2023 Seward Co-op Annual Owner Meeting: Reconnecting in Community

Here at Seward Co-op, we look forward to gathering to celebrate another year of cooperation, community building, and successes at our Annual Owner Meeting. While the COVID-19 pandemic and an uprising stirred the community, we rose together–virtually—for the last three years, and held each other up through change and upheaval. We emerge now, stronger than before. It is in that spirit of connection that we are so excited to announce the return of the in-person Annual Owner Meeting!

To celebrate, join us Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. for live music and a delicious community meal with fellow new and existing Seward Co-op owners. Few things are as cozy as a bowl of hot stew or chili in autumn, so we plan to serve Three Bean Chili (vegan, MWOG), chicken pozole (MWOG, dairy free), and a Cincinnati-style chili (MWOG, dairy free) with all of the fixings. The soups will contain ingredients from some of the following Community Foods producers – and a few might even be there in person to chat, too!

REGISTER HERE

Meet a few of the Community Foods producers whose ingredients you’ll find in the chili at the Annual Owner Meeting. Click below to learn more about each.

Kadejan Chicken

Small-scale, local

Enjoy Kadejan chicken in in the chicken pozole.

Whole Grain Milling

Small-scale, local

Grab a handful—or two—of their delicious corn chips to top or dip in your soup or chili.

Vote for the Board and SEED Community Choice

At the Annual Owner Meeting, we’ll announce the results of our board of directors election as well as our SEED grant recipients for 2024. Online voting for the board and SEED Community Choice voting has ended.

Entertainment

Charmin Michelle

A photo of jazz singer Charmin Michelle Charmin Michelle is an acclaimed jazz singer based in Minneapolis. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Charmin has lived in Minnesota since she was a child. Charmin has released numerous CDs to critical praise and has been touring internationally since 1986, performing at jazz festivals throughout Spain and France.

Accessibility and Childcare

Interpretation services will be available for ASL, Amharic, Hmong, Somali, Spanish, and Oromo.

The business portion of the meeting will be live-streamed on Zoom. You can join the meeting at 6:30p.m. here.

Childcare will be provided by Mi Casa Montessori for the duration of the Annual Owner Meeting.

Getting There

The 2023 Annual Owner Meeting will be held at:

University of Minnesota
The Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union
300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis

Getting There by Car

Click here for directions provided by U of M

Parking can be found at:

East River Road Garage
385 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Please note: The parking garage tunnel takes you to the Basement Level of Coffman Memorial Union, so you must then take the escalator up to the Great Hall on the Ground Level. You can also choose to exit the garage and walk across the outdoor Riverbend Plaza and enter Coffman at Ground Level.

Short-term and disability parking is available for Coffman Memorial Union with an attached entrance to the south side of the building easily accessible from East River Parkway.

Click here for more information on disability parking

Taking Bus and Light Rail

The following transit lines have routes that pass near Coffman Memorial Union – Light Rail: Green; Bus: 2, 3

Green Line: Exit the train at the U of M East Bank Station. Walk west along Washington Avenue S.E. for about 4 blocks. Coffman Memorial Union’s entrance will be on your left. Enter on level 1 and descent to ground level to find the Annual Owner Meeting in the Great Hall.

Bus Route 2: Schedule & map here

Bus Route 3: Schedule & map here

Traveling by Bike

Ample bike parking is located on the north side of Coffman Memorial Union, accessible from Washington Ave Enter on level 1 and descend to ground level to find the meeting in the Great Hall.

Save the Date! Annual Owner Meeting – Reconnecting in Community with Seward Co-op

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

University of Minnesota – Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union

$5

REGISTER HERE

After three years of virtual Annual Meetings, we are excited to connect with new and existing owners as a community in-person at the U of M Coffman Union! Join us for a chili dinner with all of the fixings (vegetarian, vegan, and made without gluten options available) made by Seward Co-op staff and featuring Community Foods producers. Mingle and taste your way through a Community Foods fair while enjoying live jazz music from Charmin Michelle. We’ll also announce the results of our Board of Directors election and 2024 SEED grant recipients and give another warm welcome to Ray Williams as Seward Co-op’s new General Manager.

Join us in-person for this year’s Annual Owner Meeting, and get a copy of the freshly-printed 50^th Anniversary book, which expands upon Seward Co-op’s history, local community, the Black cooperative movement, and the future we want. We’ve been working on it for over a year with media arts nonprofit Pollen, and it’s finally ready. There will be more available for the public after the Annual Owner Meeting, but don’t skip this opportunity to get one of the first copies of this beautiful book.