The downtown location will be used for resident meetings as well as the headquarters for the Somali Bantu Community Association of Lewiston-Auburn.

The event also recognized the achievements of the New Roots Cooperative Farm, which recently started a 30-acre farm in Lewiston.

The Cooperative Development Institute will announce the release of a new report Cooperatives Build a Better Maine, detailing the growth of the cooperative economy throughout Maine and looks at ways we can increase prosperity through cooperatively owned businesses.

October is International Co-op Month. 

A variety of food was served and a discussion of the Cooperative Development Institute report was held. Participants listened and shared ideas about how to grow the cooperative economy, specifically with regard to housing, food, and employee-owned businesses.

For more information about this program, contact Jonah Fertig, Cooperative Development Institute, 207-615-9970, [email protected]; or Craig Saddlemire, Raise-Op Housing Cooperative, 207-312-3640, [email protected].