By Jane Markowitz
My partner, Max, and I moved to Cedar Falls in August from NYC. We didn’t know a soul in the entire state of Iowa and our first week moving here, we explored downtown Cedar Falls and stumbled upon the Saturday farmer’s market. While wandering around and checking out different stalls we encountered the Co-op booth. We were informed about an opportunity to volunteer at a local farm, Kaiser Farms, and were invited to come along. We showed up not really knowing what to expect and when we arrived we were met with friendly and welcoming faces. After that day I was hooked and quickly became immersed in the community.
The co-op has been a haven for a person new to the area like me. I was able to connect with like-minded people all of whom put an incredible amount of care and dedication into the creation of the co-op. I started to see people around town that I recognized from co-op events and quickly began to feel more connected to Cedar Falls and this community.
One of the things I love about the co-op is that despite the fact that there is no site yet, there are over 1000 people committed to the important role the co-op will play within our community. It is inspiring how many people have continued to build their community through the co-op and all that it provides. I am looking forward to see how this community will continue to evolve and grow!