An Urban Farm Rooted in Mutual Aid

Located in the middle of a Ypsilanti neighborhood, from the street, the MESS House is dwarfed by the sunflowers growing next to it and the giant shade tarps covering both seating and plants. The process of developing the property and the house is ongoing, but there is already a robust urban farming project underway here. In August, abundant tomato plants are growing, plant starts are available for community members to pick up, purslane is bursting out of the ground, and a section of the property is dedicated to landrace plants–plants that are specifically adapted to do well in the Southeast Michigan region. Eventually, MESS hopes to transform the house on the property into a community third space.

MESS (the Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti Eco Survival Support) is a Ypsilanti-based organization that operates under the umbrella of MANY (the Mutual Aid Network of Ypsilanti). Other MANY programs include a Pull Over Prevention & Mutual Aid Fair, Pantry Support, Free Markets, and Arts, Culture, and Benevolence. MESS is a relatively new program focused on fighting climate insecurity through urban farming and mutual ai,d which was formed in response to the worsening conditions of the planet. It is the members’ answer to the question “What can we do to help the people immediately around us survive when so much at the big level is out of our control?”

Because not everyone has the resources to help fortify themselves against the impacts of climate change, such as having backup coolers or generators to keep food from perishing when the power goes out, MESS aims to help support community resilience through things actions like providing plant starts at no cost to their neighbors and holding food preservation workshops where neighbors can can the food grown on the farm and take it home with them. Ultimately, they aim to provide a public food growing space and to expose neighbors to the idea that you can grow your own food.

What MESS really specializes in, though, is bringing together community members in mutually beneficial work brigades. One example of this is MESS’s collaboration with a farmer in Milan whose blueberry farm had fallen into disrepair; in exchange for MESS members helping out with pruning and harvesting the blueberries, they received a share of the harvest. Another farmer donated their excess plant starts at the MESS House, and in exchange, MESS members helped the farmer with their garlic harvest.

This is the farm’s first full growing season, and most of the members don’t have any prior experience with urban gardening, so there is a lot of trial and error in the farm work (as there always is with farm work!). They’re still in the process of forming more relationships with established farms and reaching out to neighbors to see what neighborhood members would like to see planted. They are also still in the process of deciding whether to retrofit the existing structure on the property or to demo it and use it as an opportunity to put into practice sustainable building practices, which some of their members have been learning.

MESS is a small organization made up of volunteers with many different skillsets and expertise, all of whom want to help the people around them and provide not just direct food aid but long-term urban agriculture infrastructure to their Ypsilanti neighborhood. They have about ten core members who do most of the organizing work, and can usually pull ten or twenty additional people together for work brigades. All neighborhood members, regardless of whether they come with agricultural skills, are welcome to join them in their mission of engaging and supporting the community (but community members with practical building skills are especially welcome).

You can find more information about MESS, including ways to get involved, at https://ypsimutualaid.org/many-eco-survival-support/.

This post is part of a series by Emma Rose Hardy, a PhD Candidate at the University of Michigan and the Rackham Local Food Systems Intern at Growing Hope. The series aims to highlight the essential role that SNAP and other food assistance programs play in the Washtenaw County local food system.

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Nurturing a Season of Hope

By Julius Buzzard • November 18, 2025

November 2025 Food insecurity is a quiet crisis, until it’s at your doorstep. In Michigan, one in six adults and one in five children are struggling to afford food. Here in Washtenaw County, one in seven of our neighbors face the daily choice between groceries, childcare, and medicine. This year has brought more than hardship; it has brought disruption . Federal work requirements are forcing parents and elders to choose between groceries, healthcare, and childcare. Budget cuts and policy whiplash have shredded what remains of our fragile safety net. And yet, this is not the end of the story. We are reminded, once again: hunger isn’t just a matter of policy. It’s a matter of power. At Growing Hope, we are working toward a different future. A future rooted in justice, joy, and food sovereignty. Food is not a commodity. It is a human right. It is a relationship. It is a powerful tool for reclaiming what is ours: the ability to nourish ourselves, our families, and our community. “I want to learn how to do all kinds of stuff. We live in an unpredictable world.” She paused, laughed, and shrugged. “I need to grow my own food. That’s where my head is.” —Amorita, hands in the soil at our urban farm Your gift today will double to ensure families across our region can access, grow, and share fresh, culturally-relevant food. This year, your generosity has sown resilience: Over 6,000 pounds of produce and 10,000 food plants were shared with neighbors. A farmers market that reimagines food assistance with dignity and choice. An incubator kitchen that seeds new food businesses, stitching equity into our local economy. Teens empowered to lead, teach, and grow, becoming catalysts for generational health. “I know that I’ve been able to make an impact in my community while working with the teen program, probably more than I would have if I hadn’t worked here. Part of it is because it made me believe I could. The other is probably all of the connections and opportunities Growing Hope has in the community, that I’ve been privileged to take advantage of.” —Youth Leader, Growing Hope Teen Program Together, we are not just growing food. We are growing future. When a young person harvests food for their neighbors… When an elder shares recipes that carry memory and meaning… When families gather to eat from the soil they stewarded together… That is how chaos gives way to hope. Dr. C.R. Snyder reminds us that hope is not simply a feeling. It requires vision, possibility, sustained effort, and the belief that our actions shape the future. That’s the kind of hope we are cultivating at Growing Hope, and we can only do it together. This season, you can ensure our community is not defined by chaos and confusion, but remembered as a season of hope. Your year-end gift will be doubled to strengthen our shared work for food justice and sovereignty. Will you stand with us in planting the seeds of hope that will grow for generations? In solidarity and gratitude, Julius Buzzard Executive Director P.S. Your gift will be doubled thanks to a generous donor match. Together, let’s move from chaos to hope.

Introducing the Ypsi SNAP Gap

By Julius Buzzard • October 31, 2025

Beloved community, There’s a phrase I keep returning to: We are the safety net. With the federal government shutdown now halting SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits across Michigan, that phrase feels less like a metaphor and more like a mandate. Beginning November 1st, thousands of Washtenaw County households, nearly 9% of local families, will lose access to the benefits that help them keep food on the table. These aren’t strangers. It’s our neighbors. It’s our friends. It’s the families who fill our markets, who grow alongside us, who deserve far more than the uncertainty this system has handed them. At Growing Hope, we’ve always believed that food sovereignty runs deeper than access. It means dignity, interdependence, and self-determination. When the systems built to care for people fail, our community steps forward to weave that net ourselves. To ensure that no one goes hungry during this crisis, we’re launching a new local initiative: the Ypsi Market SNAP Gap. This community-based program temporarily replaces or supplements SNAP for anyone who uses an EBT/Bridge Card. At the Ypsilanti Farmers Market, participants can receive $40 in market tokens to spend on any fresh or prepared foods. Simply bring your Bridge Card to the Market Info Booth and shop with dignity from local farmers and producers who nourish our community every week. We will not allow our neighbors to go hungry while food surrounds us. This program keeps local food moving through local hands, strengthening both Ypsi families and Ypsi farmers. With a mix of foundation, corporate, and individual support, this is mutual aid in motion. Folks are in need, and our community is stepping up in some incredible ways. Here are just a few, and some ways you can get involved: 1. Double Up Food Bucks has temporarily lifted its cap, allowing unlimited matches for Michigan-grown produce for anyone still receiving SNAP benefits, while also offering limited $40 vouchers. 2. Food Gatherers is expanding pantry hours and sites across the county. 3. Our Free Produce Stand at the Growing Hope Urban Farm remains open, stocked by community members and local growers who share what they can. No one will be turned away. If you have extra harvest from your garden, we invite you to share it directly with your neighbors. It’s not about waiting for systems to restart; it’s about creating systems rooted in care, justice, and belonging. Each Ypsi Market SNAP Gap token moves through our local food economy twice: once when it nourishes a family, and again when it supports the farmer who grew it. This is how we resist scarcity: by practicing abundance. We raised emergency funds earlier this year to prepare for moments like this, and they are already hard at work. But as need grows, so too must our response. Our community is what makes this pivotal movement work possible; thank you for being part of our community. “The land and the people are meant to take care of each other.” -Leah Penniman That’s what we’re doing now. Through shared harvests, through small acts of generosity, through the quiet conviction that no one should go hungry. In this moment of uncertainty, we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done: growing hope, together. In solidarity and care, Julius P.S. Shop the market, contribute to our Free Produce Stand, or share this with a neighbor who could use a helping hand; together, we keep our community fed and supported.

Food is A Human Right '25

By Julius Buzzard • October 7, 2025

Beloved community, There is something both ordinary and sacred about food. It is in the smell of bread fresh from the oven, the snap of beans pulled from the vine, the way a shared meal can turn strangers into neighbors. Food is how we survive, but it is also how we connect, how we celebrate, and how we remember who we are. That is why we hold this truth at the center of our work: food is a human right. It is not a privilege. It is not a bargaining chip. It is not to be withheld, leveraged, or weaponized. Food is life, and everyone deserves access to it. And yet, at this very moment, that truth is being denied. Just weeks ago, the USDA quietly canceled its long-running Household Food Security in the U.S. report. For nearly three decades, this report has been one of the few consistent tools we have to measure hunger in this country. It has named the millions of households, disproportionately Black, Brown, Indigenous, and rural, that struggle to put food on the table. Without it, the crisis of hunger becomes easier to hide, easier to dismiss, easier to erase from the public record. Why does that matter? Because when we lose the data, we lose the visibility. When hunger is invisible, so too are the families who face it. And without that accountability, policymakers can claim progress where there is none, and corporate food systems can continue to profit while communities go without. But here is what we know in our bones: hunger is not inevitable . It is not an accident. It is the result of choices. If there are communities around the world who recognize food as a human right in their laws and policies, then it is possible here, too. In a country of such abundance, how can we allow hunger to persist? Every market we host, every meal we share, every seedling we pass into the hands of a neighbor is a refusal to accept that contradiction. These everyday acts help repair our community. Together, we are investing in a food system that reflects our values : one where fresh, local produce is available to all, where education builds resilience, where policies affirm food as a right, and where resources are shared freely, from our produce stand to the gardens sparked by our seedlings. Food connects us. It grounds us. It carries the possibility of dignity, sovereignty, and joy. And in this moment, when the truth about hunger is being stripped from the record, our collective action matters more than ever. Through solidarity, we can build a system rooted in abundance and belonging. In solidarity, Julius P.S. We’ve just released new Food is a Human Right shirts! You can grab yours as part of our Fall Harvest Auction . Take a look and see some of the other items you could take home to help our community achieve the right to food.

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