Outreach Committee Meeting Notes- 6/15/11

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Kristen Rumolo
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Joined: Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:13 pm

Outreach Committee Meeting Notes- 6/15/11

Post by Kristen Rumolo »

I'm going to start posting our Outreach Committee meeting notes on here so everyone has access to them and can stay in the loop with what we have going on. It's an exciting time for the Co-op, and I'd love for people to get involved with one of the many areas of interest we're approaching. Please contact myself or John Leary if you're free to volunteer at the farm markets, the Caribbean Festival, would like to host a potluck, or have any input on our upcoming event ideas. Thanks!!

- Starting this week, (6/23 & 6/25) the Co-op will have a table at the New Brunswick Community Farmers Market. We will be selling bulk items such as beans, rice, and nuts. The market is on Jones Ave in New Brunswick and the hours are on Thursdays from 11am-3pm and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. This is a great market- check out the website for more info. Please let me know if you're able to volunteer. We're also working on getting a table for the Highland Park Farmers Market that is held on Fridays from 11am to 5:30pm.

- The Central New Jersey Caribbean Festival is on Saturday, June 25th from 12-7pm. They've invited us back and we'd love to be able to provide volunteers to help make this year's festival better than the last. Please visit the link for more info and let me know if you're able to help out.

- The George Street Co-op Arts Festival- We're in the beginning stages of organizing an arts festival featuring local vendors and entertainment in September. Stay tuned for more info!

- I'm waiting to hear back about having a table at the Middlesex County Fair. It's from August 1st-7th, so we'll need people every night either selling items or helping spread the good word about the Co-op.

- We'd like to start having monthly potlucks again so our members and volunteers can get to know each other better and form a closer sense of community. If you'd be interested in hosting a potluck, please let me know. Who doesn't love delicious, homemade food, great people, and good conversation??

- Other dates to make note of, more information coming soon: Raritan River Festival on 9/18 and the Highland Park Arts in the Park on 9/25.

- We'd really like to raise more awareness among students and increase their involvement with the Co-op, both with volunteering and membership. Some ideas that were mentioned: contacting fraternities and sororities and offering community service opportunities, and having an ongoing "art show" by displaying Mason Gross students' work. The Rutgers Student Involvement Fair is on Tuesday, August 30th. I'm waiting to hear back if that fair is open only to RU organizations, or if outside orgs can participate as well.

- To keep Outreach momentum at its peak, we're aiming to organize one event a month so our committee members are continuously engaged and we always have something to offer both our members and the public. A sample "menu" of event ideas are:

January- Yoga or meditation class to coincide with the healthy New Year's resolutions
February- George Street Arts/Crafts Festival so you can shop for that someone someone special!
March- Earth Hour Event, World Water Day event, our annual meeting
April- Earth Day event, World Party Day event
May- George Street Arts/Craft festival
June- Meatless BBQ ideas
July- Independence Day events, Raw Foods class/seminar
August- Snacks & Storytime event for children
September- Arts/craft fest, Student-centered event, open mic
October- Halloween event, Holistic Health class
November- Healthy Holiday Cooking class
December- Arts/craft fest

In good health,
Kristen Rumolo
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