Creating a Space for Community

A Conversation with Farmers Market Manager Claire Austin

Some spaces are built for efficiency. Farmers markets are built for connection.

Claire Austin, the Ypsilanti Farmers Market Manager, knows this better than anyone.

"At the height of summer, I watched kids playing checkers on the pavement while their parents enjoyed ice cream from a local vendor. It was one of those moments where the whole market just felt easy—people were present, together, unhurried. That’s what makes this market special. It’s not just about food—it’s about creating a space where people can exist in community, stress-free."

But creating and maintaining a space like this takes effort. And as the market moves downtown to Washington Street this year, accessibility and sustainability are at the forefront of that work. I sat down with Claire to talk about what this transition means, why farmers markets are more than just places to shop, and how Friends of the Market can help ensure this space continues to thrive.

"A Space That Works for Everyone"

Julius Buzzard: Moving the market downtown is a big shift. What excites you most about this transition?

Claire Austin: Accessibility. At the old location, getting around with a stroller or wheelchair could be tough. This move makes the market more navigable for everyone—with better handicap-accessible parking and smoother pathways.

It’s also closer to more people. We have so many seniors who love the winter market, and now they’ll be within walking distance during the summer season too. And with the market being more visible downtown, I expect to see a lot more folks discovering it for the first time.

More Than a Transaction

JB: Farmers markets are often thought of as shopping spaces, but they’re so much more than that. What do you think makes the Ypsilanti Farmers Market different?

CA: It’s about relationships. You’re not just picking up produce—you’re meeting the people who grew it, who know the story behind every tomato and head of lettuce.

It’s also a place where people can just be. You don’t have to spend money to feel welcome here. I love seeing folks who come just to chat with vendors, build friendships, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

Food Access as a Core Mission

JB: Food assistance programs are a big part of this market. Why is that such a priority?

CA: It’s in our mission statement: to increase food access.

We accept SNAP, WIC, Senior Project Fresh, Prescription for Health, and Double Up Food Bucks—because fresh, local food should be for everyone. And the best part? Your money goes further at the farmers market. When food prices are unpredictable, shopping local gives people more consistent access to affordable, high-quality food.

Why Friends of the Market Matter

JB: For someone who’s been to the market but never thought about becoming a Friend of the Market, what would you say?

CA: Keeping this market running takes real resources. It’s like supporting a local library or community center. You might not think about what it takes to sustain it, but without support, it can’t grow—or even exist.

When you become a Friend of the Market, you help:

✔ Keep vendor fees low, so small farmers can continue doing this work

✔ Expand food assistance programs, making fresh food accessible for all

✔ Maintain a safe, welcoming space where our community can gather

"I want this market to still be here for generations to come. That only happens if people step up to support it."

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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