Beyond Buying

Councilmember Desiraé Simmons on the Power of the Farmers Market

Farmers markets exist at the intersection of economy, food justice, and community. They are spaces where fresh food meets real relationships, where small businesses take root, and where local purchasing power turns into collective impact. But beyond that, they are spaces where time slows down, where neighbors reconnect, and where a local economy is built—not through policy alone, but through people showing up, week after week.

Councilmember Desiraé Simmons, who represents Ward 3 in Ypsilanti, has seen firsthand how markets like this shape the way a city moves forward. We sat down with her to talk about the economic, social, and cultural power of farmers markets, and what it means for Ypsilanti as the market moves downtown this season.

"A Farmers Market is an Economic Engine"

Julius Buzzard: We hear a lot about supporting local economies, but often that conversation is focused on big development projects. From your perspective, how does a farmers market serve as an economic engine for Ypsilanti?

Desiraé Simmons: There are so many ways! One of the biggest is that it allows small, home-based businesses—cottage food makers, bakers, growers—to sell their products directly to the people who live here. It’s accessible entrepreneurship in action.

It also builds consumer confidence. People know exactly where their food is coming from, who grew it, how it was made. When people have that level of trust, they’re more likely to shop in a way that aligns with their values.

Access, Choice, and Food Justice

JB: The Ypsilanti Farmers Market has been a leader in making fresh, local food accessible. What’s the broader impact of that work?

DS: One of the most powerful things about this market is that food assistance doesn’t limit choice. If you’re using SNAP, WIC, or Double Up Food Bucks, you’re not just taking what’s given to you—you’re choosing the food that’s right for you and your family.

That choice is huge. It means people are getting fresh, high-quality food, even on assistance. And it creates this incredible mixed-income space where everyone, regardless of how they pay, is shopping side by side, interacting, and being in community together.

A Market That Moves With the City

JB: This year, the market moves downtown—a big shift. From a city planning perspective, what does this move mean for Ypsilanti?

DS: We’ll miss having the market in Depot Town—Ward 3 has loved hosting it. But moving downtown means the market becomes more central, more accessible, and more visible.

It’s part of the bigger picture of making downtown Ypsi vibrant and full. With the market here, people won’t just shop for food—they’ll explore other local businesses. I’m really excited to see how those connections grow.

Farmers Markets as a Gathering Place

JB: Sometimes, government work can feel removed from the day-to-day lives of residents. But markets like this are a place where policy meets people. How do you see that playing out?

DS: Farmers markets are spaces of assembly. They bring people together in ways that influence how we think about community needs and solutions.

It’s hard to imagine Ypsi before the market—it’s such an integral part of the city now. And when you look at how it started, it’s a great example of a community-driven solution to food access and economic development. That’s why it’s still here, growing, expanding, evolving.

On a personal level, I love how the market breaks isolation. I know people who come just to see a specific vendor, or to reconnect with folks they might not see otherwise. That’s a powerful thing.

What to Notice at the Market

JB: If someone were visiting the market for the first time—not just to shop, but to understand its role in the community—what would you tell them to look for?

DS: I’d tell them to just watch.

Watch how people move through the space. Notice the rhythm of it—the ritual of showing up, chatting with vendors, seeing what’s in season. Notice the conversations, the small moments of connection.

The market changes how we relate to food, but it also changes how we relate to time. It slows us down, even just for a moment. That’s something I want people to see.

Join Us in Growing This Market

This season, the market is evolving—a new location, new opportunities, and a growing community.

📍 NEW LOCATION: 16 S. Washington Street

🛍️ Opening Day: May 3, 2025 | ⏰ 9 AM – 1 PM

💛 Want to help keep this space thriving? Become a Friend of the Market today. Your support keeps this market accessible, equitable, and deeply rooted in Ypsilanti.

👉 Join Here

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When Food Is Weaponized

By Julius Buzzard • July 24, 2025

Standing for Krystal Clark and the Right to Eat

The wisest plans aren't drawn, they're grown.

By Julius Buzzard • July 1, 2025

Beloved Community, The solstice has turned, and with it, so have we; from spring’s promise to summer’s abundance. Here at Growing Hope, the gardens are bursting. Our new produce stand is packed to the brim, feeding our people. The Ypsilanti Farmers Market is an eruption of flavor, fragrance, and connection with lettuces that fan open like green flames and strawberries glistening red and warm from the sun. Inside the incubator kitchen, the hum of creativity rises. Local makers prepping for pop-ups across the county, building micro-enterprises from ancestral memory and modern hustle. And our Teen Leadership Program? Alive and electric. Twelve young visionaries are learning, leading, and laboring with heart. The farm pulses with their energy. As the land leans fully into the heat of summer, I find myself reflecting, not just on the harvest, but on the moment. The landscape around us is shifting fast. This moment has been described in many different ways, but we know the truth: this is a time of hope and possibility. Hope is not naïve. It’s an act of defiance. Of imagination. Of sovereignty. In complex times, the wisest plans aren't drawn, they're grown. Last month, I had the honor of testifying before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture . I shared what you already know: Growing Hope doesn’t just run programs. We grow possibility. We practice emergence. We tend a living ecosystem of relationships. I told them: Each year, Growing Hope supports hundreds of backyard growers through our Home Vegetable Garden program. We provide raised beds, rich soil, seedlings, and the knowledge to grow a harvest that feeds families. These aren’t symbolic plots—they’re productive, generative, and abundant. And from them, we are witnessing the reweaving of a community food web—a quiet, powerful economy of mutual aid. Tomatoes for cucumbers. Collards on porches. Elders teaching youth to save seed. These gardens offer more than food. They offer belonging. They offer resilience. They offer infrastructure—the kind that actually holds when the shocks come. This isn’t charity. This is solidarity. It’s sovereignty. It’s survival. Together, we carry resilience. Together, we cultivate hope. Together, we are growing a hyper-local, sovereign, joyful food system; one garden, one porch, one plate at a time. In solidarity and soil, Julius P.S. The future of food assistance is uncertain ; we’re collecting stories to highlight the essential role that SNAP and other food assistance programs play in the Washtenaw County local food system. Keep an eye on our blog to learn more.

Innovating for Inclusion: Lessons from Old City Acres on Digital SNAP Access

By Julius Buzzard • June 27, 2025

Old City Acres, a Ypsilanti urban farm and food hub, is one of the only farms in the region individually accredited to accept SNAP. The farm is owned and run by Alex Ball, who has lived and farmed along the Huron River his entire life. Growing up in Southeast Michigan during The Great Recession, Alex knows that people’s financial and food security can be changed overnight, and has always understood the importance of SNAP programs for community food security. Old City Acres is primarily an e-grocer–they offer home delivery and multiple in-town pickup locations for produce, but all of the produce is purchased through their online portal. When they first started taking SNAP, the intent was to integrate more SNAP users into online CSA boxes and other produce sales. Alex worked with Taste the Local Difference, a Michigan-based local food marketing organization, to generally expand e-access for local food. However, they found that there is very little demand for online SNAP sales, largely because of a lack of awareness and training on the customer side. Despite his best efforts, Alex wasn’t able to break through that barrier for e-grocery SNAP use. Despite 20% of his sales being SNAP pre-pandemic, there was such little demand after moving online that he eventually stopped advertising about e-grocery SNAP and isn’t accepting new SNAP customers (though long-term customers are still able to use SNAP). Old City Acres spends more on just maintaining their SNAP infrastructure (the Bridge card reader) than they make in profit from SNAP sales, but have decided to keep their infrastructure because when they do have their pop-up, in-person, farm stand, there is still high demand for SNAP. Because of the struggle to transfer in-person SNAP use into the e-grocery space, Old City Acres has their own internal food access programs. They offer credit packages, where investing $75 or more into the farm gives you a bonus on each dollar you spend. They also offer no-interest payment plans on all of the credit packages, and there has been a surge in demand for this option over the past year. Finally, Old City Acres also offers a $10/week for an as-much-as-you-want option geared towards students and older community members, which people can access regardless of their official SNAP eligibility. These options help fill the gap left by a lack of e-grocery SNAP use, but they also put Old City Acres in a constant battle to maintain profitability, since they’re bearing the food assistance costs internally. The farm used to be much more access-focused, but according to Alex they have been left with no choice but to raise certain prices, which is difficult in an area where the customer base is so susceptible to even small price changes (about ⅓ of the customer base makes less than 50k in household income). This has left Old City Acres in the position of having to make tough decisions, not all of which help with community food access. The lack of SNAP awareness and use in small-scale e-grocery spaces highlights one of the limitations of current food assistance programs. 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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