Get Involved
ROOTING FOR THE FUTURE
(Make note that if you scroll below you can download progress updates with pictures and see our current wishlist of what we still need to open! You can also click "Donate Now" on the top of this page and go right to the portal to make your online one time or recurring gift to the campaign!)
Since 2003, Growing Hope has been dedicated to helping people improve their lives and communities through gardening and healthy food access, working throughout the community in a capacity-building approach. We are now thrilled to announce the launch of our ‘Rooting for the Future’ Fund to help move us forward, and into, our Growing Hope Center.
In this public, second phase of an overall $1,000,000 campaign, Growing Hope only needs to raise $200,000 to finish site upgrades to gain Certificate of Occupancy, move out of rented office space in Downtown Ypsilanti, and into our landmark – and permanent – urban, educational farm at 922 West Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti.
We invite you to learn more about how the organization is currently engaging with the community and why the Growing Hope Center is vital to creating a vibrant community. We also want to show you the progress to date at the Growing Hope Center-- including recent additions of a geothermal HVAC system, hoophouse cisterns, and green renovations in progress in our future building. We have scheduled one-hour tours: March 3rd (at 4:00pm), March 5th (from 1:00-3:00pm), March 8th (at 5:00pm), and March 17th (at 8:30am). RSVPs are requested; click here to sign up for a tour. Note: Because the site & building are under construction, it is not appropriate to bring children to these tours. Please wear whether appropriate shoes and clothing.
When fully funded, the Growing Hope Center will operate year round, both making our programs and services more accessible and serving as an anchor of revitalization by providing indoor and outdoor gathering and learning spaces.
The Center will set a visible and undeniable example of progress and success in an urban setting, by:
- Dramatically increasing our ability to demonstrate and provide hands-on training for gardening, urban farming, healthy eating, and garden-based entrepreneurship.
- Making food production more accessible and affordable to community members by creating a center for storing, lending, selling and donating tools, books, equipment and building materials.
- Providing space where volunteer labor can be utilized to grow thousands of seedlings and build hundreds of raised bed kits and rain barrels that can be utilized both for donations and providing a sustaining revenue stream.
- Nurturing local businesses through garden-based enterprises including growing herbs for wholesaling to local restaurants, producing vegetables for sale online and at the farmers’ market, and training local under-employed workers for jobs in urban agriculture and local food industries.
- Increasing the locally grown supply of fresh foods available for sale and donation by further integrating our hoophouse and its 10-month growing capacity into our operations.
- Enhancing our internal capacity and organizational sustainability by providing new revenue streams and providing space for fee-based programs.
- Solidifying Growing Hope as a hub for urban agriculture and training for Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan.
- Building upon our existing media and community relationships to showcase the successful rebirth of Ypsilanti and our region.
Support the campaign today with a pledge of any amount! Click on "Donate Now" above, and specify when you make your gift that it is designated for the Growing Hope Center. Contact hannah@growinghope.net to learn how you can support the campaign.
