Written by Emmy Anderson, Cooperative Business Developer With great concern for our staff as the COVID pandemic intensified, CDI’s Executive Director, Noemi Giszpenc, took a strong stance early on by promoting a culture of safety in our organization and urging staff to shift training and visits online. A month after Maine became the 43rd state
Written by Noemi Giszpenc, Executive Director As I’m writing this, it’s June 1, 2020 — the first day of hurricane season — and I’m wondering, what’s it going to take? The Amazon burned, Australia burned, Paradise burned. Minneapolis and L.A. burned. George Floyd and countless other Black lives ripped forever from their family and friends
Our nation is hurting. We are hurting. As we mourn the lives lost to police brutality and the injustices people of color have historically faced and continue to experience, we encourage you to uplift anti-racist organizations and check-in with your colleagues, friends, and peers of color. Your support can help save black lives, empathize with
Emergency Food Response in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine CDI has been involved in the Lewiston-Auburn (L-A) Emergency Food Response since mid-March. We have been able to support efforts of collaboration and communication, and we have witnessed the courage and enthusiasm of a wide network of organizations, banding together to help the area’s diverse communities. L-A is Maine’s
COVID-19 tragedy in Maine and #BetterTogetherFund Donate to the #BetterTogether Fund Today Written by Julian Rowand, NEROC Cooperative Development Specialist The global pandemic has been difficult for us all. Living and working in cooperative communities lends itself to the mutual aid and networks of support that are needed during challenging times. One of CDI’s Resident Owned
What is Essential? Written by Noemi Giszpenc, Executive Director There are so many answers to this question. Air, water, sun, food, shelter are essential. And so many are denied them. Safety, stability, security are essential. And so many are denied them. Liberty, freedom, self-determination, agency are essential. And so many are denied them. Love is essential.
In celebration of Earth Day, Cooperative Development Institute and Cooperative Maine Business Alliance presents New Roots and Legacy in Tenant Harbor, the first two videos from our Local Foods in Cooperation video series. These two co-ops are creating jobs, preserving farmland and ocean access, and building community. New Roots Cooperative Farm operates in Lewiston, Maine
CDI celebrates 25 years of growing the cooperative economy with the release of our Year in Review (YIR)! We’re excited to share our 2019 reflections with you. With new additions to our staff, social media channels, and strategic partners, CDI has evolved. Highlighting our growth and accomplishments, we showcase launching our Instagram page and increasing
Many residents have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. ROCUSA is raising money to provide grants for ROC households diagnosed with COVID-19. For each dollar raised, ROC USA and ROC Association will provide a combined match of one dollar, up to $10,000. As cooperatives, ROCs are manufactured home communities owned and operated by their residents. These
They say you can boil a frog alive as long as you heat it slowly. It won’t notice the gradual change in temperature until it’s too late to jump out. This tells me we’re not the only ones who can be caught unawares by something that’s been building for a while — something we can
