Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.

10/30/2026

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Larisa with shares about Opportunity to Own bill on WHMP Radio!

Go to https://opportunitytoown.org/ to explore the Opportunity to Own website, download our full report, and support the worker cooperative movement! 🌊

10/30/2026

Every Thursday Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc. holds a community meal at 4:30 at Mercado de Vida free food and clothing store! It is lovingly prepared by chef spectacular - Mariam of Gustitos Boricua, a member of producer cooperative Cocineras latinas! Yesterday the chicken, rice and beans were delicious!

Once monthly we also team up with Berkshire Bounty to add a potluck feature that explores how food connects us as a community! It widens our appreciation of each other’s cultures and experiences, helping us form new relationships!

Yesterday Jenny brought us a delicious apple noodle kugel! Michael brought in one of his favorite comfort foods- a hearty sandwich and added that to the menu!

Thank you Mariam,Jenny & Michael! We really enjoyed the fellowship!

10/25/2026

North Adams city council is considering accepting a grant from the department of justice that has terms that could be used to force the North Adams police to share data with the Department of Justice. Thanks to community advocacy, Pittsfield city counsel rejected this same grant and we hope North Adams will do the same!

Please sign the petition we have linked to in the comments to tell them you don't approve.

Our mission is to increase working class ownership and control of the land, natural resources, government, economy, and culture. The working class includes everyone who does not make their money off of the labor of others- and this includes almost everyone reading this, including many marginalized groups who because of their political, racial, religious or personal identity are now being categorized by the current administration and NSPM-7 as unpatriotic, criminal, and/or terrorist.

There are many reasons to reject this grant money. The terms of the grant are unclear or undefined and include one line that allows them to unilaterally change the definition of cooperation. Because North Adams PD shares resources and information with Pittsfield PD and the rest of the county, any such information sharing agreement, puts residents of neighboring cities at risk for a program they never signed up for.

We have had too many documented instances of ICE or the DOJ targeting innocent people and we have had too many documented instances of local, county, and state law enforcement, as well as individual officers cooperating with ICE or the DOJ against the will of the people, even as town after town realizes and adopts official resolution that this kind of enforcement is the wrong direction for America.

North Adams did adopt a 'welcoming resolution' in 2016 asserting that the city would not tolerate unequal enforcement of the law on our immigrant population and at the most recent city council meeting Chief Bailey said neither his department nor any of his officers would directly participate in immigration enforcement or sharing any immigration information that they "weren't required to." But since DOJ is the body that determines what is required, this is no protection at all.

Council president Shade said she would prefer to take that money and fight any injustice later with several councilors agreeing. But we ask, with such a litigious administration with such deep pockets, what is the mechanism of this fight? Litigation is all about determining culpability and restitution after harm has occurred. It has very little ability to prevent harm. That's what bylaws and policies are for. Think of who would be suffering the harm in the immediate term that Council President Shade is promising to spend the weeks, months, or years fighting for?

But above all, when a difficult and divisive subject is being deliberated, even when some of the answers are unclear and some of the arguments are far too hypothetical, we feel strongly that you need to submit to the will of the people. And in this case, we have many respected members of the community and many community leaders saying this is too risky. Why risk betraying their trust and the trust of our immigrant population? Considering this $14,000 federal grant is a minute amount of money with so many perilous strings attached, accepting is clearly a bad deal ‼️‼️

10/12/2026

Yesterday @ Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.’s open house! Thank you to everyone who came! ❤️

10/12/2026

Español Debajo! Thank you so much to everyone who came out today for Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc.’s open house!

Even with the rain, friends joined Michael for a downtown class conscious tour! Aside from that community members joined two building tours! Still a lot of work to do inside the larger shared commercial kitchen at 129 and The People’s Art Gallery at 131 Fenn!

We were all were VERY well fed by producer cooperative Cocineras latinas! Delicious!

For those of us who stayed in the warmth of the community center, we still had great conversation and connected with some people we had previously only knew online! Thank you to those of you from pioneer valley for making your way over, including our friend Professor Boone and their UMASS solidarity economy group!

Thank you to business members present representing their respective cooperatives - MariaElisa, Patrick, Kiel, Matt, Nelson, Frozan, Nubia, & Mariam! Thank you Ben, who aids us in grant writing and donor development, for making the long trek from Oregon!

Thank you Najwa for all the building tour photos! ❤️

¡Muchísimas gracias a todos los que asistieron hoy a la jornada de puertas abiertas de Roots & Dreams y Mustard Seeds Inc.!

¡A pesar de la lluvia, hubo amigos que acompañaron a Michael en un recorrido por el centro de la ciudad con enfoque en la conciencia de clase! Además, ¡miembros de la comunidad participaron en dos visitas guiadas por las instalaciones! ¡Aún queda mucho trabajo por hacer en la cocina comunitaria más grande, ubicada en el número 129, y en la Galería de Arte Popular (The People’s Art Gallery) en el 131 de Fenn!

¡Todos disfrutamos de una comida excelente preparada por la cooperativa de productoras «Cocineras Latinas»! ¡Estaba deliciosa!

Quienes nos quedamos al calor del centro comunitario disfrutamos de grandes conversaciones y conectamos con personas a las que antes solo conocíamos en línea. Gracias a quienes vinieron desde Pioneer Valley, incluyendo a nuestro amigo, el profesor Boone, y a su grupo de economía solidaria de la UMASS.

Gracias a los miembros de las empresas presentes que representaron a sus respectivas cooperativas: MariaElisa, Patrick, Kiel, Matt, Nelson, Frozan, Nubia y Mariam. ¡Gracias a Ben, quien nos ayuda con la redacción de solicitudes de subvenciones y la captación de donantes, por hacer el largo viaje desde Oregón!

¡Gracias, Najwa, por todas las fotos del recorrido por las instalaciones! ❤️

10/11/2026

Open house today, Sunday, 1-4 @ Roots & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc. 117-133 Fenn St.

Schedule below!

Hello Pittsfield Community & Beyond! Hola Cominidad!

Come meet members of the cooperatives in our development ecosystem, including Cocineras latinas, Language Justice Solutions, Ecuadorean Cleaning Company, King Kone, Awamu Artists, Handymen Group Services, and tour our community-owned building project @117-133 Fenn St.

See its progress, learn and discuss plans for its future, and enjoy delicious cuisine prepared by the producer cooperative Cocineras Latinas!

Kids and parents are welcome to come in costume and hang out with Dirt, a comic book character created by a member of the Awamu Artist Cooperative! Candy will be given out!

Event Schedule:

🏠 1:30 PM: Ongoing building tours begin
🍽️ 2:30 PM: Cuisine served, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
🎃 3:00–4:00 PM: Costume party with Dirt and Nicole! (119 Fenn St)

Come explore, eat, celebrate, and learn more about community-owned cooperative development in action!

Building project development news in the full newsletter in the comments!

Hoy es el gran día! ¡Acompáñenos este domingo en Roots & Dreams y Mustard Seeds Inc., en el 117-133 de Fenn Street!

¡Aquí tiene el programa!

¡Saludos a la comunidad de Pittsfield y sus alrededores! ¡Hola, comunidad!

Venga a conocer a los miembros de las cooperativas de nuestro ecosistema de desarrollo —incluyendo a Cocineras Latinas, Ecuadorean Cleaning Company, King Kone, Awamu Artists y Handymen Group Services— y recorra nuestro proyecto de edificio de propiedad comunitaria en el 117-133 de Fenn St.

¡Vea los avances, conozca y dialogue sobre los planes para el futuro, y disfrute de la deliciosa comida preparada por la cooperativa de productoras Cocineras Latinas!

¡Invitamos a niños y padres a venir disfrazados y compartir un rato con Dirt, un personaje de cómic creado por un miembro de la cooperativa Awamu Artists! ¡Repartiremos dulces!

Programa del evento:

🏠 1:30 PM: Inicio de los recorridos continuos por el edificio
🍽️ 2:30 PM: Servicio de comida, con opciones vegetarianas y no vegetarianas
🎃 3:00–4:00 PM: Fiesta de disfraces con Dirt y Nicole (en el 119 de Fenn St)

¡Venga a explorar, comer, celebrar y conocer más sobre el desarrollo de cooperativas de propiedad comunitaria en acción!

Encuentre noticias sobre el desarrollo del proyecto de construcción en el boletín completo en los comentarios.

With Roots & Dreams Open House!

10/11/2026

Español Debajo! Tomorrow is the day! Join us Sunday & Dreams and Mustard Seeds Inc., 117-133 Fenn Street!

Schedule below!

Hello Pittsfield Community & Beyond! Hola Cominidad!

Come meet members of the cooperatives in our development ecosystem, including Cocineras latinas, Language Justice Solutions, Ecuadorean Cleaning Company, King Kone, Awamu Artists, Handymen Group Services, and tour our community-owned building project @117-133 Fenn St.

See its progress, learn and discuss plans for its future, and enjoy delicious cuisine prepared by the producer cooperative Cocineras Latinas!

Kids and parents are welcome to come in costume and hang out with Dirt, a comic book character created by a member of the Awamu Artist Cooperative! Candy will be given out!

Event Schedule:

🏠 1:30 PM: Ongoing building tours begin
🍽️ 2:30 PM: Cuisine served, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
🎃 3:00–4:00 PM: Costume party with Dirt and Nicole! (119 Fenn St)

Come explore, eat, celebrate, and learn more about community-owned cooperative development in action!

Building project development news in the full newsletter in the comments!

¡Mañana es el gran día! ¡Acompáñenos este domingo en Roots & Dreams y Mustard Seeds Inc., en el 117-133 de Fenn Street!

¡Aquí tiene el programa!

¡Saludos a la comunidad de Pittsfield y sus alrededores! ¡Hola, comunidad!

Venga a conocer a los miembros de las cooperativas de nuestro ecosistema de desarrollo —incluyendo a Cocineras Latinas, Ecuadorean Cleaning Company, King Kone, Awamu Artists y Handymen Group Services— y recorra nuestro proyecto de edificio de propiedad comunitaria en el 117-133 de Fenn St.

¡Vea los avances, conozca y dialogue sobre los planes para el futuro, y disfrute de la deliciosa comida preparada por la cooperativa de productoras Cocineras Latinas!

¡Invitamos a niños y padres a venir disfrazados y compartir un rato con Dirt, un personaje de cómic creado por un miembro de la cooperativa Awamu Artists! ¡Repartiremos dulces!

Programa del evento:

🏠 1:30 PM: Inicio de los recorridos continuos por el edificio
🍽️ 2:30 PM: Servicio de comida, con opciones vegetarianas y no vegetarianas
🎃 3:00–4:00 PM: Fiesta de disfraces con Dirt y Nicole (en el 119 de Fenn St)

¡Venga a explorar, comer, celebrar y conocer más sobre el desarrollo de cooperativas de propiedad comunitaria en acción!

Encuentre noticias sobre el desarrollo del proyecto de construcción en el boletín completo en los comentarios.

With Roots & Dreams Open House!

10/09/2026

Thank you Gordon & Giving Gardens for the beautiful fresh lettuce! Thank you Gabriel Archangel for voluntarily cleaning all three fridges! They look marvelous!

We reopen tomorrow Saturday, 1-5.30. This week we’re open Sunday too! Don’t miss our open house, 1-4! Schedule below! Cocineras latinas is cooking up a storm -photos in the post!

Español Debajo! SPECIAL EVENT - Sunday, October 11th, 1-4!

Hello Pittsfield Community & Beyond! Hola Cominidad!

Join us at 117–133 Fenn St. from 1–4:00 PM!

Come meet six cooperatives in our development ecosystem, tour our community-owned building project and see its progress, learn and discuss plans for its future, and enjoy delicious cuisine prepared by the producer cooperative Cocineras Latinas!

Kids and parents are welcome to come in costume and hang out with Dirt, a comic book character created by a member of the Awamu Artist Cooperative! Candy will be given out!

Ecuadorean Cleaning Cooperative will be tabling and passing out their business cards!!

Event Schedule: Meet us at 119 Fenn St.

🏠 1:30 PM: Ongoing building tours begin
🍽️ 2:30 PM: Cuisine served, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
🎃 3:00–4:00 PM: Costume party with Dirt and Nicole! (119 Fenn St)

Come explore, eat, celebrate, and learn more about community-owned cooperative development in action!

Come if you can!

¡Hola, comunidad de Pittsfield y alrededores!

¡Acompáñennos en el 117–133 de Fenn St. de 1:00 a 4:00 p. m.!

Vengan a conocer seis cooperativas de nuestro ecosistema de desarrollo, recorran el proyecto de construcción de propiedad comunitaria y vean sus avances, conozcan y conversen sobre los planes para su futuro, y disfruten de la deliciosa comida preparada por la cooperativa de productoras Cocineras Latinas!

Invitamos a niños y padres a venir disfrazados y compartir un rato con Dirt, un personaje de cómic creado por un miembro de la cooperativa de artistas Awamu. ¡Habrá dulces para todos!

La cooperativa de limpieza Ecuadorean Cleaning Cooperative tendrá un puesto informativo y repartirá sus tarjetas de presentación.

Programa del evento: Nos reuniremos en el 119 de Fenn St.

🏠 1:30 p. m.: Inicio de los recorridos por la obra en construcción
🍽️ 2:30 p. m.: Se servirá la comida (con opciones vegetarianas y no vegetarianas)
🎃 3:00–4:00 p. m.: Fiesta de disfraces con Dirt y Nicole (en el 119 de Fenn St.)

¡Vengan a explorar, comer, celebrar y conocer más sobre el desarrollo de cooperativas de propiedad comunitaria en acción!

Full newsletter link in comments! Enlace al boletín completo en los comentarios.