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Community Meals

   We offer community meals 3 times a week—2 dinners, and a weekend meal.  We cook and clean for the meals in teams of 3 people—sometimes the kids jump in to help out.  The Cook Team posts a menu for people to sign up, and then buys food and prepare the meal.  The Clean-Up Team washes dishes and cleans the kitchen and dining room after a meal. Some of our best shared meals are potlucks and BBQ’s.

    Community meals allow you to eat up to 12 meals a month with other Yulupians and only have to cook and clean once!  Yummy food!

Vegetable Garden

   With a large group of avid organic gardeners and others who enjoy working in our seasonal vegetable and fruit garden, we’re able to provide some produce for community meals and individual use.  Our fruit trees include apples, figs, lemons, pears, persimmons, and plums.       

Task Teams

    The community shares the responsibility for cleaning the Common House and the grounds.  We have 6 teams that rotate responsibilities for cleaning the community laundry room, kitchen, dining room, garbage area, and sidewalks.  Some teams work on their weekly tasks in unison, some in pairs, and some individually.  We rotate tasks every 2 months.

Meetings

  As a community we meet monthly to discuss issues, events, budget, and hear proposals from committees.  Our decisions are made by consensus, allowing everyone to participate and be heard. 

     The meetings are facilitated by members of our Facilitation Team.  A “jester” helps keep us smiling and laughing during the meetings.  Meetings also give us an opportunity to learn something new about each other with introductory games.

    We also have committees that meet about once a month to divide up the work and share responsibilities.  Each committee is represented at the monthly Coordinating Council meetings to oversee the community and guide the next meeting agenda.

   Once or twice a year we host weekend workshops for the community to discuss issues in more depth, learn and practice communication skills, get to know each other better, and have fun.

Work Days

  During the year, we have quarterly work days. Together, we take on the maintenance and upkeep of the garden, landscaping, and buildings.  We often celebrate our work with a meal afterward.

  The Parents Committee and other Yulupians assembled a play structure for the kids and built a “cob” sandbox.  The upper right photo shows the group effort required to move one of our palm trees to a better location. 

Recycle, Reuse, Compost

   A Yulupa Cohousing value is to work on sustainability.  To this end, we are avid recyclers, compost our vegetable food wastes to amend our clay soil, and share resources.

Monthly Birthday Party

  Birthdays at Yulupa are celebrated once a month, recognizing each member’s special day with a treat following a community meal.

Hanging Out at YCH

   Stop for a chat with a neighbor, hang out with the kids, read a book in the courtyard or library, attend a movie night, or dine at a potluck barbeque.

CLASSES

  Various formal and informal classes have occurred in the Common House including American Sign Language, meditation and book groups, Qi Gong, ballroom dancing, and crafts days.