FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (AND SOME NOT SO FREQUENTLY):
Q: What is Little Flower Community?
Q: I’d like to live at the Little Flower. What should I do?
Q: How much does it cost to live at the Little Flower?
Q: When are your potlucks? And what is a potluck anyway?
Q: And when are your house meetings?
Q: Can I share a room and save some money? I like saving money.
Q: Are there bus routes that go by the house?
Q: Does the foodshare at Little Flower include everything I want/need/desire/yearn for?
Q: Why is the foodshare at Little Flower vegan?
Q: I’m coming over for dinner and I’m gonna bring a big old meaty pie with me! Is that ok?
Q: Ok, but just so I’m 100% clear, will I be assimilated?
Q: I have more skills (See: steez) than I know what to do with! Any suggestions?
Q: I heard that you Little Flowers are the coolest of the cools. Is it true?
Q: What is Little Flower Community?
A: The Little Flower Community is a cooperative-style home(x2) occupied by a small group of super awesome cool people with a shared interest in community, social issues, sustainability, cooperative living, potlucks, and the like. The LFC was founded in April of 2010 and is located in the Beechwood neighborhood of Rochester, NY.
Our goal is three-fold: 1) to support the local community through the funding of and participation in local community programs and initiatives, household improvement projects, and the occasional non-monetary employment of local residents; 2) to create a sense of community within our household and beyond, and welcome all others who are interested in working toward making our neighborhood (and world!) a better place to live; 3) to be ecologically-minded and continually work toward a more sustainable way of living.
We:
- buy vegan food that is local and organic whenever possible. The bulk of our food comes from several area farmers’ markets, the Abundance Cooperative Market, and our very own urban farmette.
- Invest in/Implement energy efficient appliances/technologies/strategies
- Host a monthly vegetarian potluck in addition to at least one other function per month
- Sell healthy and delicious fruits and veggies to the local residents at a very affordable price
- Regularly host CouchSurfers, HelpXers, and other travelers (Over 200 to date!)
- Apply for grants to aid in community-building and home improvement projects
- Take turns cooking and doing household chores
- Share meals
- Have a pet monkey (monkey bank, that is) that treats us to Thai food every so often as long as we remember to feed it regularly
- And occasionally provide non-monetary employment to members of the community
Q: I’d like to live at the Little Flower. What should I do?
A: Come to our monthly potluck, fill out our membership application, or do both!
Q: How much does it cost to live at the Little Flower?
A: For long-term residents (read: six months+), it costs like… $375 for rent, internet, water, garbage/recycling, and food! Utilities are split evenly among the members (roughly $15-25/month).
Q: When are your potlucks? And what is a potluck anyway?
A: We host a vegetarian potluck on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7pm. A potluck is a gathering of super swell people, each of whom brings a dish/beverage/dessert to share. It’s a celebration of slow food, community, and the lost art of conversation!
Q: And when are your house meetings?
A: Meetings are on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month from 7pm-9pm.
Q: Will I get my own room?
Q: Can I share a room and save some money? I like saving money.
A: Sure thing. The cost of a shared room is $275/person.
Q: I’m a person of a color/religion/gender-identity/ethnicity/sexual-orientation that’s different from yours. Can we still be friends???
A: Of course! We like you just the way you are!
Q: Are there bus routes that go by the house?
A: Yes, you can take the #2 to downtown in 10 minutes (it’ll drop you off right in front of the Eastman School of Music if you like). You can even take it all the way to the airport. And it only costs a dollar!
Q: I have a bicycle.
A: That is not a question, but it is a great thing to have all the same! Have you tried riding it?
Q: I have a bunch of really great stuff that I just don’t want/need anymore. Do you accept donations?
A: Do we ever! That’s very kind of you, sir and/or madam! Please see the Wish List section of our page.
Q: I’m interested in starting my own collective/cooperative. Mind if I stop by and ask you guys a few questions?
Q: I heard that co-ops, collectives, intentional communities, and the like were only for communist-hippie-Buddha lovers. What do you have to say for yourselves?
A: Even people who think such things about co-ops, collectives, intentional communities, and the like can, in fact, live in a co-op, collective, intentional community, or the like. Stop on by, you might be surprised!
Q: Okay, so maybe you’re not all just a bunch of communist-hippie-Buddha lovers. I bet you are just a bunch of directionless yoots (see My Cousin Vinnie) fresh out of college and full of misguided liberal ideas! Isn’t that so???
A: Well, no, actually. The folks at Little Flower encompass a wide range of ages and beliefs. Come on by and see for yourself!
Q: Does the foodshare at Little Flower include everything I want/need/desire/yearn for?
A: The foodshare at Little Flower emphasizes local and organic foods and is meant to cover a baseline of vegan-friendly food staples for use in our house meals. It’s not intended to cover any and all foods (not even any and all vegan-friendly foods). Examples of staples would be things like flour, sugar, salt, faux milk and butter, rice, pasta, and other grains, tofu, cereal, bread, etc. Additional items such as salsa, tortilla chips, tea, crackers, etc. are occasionally purchased as well if on sale and as the budget permits. We’re also members of the Peacework Organic CSA, and we grow much of our own fruit and veggies in the house garden. You can read more about our foodshare here
Q: I read that the food at Little Flower is vegan. That probably means that you guys hate anyone who eats meat, right? Am I gonna get a lecture if I come to visit?
A: We’re not ones to preach or judge. In fact, the diets of our members run the gambit from vegan to vegetarian to omnivorous (yes, meat eaters live here too!). We do prefer to keep our meals meat-free, though.
Q: Why is the foodshare at Little Flower vegan?
A: We believe that maintaining a vegan-friendly food share is in keeping with our commitment to creating a community where all feel welcome and that it is instep with our continued effort to limit our ecological footprint. For more information on the ethical, environmental, and health issues surrounding veganism, please see your nearest search engine.
Q: I’m coming over for dinner and I’m gonna bring a big ol’ meaty pie with me! Is that ok?
A: Not really. We prefer to keep our house meals and events veg’n-friendly and ask that our members and guests do not cook/bring/serve meaty pies (or other animal-based whatnots).
Q: Is this a cult?
A: Someday, if The Gray Ghost gets his way, perhaps. For now, no, it’s not a cult (or is it???).
Q: Are you guys “allowed” to watch TV, get married, eat after midnight, listen to rock and roll music, do the Watusi, think your own thoughts, etc?
A: Please refer to the above Q&A.
Q: Ok, but just so I’m 100% clear, will I be assimilated?
A: Yes, you will be assimilated.
Q: I have more skills (See: steez) than I know what to do with! Any suggestions??
A: Why certainly, good sir and/or madam! You can have yourself a good old-fashioned skill share here at the Little Flower Collective so that others may learn from your skillful ways!
Q: I heard that you Little Flowers are the coolest of the cools. Is it true?
A: Yes, it’s true. It’s all true!!!!!!
