To our community,
The Northwest Cooperative Development center is committed to fostering community development through the cooperative business model.
As the pandemic of the corona virus continues to disrupt our communities, we want to let you know that NWCDC will support our co-ops and their members in any way that we are able.
We are monitoring information about the pandemic in our service area of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho as provided by the World Health Organization, the Center for Disease Control, and the agencies of state and local governments. As the conditions change, we will act accordingly to protect our staff and the communities that they serve.
At this time, our Olympia office remains open. However, we are making the following adjustments:
- Staff may choose to work from home.
- Should staff develop symptoms, we have committed to notifying each other and conducting work on-line rather than in-person.
- We are encouraging staff and their clients to conduct as much of their work as possible on-line.
- We have decided to cancel Co-opatopia for 2020 this April.
- We are considering other events planned for this spring and will make decisions on whether to postpone or transition to an on-line event shortly.
Many of our co-ops cannot simply shutter without putting members out of work and risking the enterprise. We commit to working with them and advocating for them to maintain a strong cooperative community through this crisis.
Cooperatives are about community, solidarity, and mutual aid. As this historic moment for our region and the nation, we need to make sure that we keep our community strong. We will be providing more information about our efforts on our website and through our newsletter.
We hope everyone stays well and finds the support that they need.
In Cooperation,
The Staff of Northwest Cooperative Development Center