• Fostering collaboration: Meeting with different organizations and cooperatives
• Entering the local market: Looking for opportunities in restaurants, schools, and churches.

Let's start this blog by talking about how the cooperative's outreach plan began. We informed BCI and Dulce Hogar DC that we would begin creating cards and flyers to let our community know. Unfortunately, it was not possible because Dulce Hogar VA was not legally registered to use the name. We planned a meeting with BCI and Novalaciro to find a way to spread the word. We got to the point where we said that it was not necessary for the moment to create cards or flyers since we could plan different meetings with other organizations, churches, homeowners, and schools. We created a plan for how we would achieve this goal.

Just as we planned it, we started it. We wrote down the contacts of different organizations and churches that could help us spread the word. The first thing we did was plan a meeting with them and one of the worker-owners so they could practice. In the first meetings, many of these contacts have given us references and have also said to help us with more contacts in the future.

It should be noted that when we are legally registered everything will be easier since we can go to restaurants, churches, and schools to leave cards and flyers. The Arlington community will be where we will start as that is the focus but we will continue to Fall Church, Alexandria and Fairfax. Some organizations we have met with have told us that they could help us until we are sure when everything is ready. We agree with them but in the same way, it helps that they get to know us.

Hopefully also when the cooperative is ready and legally registered we can get contracts with some apartments. We have had a meeting with an apartment office that motivates them to hire them in the future but they want to make sure everything is legally registered. We also hope that many of the churches will give us the opportunity to make presentations in the future so that the community knows about the cooperative. Very soon we will have flyers and cards to distribute to spread the word more.