Cookoff Contest on Sunday the 24th was great fun. Eleven of Riverwest’s best chili-mongers brought the good stuff: Tess Kenney’s “Calico Dancer,” Mia Letendre’s “Dirty South Chili,” Nik Bastman’s “Drunkin Master, Mike Lembke’s “Wango Tango Sweet Seitan-Go,” Steve Roach’s “Stevegan’s Quinoa Chili,” Dale Fahrnow’s “Double 13,” Jason Garcia’s “Chili Tulum,” Leigh Akin’s “A Hot, Sloppy, Delicious Mess,” Sarah Gilbert’s “Betsy,” Sara Schueneman’s “Chilly with a side of Kale,” and Adam and Frank’s “Chili P is My Signature, Yo!” competed against each other in red and messy battle royale. All the chili was delicious, all hunger was satiated.
In addition to the chili and beer, nine brave contestants competed for a host of excellent prizes in our first ever Spicy Chili Pepper eating contest. The rogue’s gallery of stomach-rupturing chilies included red and green jalapenos, serranos, bird’s eye chili from Thailand and the dreaded habanero. Gretchen, Emily and Frank consumed more chilies in fifteen minutes than had ought to be eaten in a year and they did so with teary-eyed panache. An overworked evening for eighteen lachrymal glands. We salute the contestants!
As participatory economics is what the Co-op is all about, the winner was chosen by the ballot: one stomach, one vote. When all the votes were tallied, Mike Lembke’s deliciously glutinous “Wango Tango” took third and Tess Kenney’s fantastic “Calico Dancer” took second.
Ultimately it was Nik Bastman’s phenomenal “Drunkin Master Chili” that took the evening’s top honors. “Drunkin Master” will go on to represent the Riverwest Co-op at WMSE’s Rock-a-Billy Chili Cookoff on March 10th.
The Riverwest Co-op would like to extend gracious thanks to Jim Linneman and Linneman’s Riverwest Inn for hosting the event, the Kenney family for the generous donation of this year’s prizes, designing the posters and helping organize the whole thing, Amy Luby for volunteering the event, everyone who came out and ate, and all the contestents for their excellent contributions.
Want to know what made Nik’s chili so great? We’ll be serving it in the café throughout 2013, so you’ll have to come by for a try…
Eleven contestants. Thirty-three gallons of vegan chili. Ten spicy peppers and nine martyrs to eat them in ridiculous quantities. The congenial cheer of Linneman’s and accompanying beer flow. Riverwest friends and neighbors with a hunger for something hot and sloppy. With ingredients like these, what besides a fun night could possibly be in order?
The Riverwest Co-op’s 2013 pre-WMSE Chili Cookoff Contest on Sunday the 24th was great fun. Eleven of Riverwest’s best chili-mongers brought the good stuff: Tess Kenney’s “Calico Dancer,” Mia Letendre’s “Dirty South Chili,” Nik Bastman’s “Drunkin Master, Mike Lembke’s “Wango Tango Sweet Seitan-Go,” Steve Roach’s “Stevegan’s Quinoa Chili,” Dale Fahrnow’s “Double 13,” Jason Garcia’s “Chili Tulum,” Leigh Akin’s “A Hot, Sloppy, Delicious Mess,” Sarah Gilbert’s “Betsy,” Sara Schueneman’s “Chilly with a side of Kale,” and Adam and Frank’s “Chili P is My Signature, Yo!” competed against each other in red and messy battle royale. All the chili was delicious, all hunger was satiated.
In addition to the chili and beer, nine brave contestants competed for a host of excellent prizes in our first ever Spicy Chili Pepper eating contest. The rogue’s gallery of stomach-rupturing chilies included red and green jalapenos, serranos, bird’s eye chili from Thailand and the dreaded habanero. Gretchen, Emily and Frank consumed more chilies in fifteen minutes than had ought to be eaten in a year and they did so with teary-eyed panache. An overworked evening for eighteen lachrymal glands. We salute the contestants!
As participatory economics is what the Co-op is all about, the winner was chosen by the ballot: one stomach, one vote. When all the votes were tallied, Mike Lembke’s deliciously glutinous “Wango Tango” took third and Tess Kenney’s fantastic “Calico Dancer” took second.
Ultimately it was Nik Bastman’s phenomenal “Drunkin Master Chili” that took the evening’s top honors. “Drunkin Master” will go on to represent the Riverwest Co-op at WMSE’s Rock-a-Billy Chili Cookoff on March 10th.
The Riverwest Co-op would like to extend gracious thanks to Jim Linneman and Linneman’s Riverwest Inn for hosting the event, the Kenney family for the generous donation of this year’s prizes, designing the posters and helping organize the whole thing, Amy Luby for volunteering the event, everyone who came out and ate, and all the contestents for their excellent contributions.
Want to know what made Nik’s chili so great? We’ll be serving it in the café throughout 2013, so you’ll have to come by for a try…
Riverwest Co-op on Radio Milwaukee
You may have missed it, but the Riverwest Co-op was featured last week on WMKE's Community Stories. The Co-op, along with our friends People's Books and the Riverwest Public House, were part of a story on the nacent Riverwest Cooperative Alliance, our neighborhood's way of fostering participatory economic development.
You may have missed it, but the Riverwest Co-op was featured last week on WMKE's Community Stories. The Co-op, along with our friends People's Books and the Riverwest Public House, were part of a story on the nacent Riverwest Cooperative Alliance, our neighborhood's way of fostering participatory economic development.
Annual Meeting: Proposed bylaw changes
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
Current language:
4.1 The co-op shall have individual memberships and family memberships. Any human individual shall qualify to be a member. A family membership would be available to two adults sharing the same household who identify themselves as spouses/partners. The membership fee is equal to the sum of two individual memberships. Each person has a vote, and both are able to enjoy an additional volunteer discount up to the maximum allowable if one of the parties earns this discount.
Proposed language:
4.1 The co-op shall have individual memberships. Any person shall qualify to be a member.
Our current member policy, which is not reflected in our bylaws, allows a member to designate a second partner name for an additional $10 fee. This partner may use the member’s discount, but is not a voting member of the Co-op. As relationships change or end, this has caused problems and has prompted us to reevaluate the partner policy.
We also determined that the family membership originally outlined in our bylaws would force us to define relationships in a way that was not adequately inclusive of all the relationships that exist in our community. We feel that the only truly equitable membership class would be an individual one. As such, we propose that all current member partners be transitioned to individual memberships, pro-rated to the number of years they have been a listed as a members’ partner.
Existing member discounts will not be affected. Our volunteer discount policy is not outlined in our bylaws, however volunteer members will be able to designate one additional member with whom they can to share their 10% volunteer discount. This can be anyone--family, roommate, neighbor--as long as they are also a Co-op member.
Example One: Evan has been a member for three years. Evan’s partner, Alex, has been listed as a partner cardholder on Evan’s account for three years. Alex will be given a separate member number and credited $60 (three years) towards the $100 lifetime membership fee.
Example Two: Miriam and Jay are roommates and both Co-op members; Miriam is also a volunteer. Because Jay is a member and Miriam has elected to share her volunteer discount with her roommate, they both receive a 15% discount.
ARTICLE V: DIRECTORS
Current language:
5.2 Directors shall participate in one of the standing committees. These committees shall meet regularly and report to the Board from time to time. The standing committees shall be: Finance, Store Operations, Marketing, Maintenance, and Education/Outreach.
Proposed language:
5.2 The co-op’s standing committees shall be: Finance, Human Resources and Workers’ Collective. Other committees shall be created by the Board as deemed necessary. All committees shall meet regularly and report to the Board. All directors shall participate in one of the standing or other committees.
This change is being made to reflect the current status of the Co-op’s committees. It will not affect the existing Communications, Education, Inclusion, Building & Maintenance or Membership Committees.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
Current language:
4.1 The co-op shall have individual memberships and family memberships. Any human individual shall qualify to be a member. A family membership would be available to two adults sharing the same household who identify themselves as spouses/partners. The membership fee is equal to the sum of two individual memberships. Each person has a vote, and both are able to enjoy an additional volunteer discount up to the maximum allowable if one of the parties earns this discount.
Proposed language:
4.1 The co-op shall have individual memberships. Any person shall qualify to be a member.
Our current member policy, which is not reflected in our bylaws, allows a member to designate a second partner name for an additional $10 fee. This partner may use the member’s discount, but is not a voting member of the Co-op. As relationships change or end, this has caused problems and has prompted us to reevaluate the partner policy.
We also determined that the family membership originally outlined in our bylaws would force us to define relationships in a way that was not adequately inclusive of all the relationships that exist in our community. We feel that the only truly equitable membership class would be an individual one. As such, we propose that all current member partners be transitioned to individual memberships, pro-rated to the number of years they have been a listed as a members’ partner.
Existing member discounts will not be affected. Our volunteer discount policy is not outlined in our bylaws, however volunteer members will be able to designate one additional member with whom they can to share their 10% volunteer discount. This can be anyone--family, roommate, neighbor--as long as they are also a Co-op member.
Example One: Evan has been a member for three years. Evan’s partner, Alex, has been listed as a partner cardholder on Evan’s account for three years. Alex will be given a separate member number and credited $60 (three years) towards the $100 lifetime membership fee.
Example Two: Miriam and Jay are roommates and both Co-op members; Miriam is also a volunteer. Because Jay is a member and Miriam has elected to share her volunteer discount with her roommate, they both receive a 15% discount.
ARTICLE V: DIRECTORS
Current language:
5.2 Directors shall participate in one of the standing committees. These committees shall meet regularly and report to the Board from time to time. The standing committees shall be: Finance, Store Operations, Marketing, Maintenance, and Education/Outreach.
Proposed language:
5.2 The co-op’s standing committees shall be: Finance, Human Resources and Workers’ Collective. Other committees shall be created by the Board as deemed necessary. All committees shall meet regularly and report to the Board. All directors shall participate in one of the standing or other committees.
This change is being made to reflect the current status of the Co-op’s committees. It will not affect the existing Communications, Education, Inclusion, Building & Maintenance or Membership Committees.
Riverwest Co-op Reading Group Begins Thursday, April 25th
Co-operatives are an important but often invisible global economic force. Here in Riverwest, we're developing co-operative projects with the intent of changing the way our neighbors participate in and think of community driven economics.
The co-operative reading group is a once-a-month meet-up that will critically examine issues pertaining to co-operative development and issues relating to co-operative projects in the Riverwest neighborhood (food, accessibility, literature, renewable energy, etc). The group will be driven by its participants and administered by the Riverwest Co-op's Education Committee.
For our first meeting we'll be discussing "Resilience of the Co-operative Model in Times of Crisis." You can download a free copy of this report here.
We will also discuss future readings, venues, etc.
If you would like more information about the reading group or RWCP's Education Committee, message or email Nichali at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Co-operatives are an important but often invisible global economic force. Here in Riverwest, we're developing co-operative projects with the intent of changing the way our neighbors participate in and think of community driven economics.
The co-operative reading group is a once-a-month meet-up that will critically examine issues pertaining to co-operative development and issues relating to co-operative projects in the Riverwest neighborhood (food, accessibility, literature, renewable energy, etc). The group will be driven by its participants and administered by the Riverwest Co-op's Education Committee.
For our first meeting we'll be discussing "Resilience of the Co-operative Model in Times of Crisis." You can download a free copy of this report here.
We will also discuss future readings, venues, etc.
If you would like more information about the reading group or RWCP's Education Committee, message or email Nichali at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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