growing-hope

Mother Earth is Asking Us to be Present

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:15:12 GMT

Beloved community,

April arrives the way it always does in Michigan; tentatively at first, then all at once. One morning, the ground is still stubborn and cold, and the next, something is pushing through.

We call it Earth Month, but Mother Earth does not need a month. Mother Earth is always working. What Earth Month does, at its best, is return us to attention; to the slow, faithful labor happening beneath our feet, whether we notice or not.

This month, I want to talk about that labor.

Not just the labor of growing food, but the labor of staying whole while doing this work.

The labor of belonging to one another.

The labor of grief.

Food sovereignty has never been only about food. It has always been about the conditions under which people live; who controls the land, who decides what is grown and for whom, whose hands are trusted to tend it, and whose labor is rendered invisible in the process.

When we plant together, across our differences, we practice a different way of being in relationship with the earth and with each other. We are rehearsing the world we are trying to build. This is food sovereignty at its fullest: not a policy framework alone, but a practice of restoration. Of the land, yes. But also of people. Of community. Of self.

Earth Month, then, is not just a celebration of the natural world. It is an invitation to remember that we are part of it; that the health of our soil and the health of our souls are not separate questions.

This spring, I am carrying something heavier than usual. And I suspect many of you are too. Our community lost Melvin Parson. And that loss has settled into me like the coming of spring here in Michigan: quietly, then suddenly, everywhere.

Melvin was a farmer, a visionary, and a neighbor. Through We The People Opportunity Farm, he built real pathways of belonging and dignity. He understood that food sovereignty is not only about growing food; it is about restoring people to possibility. Melvin planted seeds that will outlive all of us. In the soil and in the lives he helped rebuild. Rest in power, Melvin. We will keep tending what you planted.

But grief does not arrive alone. And I think we need to name that.

Something has been accumulating in many of us. The anxiety of not knowing whether your rent will hold, whether the program keeping your mother's medication affordable will survive the next budget cycle, whether the news tomorrow brings another cut, another threat, another loss. The weight of watching war unfold on a screen while packing your child's lunch. The low hum of uncertainty has grown so constant that many of us have stopped recognizing it as something being done to us.

Mental health in our communities is rarely one dramatic moment. It is the slow erosion of the conditions that makes life feel possible. And right now, those conditions are under pressure from every direction.

We are not imagining it. It is real. And it deserves to be named.

I do not want to move past this moment too quickly, because I think it is asking something of us.

Those of us who work in food systems, in community organizing, in the daily labor of trying to repair what has been broken, we carry a particular weight. The need is constant. The resources are not. The work is relational, which means every loss is personal. Every family facing hunger has a name. Every policy that fails our community lands in someone's body.

We are not separate from the communities we serve. We are one of them. And that means the strains of this moment: economic precarity, political hostility, grief, isolation, and the relentless demand to do more with less all live within us.

I have been thinking about what it means to tend ourselves the way Mother Earth tends herself. To acknowledge that fallow seasons are not failures. That rest is not retreat. That asking for help is not a weakness, but the most honest form of community care.

Mother Earth is not asking us to be strong; she’s asking us to be present.

This April, I am inviting Growing Hope's community into that same practice. Tend your plot, yes, but also tend your people. Check on your neighbors. Come to the farm not just to grow food, but to be held by the community. Let the soil remind you that transformation is slow, and real, and worth it.

We are in this together. And together is the only way through.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. If this month is weighing on you, you don't have to carry it alone. The NAMI HelpLine offers free, confidential one-on-one support, mental health information, and resources — available Monday through Friday, 10am–10pm ET. Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text NAMI to 62640. And if you need a reason to get outside and be with people, join us on April 11, 10am–1pm for our Spring Seedling Distribution.

Downtown Ypsi Deserves This

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:56:43 GMT

Beloved community,

Last season, organizers of all sizes hosted 168 events at the Ypsilanti Farmers MarketPlace, from mutual aid distributions and cultural gatherings to health outreach and food policy conversations. These moments reflect how we steward shared resources to maximize good and meet multiple community needs at once.

At the heart of it all is the Ypsilanti Farmers Market itself.

If you’ve spent any time at the market, you know that it’s never just been a place to shop.

It’s a place to linger.

To listen.

To organize.

To feed one another, body and spirit.

Together, we are building a food ecosystem where everyone has access to fresh produce and where advocacy, mutual aid, and belonging intersect.

That was especially clear this year when our community faced a sudden gap in food access.

When early federal funding shifts threatened nutrition dollars, our community didn’t wait. Together, we rapidly designed and launched the Ypsi SNAP Gap Program, a locally powered response that ensured hundreds of local families could continue to access food.

As we move through spring, your support sustains this work; keeping vendor fees low, strengthening food access programs, and maintaining the MarketPlace as a space for belonging. Every gift sustains a place to live, organize, and nourish one another.

With deep gratitude,

Julius Buzzard

Executive Director

P.S. Your early spring support ensures we’re ready to respond when our community needs it most.

Nutrition and the Right to Thrive

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 17:02:58 GMT

Beloved community,

March is National Nutrition Month, and across the country, we’re told to read labels more closely, count nutrients more carefully, and “eat real foods.” But nutrition is not a trend cycle; it is a question of power.

I invite you to join me in curiosity and ask: Who has access to what’s being recommended? Who can afford the “real” food being celebrated? Who grows it, and who gets paid? Are we treating illness, or are we transforming the conditions that produce it?

Health outcomes matter, but health equity goes further.

Health equity asks why certain neighborhoods have higher rates of diabetes in the first place. It asks why fresh food feels exceptional in some zip codes and ordinary in others. It asks why farmers struggle to survive while healthcare systems expand.

If we do not address land access, procurement policy, and economic extraction, then “eat real” risks becoming a quiet moral judgment instead of a structural commitment.

Michigan once modeled real structural commitment through 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan's Kids & Farms ; matching school dollars to buy Michigan-grown produce and making local food standard in cafeterias. It strengthened children’s health, stabilized farmers, and shifted institutional purchasing habits.

This year, the program was not funded. And as a result, students miss the chance to build lifelong food memories rooted close to home. And still, we are not retreating.

Together, we are building a foundation of generational health.

Generational health is the long game. It is the work of ensuring that today’s third grader doesn’t just eat a fresh apple; but grows up expecting apples from Michigan orchards in their cafeteria. It is ensuring that a teen doesn’t just volunteer at the market; but understands zoning laws, farm bills, and supply chains well enough to challenge them.

This is the foundation of our theory of change.

We build generational health by shaping habits early and reinforcing them often; through initiatives like our Teen Leadership Program, where young people gain the skills and critical lens to navigate and influence the food system; through field trips to our urban farm and incubator kitchen, where learning is rooted in soil; through Farm to School programming that normalizes local procurement; and through Power of Produce (POP) Club, where children practice agency by choosing fresh food for themselves.

This is how we shift from reactive nutrition work to regenerative nutrition culture.

We do this by pairing conversations about Food as Medicine, dietary guidelines, and eating real foods, with:

An insistence that farmers are part of the prescription.

Guidelines that align with affordability and access.

Understanding that real foods need to be reachable, culturally meaningful, and dignified.

Nutrition is not simply about what’s on a plate. It is about who has the right to thrive.

This National Nutrition Month, I invite you to see nutrition not as an individual burden, but as a collective project that treats fresh food not as charity, but as infrastructure. We are cultivating a community where children expect fresh produce, where farmers are stable and respected, and where health is inherited as legacy.

That is generational health.

And that is the future we are growing together.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. Check out the FoodCorps Policy Action Map or sign up for our Farm to School Newsletter if you’re interested in building generational health.

Queen Mother Audley Moore & Reparations Through Land and Food

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:15:01 GMT

Long before reparations entered mainstream conversation, Queen Mother Audley Moore was clear: justice required land, resources, and self-determination; not symbolic gestures.

A descendant of enslaved people, Moore spent decades organizing for reparations rooted in material reality. She understood that stolen labor was tied to stolen land, and that food insecurity was not accidental; it was engineered .

Moore advocated for land redistribution, cooperative economics, and community-controlled food systems as necessary steps toward repair. Her vision aligns directly with modern food sovereignty movements: returning control of food, land, and labor to the people most harmed by their removal .

This is not history; it is instruction.

Growing Hope’s work exists within this continuum. From urban farming to food hubs, from youth leadership to market access, we are building the kinds of systems Moore demanded, systems that repair harm by restoring agency.

Food sovereignty is reparations in practice.
And the work is unfinished.

Georgia Gilmore & The Club From Nowhere

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 05:00:33 GMT

During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, when formal fundraising was surveilled and criminalized, Georgia Gilmore organized something deceptively simple: a kitchen network .

Known as The Club From Nowhere , Gilmore and other Black women sold pies, cakes, and home-cooked meals to quietly raise money for the movement. Their anonymity was protection. Their food was infrastructure.

For over a year, as the boycott stretched on, these funds paid for carpools, gas, and daily survival. While history often centers on speeches and marches, Gilmore reminds us that revolutions are sustained behind the scenes by those who feed people, organize logistics, and keep the lights on.

Her kitchen was a site of resistance. Her recipes were tools of liberation.

At Growing Hope, we honor this lineage every time we invest in food entrepreneurs, incubator kitchens, and cooperative models. When food businesses are community-rooted, they do more than generate income; they fuel movements .

Never underestimate what food can do.
And never forget who has always been doing the work.

Fannie Lou Hamer & the Freedom Farm Cooperative

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:15:00 GMT

“If you have 400 quarts of greens and gumbo soup canned for the winter, nobody can push you around.”

Fannie Lou Hamer said this not as a metaphor, but as a lived experience.

In 1969, after being evicted from her plantation home for registering to vote, Hamer founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in Sunflower County, Mississippi. The goal was simple and radical: Black families deserved land, food, housing, and economic independence, without having to ask permission.

Freedom Farm grew vegetables, raised livestock, built homes, and supported cooperative ownership. It addressed hunger and poverty at their roots, refusing the lie that liberation could come without material security.

Hamer understood what we still grapple with today: political rights mean little without food sovereignty . Voting doesn’t protect you from hunger. Legislation doesn’t replace land. Dignity requires access to the means of survival.

This is why Growing Hope centers farming, education, and entrepreneurship together. Food sovereignty is not just about what’s on your plate; it’s about who controls the systems that decide who eats .

The Black Panther Party & Free Breakfast

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:15:00 GMT

In 1969, the Black Panther Party launched the Free Breakfast for Children Program , serving tens of thousands of children across the United States every single school day. Not as an act of charity, but as a declaration.

The Panthers understood something the dominant systems refused to acknowledge: a hungry child cannot learn, organize, or imagine a future . Feeding children was a political act. It was protection. It was strategy.

Volunteers cooked before dawn in church basements and community centers. Children were served breakfast while learning about Black history, self-determination, and collective responsibility. The state noticed and felt threatened. The FBI labeled the program “the greatest threat” to internal security, not because it was violent, but because it worked.

And it worked so well that the U.S. government was forced to expand public school breakfast programs nationwide . Mutual aid didn’t just meet immediate needs; it reshaped public policy .

This is food sovereignty in action: communities identifying harm, meeting their own needs with dignity, and building power in the process.

At Growing Hope, we carry this legacy forward. When we insist on dignified access to food, when we support farmers markets as sites of connection and not extraction, when we center youth and Black leadership, we are walking a well-worn path.

When communities feed themselves, systems change.

No Fear in the Food System

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 05:15:00 GMT

Beloved community,

Many hearts, mine included, remain heavy as we enter into a new month.

Right now, immigration enforcement is being used in ways that are destabilizing people’s lives, and in the process, destabilizing the food system that all of us depend on.

Across the country, intensified immigration crackdowns are pushing workers into hiding. People are staying home rather than risk detention. Parents are weighing whether it’s safe to take their children to school. Farmworkers, food processors, delivery drivers, and food service workers are being forced to choose between survival and visibility.

Immigrants are essential to every step of how food moves in this country.

They plant and harvest crops. They process meat and produce. They transport food across regions. They cook and serve meals. When enforcement actions target farms, food facilities, or entire neighborhoods, the consequences ripple outward immediately: fields go understaffed, food rots before it’s harvested, supply chains strain, and prices rise. Families, especially those already navigating scarcity, are pushed closer to hunger.

A food system built on fear cannot feed people well.

And a just food system depends on more than abundance.

It depends on safety.

It depends on dignity.

It depends on sovereignty.

Here in Ypsilanti, this national climate is not abstract. Families are feeling it in their bodies. Schools have warned parents to take precautions amid reported ICE activity. That alone should stop us in our tracks. When fear follows children into classrooms, we are witnessing a profound failure of care.

At Growing Hope, we refuse to accept fear as the cost of feeding one another.

The Growing Hope Urban Farm and the Ypsilanti Farmers Market are built on the belief that everyone deserves a safe and welcoming place to gather, grow, and nourish one another. We affirm clearly and publicly that no person should be targeted, questioned, detained, or surveilled based on immigration status.

Over the past several months, we’ve been developing response plans for our markets, events, and shared spaces that center collective care. This includes clear protocols, staff and volunteer training, and alignment with partners who understand that food access and community safety are inseparable. Safety is not separate from justice.

If people are afraid to buy, sell, grow, or gather around food, then we are not talking about a functional food system; we are talking about harm dressed up as policy.

As we move through Black History Month, I am reminded that Black food history has always taught us this lesson: when systems fail us, we feed each other. From mutual aid kitchens to cooperative land ownership, from feeding children before school to organizing entire communities around food, our ancestors understood that food is both care and resilience.

This is the work in front of us now: to stand in solidarity across Black and immigrant communities, to reject policies that criminalize survival, and to build food systems rooted in dignity rather than disposability.

I carry this responsibility with humility.

I am here because others fed people when it was dangerous to do so.

I am here because food has always been one of our most powerful tools for care, resistance, and imagination.

And I am here because silence has never kept us safe.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. How you can show up right now: Stay informed. Interrupt misinformation when you hear it. Support organizations doing accompaniment, rapid response, and food access work for immigrant families. When you come to the Ypsilanti Farmers Market, help us uphold it as a space of care and protection. And if you’re able, donate or volunteer with local groups defending immigrant dignity, because a just food system requires all of us.

Seeds of Hope for a New Year

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 05:15:01 GMT

Hello, good people!

As we crossed the threshold into this new year, I found myself holding two truths at once. The first is grief and exhaustion from a year marked by chaos, confusion, and compounding pressures on food assistance, health care, housing, and the basic dignity of our neighbors. The second is the deep knowing that we have always survived moments like this by turning toward one another.

This is not a soft optimism. It is a practiced one.

We are bracing for hunger and need at levels we may not have seen before. And yet, history and our own lived experience here in Ypsilanti tell us that when systems fail, community does not disappear. Together, we’re showing up with care, skill, and imagination. That is the soil from which Growing Hope was built, and it is the ground we are still tending.

In 2026, we remain committed to building a food system rooted in justice, dignity, and self-determination. Here’s a peek at what some of those steps look like for us in the coming season:

Building Generational Health. We are doubling down on youth leadership, working alongside teens who are already shaping the future of our food system. This year, we’re deepening partnerships that model what farm-to-school can be when it’s relational, local, and led with intention.

Investing in a Community of Growers. Our Produce Cart continues to evolve into a shared ecosystem, stocked not only by Growing Hope but also by local farmers, gardeners, and home growers alike. Alongside building depth within our Home Vegetable Garden support, we are making our farm spaces more accessible and inviting. Our hope is that our farm is a place where neighbors can come to harvest, learn, and experience food sovereignty for themselves.

Food Is a Human Right. You’ll hear us saying this more clearly and more often in the coming season. We’re committing to deeper education, base-building, and collective imagination around what it means to move food as a human right from value to policy to reality here in our community.

A Year-Round Farmers Market in Ypsilanti. For the first time ever, the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is running downtown year-round. We’re excited to host the winter market through April and keep this vital community space alive in every season. Farmers markets are sites of care, culture, and connection, and we’re thrilled to keep those connections rolling year-round.

Cooking Up Futures: The Accelerator Kitchen. I’m thrilled to publicly share Cooking Up Futures, our accelerator kitchen project, slated to break ground this month! This project will renovate the welcome center (16 S. Washington) into a kitchen that will serve as connective tissue across the Ypsilanti Farmers MarketPlace campus, linking growers, makers, and neighbors in a living, local food economy. At the heart of our theory of change is a simple truth: when we invest in the whole food system, from seed to belly, we generate lasting vibrancy, equity, and opportunity downtown and beyond. If you’d like to learn more or explore ways to support this work directly, I invite you to reach out to me.

As I look forward to 2026, holding our team and our community clearly in view, I’m holding tightly to the fact that we persevere not because conditions are easy, but because community is strong.

Thank you for being part of this work and helping to uncover the food system we all believe in, need, and deserve.

In solidarity and hope,

Julius

P.S. Join me for Food Literacy for All this semester. This Tuesday evening course is open to the public, virtual, and will feature a number of phenomenal food systems advocates over the next few months.

Matthew Bacon, Our 2025 Volunteer of he Year

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:15:00 GMT

Beloved Community,

As the seasons turn and the last leaves let go, I’m thinking about how much of this work depends on people who choose to show up.

Food sovereignty is held together by the steady, everyday commitments of folks who believe their time can help build a more just and nourished community.

Our volunteers carry our community with a kind of grounded generosity that can’t be measured but can absolutely be felt. You welcomed neighbors, supported vendors, helped distribute SNAP Gap tokens, handled surprises with grace, and made the market a place where people felt a sense of belonging. That is a rare and powerful contribution.

Among these dedicated volunteers, we’re honored to recognize Matthew Bacon as our Volunteer of the Year . Matthew came to southeast Michigan without long-standing ties, yet quickly became one of the anchors of our market season. His presence was consistent, thoughtful, and rooted in genuine care for the mission. In his own words:

“I chose to volunteer with Growing Hope at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market because Growing Hope’s mission greatly appealed to me, and I wanted to support the cause. What stood out to me and drew me in was the mission’s emphasis on access to nourishing food and community empowerment. I enjoyed learning about the ways the mission is carried out through the urban farm, incubator kitchen, and community outreach. I loved seeing it come full circle, bringing people together at the farmers market and other community events. As a newcomer to Southeast Michigan with no prior connections to the area, volunteering at the market has been a great way to meet and connect with people in the community. Thank you to Growing Hope for the opportunity to get involved this summer and fall, and I look forward to continuing to do so in the future!”

Matthew reflects exactly what strengthens the fabric of this work: folks who arrive with open eyes, steady hands, and a willingness to weave themselves into the community’s story. We’re profoundly grateful.

As we move into winter, the Ypsi SNAP Gap continues to play a critical role in expanding food access with dignity.

Through the end of November, shoppers impacted by SNAP cuts and the government shutdown could receive $40 in SNAP Gap tokens each market week. Beginning in December, that shifts to twenty dollars per week so we can sustain our community through the end of the year. Tokens can be used at both Ypsilanti Farmers Markets and Old City Acres Farm Stand on Emerick Street. They’re valid on all food, fresh, prepared, hot, and remain usable through March 2026.

Programs like SNAP Gap thrive because volunteers, donors, and neighbors insist on a community where everyone eats well. People like Matthew, and so many of you, turn that vision into something real and tangible.

Thank you for walking alongside us, for carving out time from full lives, and for fueling the kind of food system that honors each person’s dignity. The season may be winding down, but the work continues, rooted in your care.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. If you’re looking for a tangible way to strengthen food access this winter, consider making a monthly gift or signing up for a volunteer .

Nurturing a Season of Hope

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:15:01 GMT

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.

Cooking Up Futures: Our New Accelerator Kitchen & Food Hub

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 20:52:15 GMT

Here in Ypsilanti, food isn’t just something we eat, it’s how we connect, how we create opportunity, and how we build community. At Growing Hope, we’ve long believed that when people have the power to grow, prepare, and share their own food, they’re stepping into sovereignty over their health, their economy, and their future.

That belief is taking shape in a big way with our latest project: Cooking Up Futures – the Accelerator Kitchen & Food Hub . We’re transforming a downtown building at 16 S. Washington Street into a fully equipped commercial kitchen and community food hub. In this place, small food businesses can grow, people can learn culinary skills, and Ypsilanti residents can access fresh, healthy food.

And here’s where the community of builders comes in. We’re now accepting sealed bids from qualified contractors to bring this vision to life. The work is ambitious: it includes roof repairs, mechanical and electrical upgrades, ADA accessibility improvements, interior build-outs for retail and wholesale operations, landscaping, and of course, all the infrastructure that makes a commercial kitchen safe and functional—from fire suppression systems to grease management.

This is more than construction. It’s an investment in economic mobility, in local food entrepreneurship, and in generational health . Every nail, every pipe, every stainless steel counter will support someone’s dream of starting a food business, sharing their culture through food, or learning a skill that can sustain a family.

Key Dates:

Bid Packet Released: November 1, 2025
Bids Due: December 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST
Public Bid Opening: December 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM EST

Contractors can submit digitally (preferred) or by hard copy. Complete bid instructions, federal compliance requirements, and detailed project plans are included in the formal bid packet.

We are looking for contractors who are not only technically skilled but who share a commitment to community-centered, equitable development . Our evaluation will consider cost, experience with commercial kitchens, DBE participation, schedule feasibility, and federal compliance.

I’m often reminded, in conversations with the makers and entrepreneurs we serve, that food is a gateway—it’s how people enter new opportunities, connect across generations, and reimagine what’s possible for their families and communities. With your expertise, your craftsmanship, and your commitment, this building will become exactly that: a gateway.

For questions or to request the full bid packet, reach out to me directly: julius@growinghope.net . Let’s build something that feeds more than stomachs—it feeds futures.

Introducing the Ypsi SNAP Gap

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 04:15:00 GMT

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

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 10:00:11 GMT

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.

Charting Our Course

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 13:18:37 GMT

Beloved Community,

The last golden rays of summer linger on the farm, leaves rustle in softer winds, and mornings carry a crispness that hints at fall. Children return to school, gardens slow their growth, and the rhythm of the season invites reflection. In this quiet turning, we pause to dream, plan, and sow the seeds of what comes next.

Our North Star illuminates this journey: a food system built by and with our community. Together, we will nurture Equity in Food Access, spark Youth Power & Leadership, champion Entrepreneurship & Economic Justice, weave Education & Capacity-Building into all we do, strengthen Infrastructure for Resilience, and cultivate deep Community Belonging & Joy. These principles are alive in every action in our Strategic Plan 2023–27.

We want every voice in the community to help shape this work. Keep an eye out for program surveys, attend listening sessions, reach out to staff directly, or email us with ideas and feedback. Your insight ensures our programs reflect real community needs and strengthens our collective path forward.

Already, our work is taking shape:

Expanding Farm & Garden programs , delivering fresh produce, upgrading infrastructure, and growing community composting.
Empowering youth through the Teen Leadership Program , developing gardening, cooking, advocacy, and leadership skills.
Relaunching and expanding the Ypsilanti Farmers Market , growing vendor participation, and increasing SNAP/Market Match access.
Supporting minority- and women-owned food entrepreneurs via the Incubator Kitchen , business coaching, and workshops.
Launching the Cooking Up Futures Accelerator Kitchen , a downtown hub creating jobs and celebrating community food culture.

This vision is built together. Your insight, experience, and leadership are essential. By centering those most affected by inequities and fostering shared decision-making, we grow stronger, more resilient, and capable as a community.

As leaves begin to turn and the season shifts, let’s carry this momentum forward; tending our vision with care, cultivating collective energy, and transforming dreams into tangible, community-rooted change.

In community,

Julius

P.S. In our latest Snap Story, Where You At?, we journey with Ayanfe Jamison, our Garden Manager. Her story underscores our collective move from mere food access to true food sovereignty. Dive into her story !

2025 Teen Graduate Reflections

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:21:02 GMT

Dear Growing Hope Community,

August 7th marked the last day of our eight-week Summer Teen Leadership Program! Over the past eight weeks, 12 Ypsilanti teens joined us as part of our farm staff for an intensive summer program of farm work and workshops on food justice, community organizing, social identity, and cooking lessons. The teens worked hard this summer caring for their Oasis Garden, Children’s Garden, and the Sharing Garden, harvesting food for our free produce cooler, and partnering with local organizations to deepen their knowledge about the Washtenaw County food system.

The Teen Leadership Program is an integral part of Growing Hope, and we are so proud of and grateful for this incredible group of young people! This Summer, four of our teens, Josephine Smith, Tuula Martínez, Jaylah Cotton, and Eli Harris, graduated from High School and will be moving on from the Teen Leadership Program. They have a few reflections on their time in the Teen Leadership Program that they would like to share. We are so proud of their work at Growing Hope and wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

Josephine Smith, YCHS

Hi, my name is Josephine Smith, and I was with Growing Hope for 2 years. Before coming, I did not know how to actually think of myself as a person. I was aimlessly drifting through life, not knowing what to do with myself or knowing my future goals. After joining Growing Hope, I was awakened to feelings of hope because I became aware that I have worth in my life. I can use myself to help others. I gained experience by doing lots of work for the community, the most impactful being that we helped distribute delicious food for people who need it the most. Growing Hope is a beautiful and life-changing program for teenagers, and can help guide them as they grow into people who understand that they have worth in this crazy world. I love you, Growing Hope!

Eli Harris, WAVE

My name is Eli. As of writing this, I am coming to the end of three long years with Growing Hope. It’s a bittersweet experience for me, as my time with this amazing organization — and the even more amazing people who run it — has been the best three years of my life.

When I joined the Teen Leadership program, I questioned why I was there. My stance on people was poor, and my attitude poorer. I would say I didn’t take the program seriously at first. Often being grouchy and pedantic about the work we did, and the people around me.

But I wasn’t treated as such. I was still given as much care, space, and voice as everyone else. Over time, I began to feel like my attitude towards things for the last couple of years had been fueling my grief and anger — and I started to try and change how I approached things.

The amazing advisors, Jenny and Esha, were the cornerstone of that growth. It wasn’t just their welcoming attitudes towards the large group of unruly teenagers (myself included) — it was their consistency.

When I needed support, they gave it.

When I needed guidance, they offered it.

When I wanted to share about my day and what I had been up to outside of the program, they listened.

And when I slipped back into old habits or wasn’t being the version of myself they believed in, they were direct — they told me, made me aware, and helped guide me back to who I was working to become.

I’ve grown more than I sometimes realize with Growing Hope. The workshops, especially, have taught me more skills than I could list — and more importantly, they’ve helped connect me to the Ypsilanti community, our food system, and the amazing people who keep it all running.

I wouldn’t be who I am today without joining this incredible program or without meeting all the amazing people I’ve had the chance to grow with.

If you’re reading this and have the opportunity to join: do it. I can’t recommend it enough.

Tuula Martínez, ECA

Hi Saplings/Everyone! ��,

My name is Tuula Martínez, I am an eighteen-year-old youth of Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti, and I have been working in the Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program for almost three years. The first two summers I was simply a (paid) teen intern, and in my last summer I was ‘promoted’ into a crew leader, where I took on more leadership opportunities and responsibilities.

This summer was really the time for me to not only deepen the knowledge I had gained from my previous two summers (and after-school programs), but also to apply said knowledge and leadership skills as I entered a new stage within the program.

Working in the teen program has taught me a lot about impact. Before working here, I didn’t really think I had an impact on people or places, and I often doubted my own ability. Growing Hope does an amazing job of teaching you about the work that needs to be done to help our community, and giving you resources or opportunities to take part in it (whether through the program or outside of it). Through these opportunities, I have been so lucky to see the community come together. I have been able to talk to people and hear how much they appreciate the work Growing Hope does, and it really makes you proud of the work you’re a part of.

My confidence has also significantly improved while I’ve worked with the teen program. Being in a leadership role this summer, and realizing the people who came before also didn’t have everything figured out, has surprisingly really comforted me. I think confidence comes when you, of course, 1. Start trusting in your abilities and knowledge, but also 2. When you realize that everyone is trying their best, and no one does things perfectly. I suppose I hope, as I leave this program, that perhaps my coworkers can look up to me in the same ways I looked up to my past crew leaders. And I hope that through watching me figure out and grow into this leadership role, I can in turn teach them that they are also just as capable, even if they haven’t figured everything out.

The community itself is also something I’d like to touch upon. I feel it is such a treat to work somewhere where you’re genuinely excited to see the people. Over my three years working in the program, I have gotten the opportunity to meet so many awesome people and really befriend everyone. That is something that I love so much about the program, as you get the chance to get to know everyone and build your own dynamic with each person. The culture is something so special, because it bred an environment of comfort, which made it feel like a second family in a lot of ways.

In the future, I hope to study at the University of Michigan, majoring in Archeology and minoring in Art History. My plan for the near future is to do one more semester of free college classes at my high school (the ECA), and take the next two semesters off from school (to apply to the UofM for the following fall, and look for museum-based internships). This upcoming summer, I hope to become involved with archaeology fieldwork through the UofM Museum of Archeology (which may involve travelling, exciting!). Though my choice of career will most likely be museum/history related, I know that I would love to stay connected to Growing Hope, as Environmental education and stewardship have become very important to me through working here.

Thank you to everyone I’ve had the privilege to meet, get to know, and work with. You’ve all had a profound impact on me. ��

Tuula Martínez

Jaylah Cotton, Skyline

I applied to the Teen Leadership Program because I already loved plants and gardening. I didn’t realize how much I would learn outside of farmwork, but it’s all helped me grow tremendously as a leader, a member of my community, and just as a person. I’ve also found that it’s kept me very grounded and taught me to appreciate what I have and what I can do. The overall work I’ve done is truly my proudest accomplishment in life so far. From selling herbal tea bags at the farmers market, to digging out our new wildlife pond, and leading weekly social identity workshops, I can’t pinpoint a single favorite thing!

However, I can express how grateful I am for the opportunities that working with Growing Hope has given me. Because of the Teen Leadership Program, I was awarded one of AAACF’s 2025 Young Citizens of the Year. The award recognizes leadership and community service among Washtenaw County teens. Thanks to Jenny and Esha’s nomination, I was selected and got to participate in an MLive interview (which went to print/online in May) about my work with food insecurity and Growing Hope. I received a scholarship as well. This has meant so much to me because it feels great to have the work I’ve done be recognized, but it’s also helping to further my education!

Soon, I’m headed off to Michigan State University to major in Elementary Education, meaning all the leadership skills I’ve learnt will be put to great use! I’m so excited to go somewhere new and keep learning, too, but I’m forever grateful that I have a place back home in Ypsi where I am always welcome.

- Jaylah

Growing Hope Through Food Sovereignty

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:53:16 GMT

Growing Hope, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a food systems organization that works on ushering folks into more intimate, just, joyful relationships with their food systems. Their mission is to foster food sovereignty . Food sovereignty means different things to different people, but according to the executive director, Julius Buzzard, food sovereignty means people having autonomy within the food system at all points–from seed to belly. For communities, this means being able to have self-determination over everything from the treatment of workers to the nutrition of produce, and to have both local and culturally relevant produce available.

Growing Hope has a multi-pronged approach to promoting local food sovereignty. Their programs include a farmers market, both youth and adult education programs, an incubator kitchen, and some direct food aid. The Ypsi Farmers Market is the most visible component of Growing Hope’s work, held in downtown Ypsilanti every Saturday, May through October. They pride themselves on being a market that is accessible to the people who live in the community around them, and whose diverse community is reflected in the vendors that sell at the market.

The market has much lower vendor fees than other farmers markets, which in turn allows vendors to charge less for their produce than they would at a high-fee market. The market also has multiple food assistance programs: they were the third market in the state to accept federal food assistance benefits, and it also has the Power of Produce club for children. By participating in activities such as painting farmer’s market tote bags and sampling vegetables, kids earn $5 in market tokens, which they can then spend on whatever they want.

Another component of engaging youth in the community is the youth education programming. The Growing Hope farm hosts field trips for students from Ypsi Community Schools, Lincoln Community Schools, and other youth-serving organizations such as Corner Health. The goal is to reach community kids in order to build a foundation of generational health that the kids can carry on to the rest of their families and communities.

Another component of youth education, the teen leadership program, is the longest-standing program at Growing Hope, and has been a central part of the organization since its inception over 20 years ago. It started as a school garden program, and over time has grown into a paid after-school leadership program where teens work at the farm and receive a mix of hands-on agricultural training, workshops on community organizing and food sovereignty, and guidance on job skills such as how to track and submit weekly hours and how to read the different parts of a paycheck. Regardless of whether they end up continuing to work in the food justice sector, the teens learn the crucial skills of 1) caring about the community around them and 2) knowing how to act on that care.

When it comes to adult education, Growing Hope teaches a wide variety of skills through the expertise of its staff. There is a home vegetable garden program, run by Ayanfe Jamison, which provides both the physical resources and the knowledge needed for working-class Ypsilanti residents to start or strengthen their home gardens. The teens who are part of the teen leadership program also put on workshops for the rest of the community, such as a recent corn nixtamalization workshop. Much of the adult education is community-driven or community-led; folks who are affiliated with Growing Hope but not part of its staff present on subjects that they’re passionate, experienced, and knowledgeable about. These workshops are often in response to specific requests or identified needs within the community.

There was also recently a Stepping Stones to Food Entrepreneurship workshop series organized by Deante Bland, the Incubator Kitchen Manager. Workshops covered topics such as Cottage Food Law, food business licensing, business planning and goal setting, menu and recipe optimization, and marketing and branding. The series culminated with a panel of makers who had graduated from the Incubator Kitchen sharing their experiences.

The incubator kitchen can, in some way, feel divorced from the rest of the food sovereignty work that Growing Hope does, but Julius sees local food entrepreneurship and having circular food economies as integral to creating communities with food sovereignty. He says that it is an essential step in creating new systems to empower people currently in the community to share their hopes, passions, and dreams, and to bring life to their communities in ways that are special and unique. The more that we can encourage people and give them options to spend money in ways that support their neighbors and invest in people who are part of the community, the more autonomous we make our food system.

Through the shared space and programming, the incubator kitchen provides a more accessible entry point into food business creation for people of color or anyone else who doesn’t have access to money and resources to start or scale up their food business. The kitchen supports makers in keeping their values as they build their businesses, and many of the businesses collaborate with other elements of the local food system. About 70 businesses have used the kitchen, 15 of which have graduated out to other places (and all but one of which are still local). One of these makers is Bird Dog Baking, which now has a brick and mortar space in Downtown Ypsilanti and which sources its grains locally and gets its produce from a Growing Hope-affiliated farm, Old City Acres. Another business just around the corner is Bearabakes, which also sources its fruits and vegetables from local farmers. The incubator kitchen doesn’t just foster food businesses; it fosters food businesses that are deeply integrated into the local food system.

Growing Hope’s emphasis is on food sovereignty and changing food systems, but the organization also recognizes that sometimes people need their direct, immediate needs met before they can engage in autonomy-building programs. The Growing Hope Urban Farm is located next to and across the street from some of Ypsilanti’s low-income neighborhoods, and has an on-site (recently rebuilt and expanded) free farm cart where they distribute both the produce they grow and food donated by other farms and food assistance organizations. Growing Hope alone produces and distributes more than 6,000 pounds of produce, and through donations from Old City Acres, We The People Opportunity Farm, Community Farm in Ann Arbor, and Food Gatherers, they feel like they are able to meet at least some of the needs that their community has. The need is so much more than what they can directly provide, but Growing Hope does what they can to support people in getting to a place where they can pursue food sovereignty.

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.

Where You At?

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:52:12 GMT

Ayanfe Jamison’s current role is the Garden Manager at Growing Hope in Ypsilanti, Michigan, but her roots in agroecology, permaculture, and food sovereignty are far deeper than her current role. She grew up in a very intergenerational environment in East Tennessee, watching her older relatives work the earth, engaging in subsistence farming and traditional skills such as making pickles and homemade wine. However, her mother wanted her to pursue more “professional” skills and “move up” through education, so these ancestral skills were not passed on to Ayanfe. Since then, she has spent the past 30 years seeking out knowledge and understanding of the practices she grew up surrounded by.

As part of her lifelong education process, Ayanfe spent an “eco urban year” as an honors student at Miami Dade College, where her cohort lived together, made meals together, and maintained a garden together. Each Tuesday, one person was responsible for preparing a vegan meal, and their “class” was their dinner time. They read texts on deep ecology from writers such as Wendell Berry. As much as Ayanfe enjoyed the subject, she was deeply bothered by the fact that the “world literature” collection didn’t include any Black authors. She pushed back, and new material was introduced.

To this day, she treasures her heavily-annotated copy of Literature and the Environment: A Reader on Nature and Culture . Edited by Lorraine Anderson, Scott Slovic, and John P. O’Grady, this was Ayanfe’s first real exposure to ecological literature written from perspectives that resonated with her. One of her favorite pieces in the collection is “Touching the Earth,” by bell hooks. Another favorite is “Where You At? A Bioregional Quiz,” which aims to raise people’s awareness of how much they really know, or don’t know, about the place they call home. Through questions such as “Trace the water you drink from precipitation to tap” and “How long is the growing season where you live?” quiz-takers are scored on a scale from “You have your head up your ass” to “You not only know where you’re at, you know where it’s at.”

This kind of straight-speaking evaluation is typical of Ayanfe. One of her continuous sources of frustration is that almost all of the “rewilding” she has engaged in as an adult has been dependent on learning skills from White folks–skills which she recognizes as part of her heritage, such as cob construction (building with mud and straw) and permaculture. When she first started rewilding, her friends were all “earthy crunchy white kids that lived teepees, school buses, and yurts” and who didn’t need to make money to sustain themselves. Ayanfe became focused on finding a way to reintroduce rewilding practices to people of color in ways that were realistic and acknowledged and respected the origins of these practices.

One of the ways Ayanfe passes on this knowledge is through running the Home Vegetable Garden program at Growing Hope. The program is focused on working-class folks in Ypsilanti and provides the materials and knowledge needed to have a robust home vegetable garden. Ayanfe and her interns (when she has them) install raised beds at people’s homes, and by the time they leave, they have a garden assembled, filled with soil, and with starter plants. Participants also receive seed packets and additional plant starts throughout the year. People who qualify for food assistance programs are prioritized, but other factors that are considered for program selection are whether there are seniors or children in the household, whether anyone in the household has a disability, the income scale of the household, and the racial demographics of the household. Participants in the program are able to grow whatever they would like to, and do whatever they want with it, whether that’s personal consumption, selling, or giving away the produce to the community, or feeding it to pets. This freedom is essential to the program's role in promoting food sovereignty.

To Ayanfe, food sovereignty means that food is a human right that cannot be bestowed or revoked. This includes the right not just to have access to food, but access and agency over your personal food system. Food assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC often do not provide options for people with different dietary restrictions, and when she was receiving benefits as a vegan, she felt like she had no agency over her food choices. Food sovereignty isn’t about just having access to whatever food the government determines you deserve, but about having the freedom to decide what kinds of food are appropriate or not appropriate for you and your household, freedom to use food as medicine, and the freedom, knowledge, and capacity to grow your own food and medicine. For Ayanfe, the Home Vegetable Garden program is an important route to providing community members with this kind of no-strings-attached sovereignty.

An Urban Farm Rooted in Mutual Aid

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:20:30 GMT

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/ .

From Warehouse to Table

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 17:18:12 GMT

Food Gatherers Keeps Washtenaw County Fed as 1 in 7 Face Food Insecurity

If you’ve spent any time in the Washtenaw County area, you’ve seen the Food Gatherers trucks around town–they’re a ubiquitous presence all over, every day. Food Gatherers is the largest food bank and food rescue program in Washtenaw County, distributing over 10.3 million pounds of food–about 8.5 million meals–to over 140 partner agencies in just the last year. Established in 1988, they are also Michigan’s first food rescue program and among the first six in the entire nation.

The large fleet of Food Gatherers trucks goes out twice each day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. They leave the Food Gatherers warehouse filled with food to distribute to partner agencies, drop the food off, and then on their way back to the warehouse, they refill the trucks with donated or rescued food, which they get from “pretty much everywhere.” Rescued food is usually food from grocery stores that is past its “best buy” or “sell by” date, but which is still healthy to consume. These dates indicate peak quality, but there are different guidelines for evaluating when a food is still safe to consume. The USDA estimates that 30 percent of the food supply is lost or wasted at the retail and consumer levels, so by rescuing these foods, Food Gatherers can both feed the community and prevent massive amounts of food waste.

Food Gatherers focuses on rescuing food that is both high in demand and provides the biggest nutritional benefit, as well as foods that are shelf-stable and will last longer for their distribution partners. Over 60% of the foods they distribute are produce or high-protein items like meats, eggs, and dairy products. After the food has been rescued, a vast force of volunteers sorts through the food to make sure that it is all still safe to be distributed to the community: that nothing has broken its seal or been punctured, that the produce is in good shape, and that everything is still within the date extension guidelines (a certain amount of time after the “best by” date). They do this work immediately to make sure the perishable food gets distributed as quickly as possible, and sort the food into boxes to make it easier to deliver to partner agencies–including making tailored halal boxes for partner agencies serving the Muslim community.

Food Gatherers distributes through a vast network of over 140 partner agencies, 40-50 of which are “open sites” such as food pantries and the remainder of which are “closed sites” such as school pantries and housing complexes. Many of these partnerships go back many decades, and Food Gatherers provides the material support while allowing the agencies to make their own internal decisions about what and how to distribute. Food Gatherers is also intentional about making sure that through their network of partner agencies, they are reaching all portions of the county–both urban and rural–which are reported as experiencing food insecurity.

Because of this vast network of partnerships, any cuts to Food Gatherers' funding affect the entire county. Historically, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has played a major role in funding food assistance programs throughout the country. In March, however, the USDA canceled about $4.3 million in food orders to Michigan, equating to more than 2 million meals. Food Gatherers estimates that their organization alone lost 1.2 million meals from these cuts–meals which will cost them about $2.5 million to replace. The program, which was cut, the Emergency Food Assistance Program, focused on providing high-quality, nutritious food such as produce and dairy items. So, although Food Gatherers is still receiving some federal funding, they have been working hard to make up the gap caused by recent cuts. So far, they have been able to, thanks to generous support from donors and our local government.

The recent changes to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” don’t affect Food Gatherers directly, but they will cause increased need throughout the county as more Washtenaw County residents lose their benefits due to more time limits on benefits and greatly increased paperwork requirements, which many people find difficult to navigate. Food insecurity in Washtenaw County has already been rising, from 12.5% to 14%, meaning that one in seven residents lacks reliable access to nutritious food. Food Gatherers saw a sharp uptick in need when COVID-era SNAP benefits were withdrawn, and they anticipate a similarly sharp uptick in need with the upcoming changes to SNAP. According to Feeding America , for every meal that food banks supply, SNAP supplies nine; organizations like Food Gatherers and their partner agencies are meant to be supplemental to food assistance programs like SNAP–not a replacement.

Food Gatherers won’t be able to fill all the gaps in food access that will come from reduced SNAP benefits, but they expect to be able to continue providing the level of services they have historically been able to. They will continue to distribute record amounts of nutritious food through their agency partners, rescue and distribute food which would otherwise be wasted, conduct community outreach to connect with community members and help them access services, and raise general community awareness through food drives. Even as the terrain of food access becomes increasingly difficult to navigate, community members should have confidence that our local food pantries will continue to be well-provisioned by the incredible work that Food Gatherers is able to carry out.

The essential services that Food Gatherers provides would not be possible without the incredible support they receive from the Washtenaw community in the form of volunteer hours, monetary donations, and food donations. In 2024, over 4,100 volunteers dedicated over 53,000 hours of their time to sort and pack food, go on food runs, cook and serve meals at the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen located in the Delonis Center in Ann Arbor, and help with the Summer Food Service Program , which ensures that families have access to food even when school is out. As more and more federal funding and support are cut for food access programs, it is more important than ever that our local communities show up to support programs like these at the local government level and in our actions as members of the community.

It's National Farmers Market Week!

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:00:37 GMT

Beloved community,

This week, we celebrate something powerful: National Farmers Market Week . Here in Ypsilanti, we take that celebration a step further; thanks to a unanimous proclamation from City Council, this is officially Ypsilanti Farmers Market Week .

I had the honor of standing before our City Council to share what many of you already know in your bones: the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is more than a place to buy produce. It’s a cornerstone of our local economy, a launchpad for food entrepreneurs, and a living, breathing expression of food justice. From the dozens of businesses that have found their start here to the thousands of residents who count on us for fresh, affordable food, our market is growing something deeper than vegetables, we’re growing community power.

We were the third farmers market in the state of Michigan to accept food assistance , and we're not stopping there. With federal shifts creating instability in food access programs, we’re doubling down, creating new systems and access points to ensure every neighbor has a dignified path to nourishment. Every SNAP match, every Produce Prescription, every Market Navigator is a thread in a safety net we’ve woven together; because no one should fall through.

And beyond the programs and policies, something else blooms here: joy . Every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, downtown Ypsilanti becomes a space for connection; where elders, youth, growers, artists, and neighbors gather to build a just, vibrant local food system with their hands and hearts.

This week, we’re pulling out all the stops. Come for Ypsi Food Fest on Saturday, stay for local food and produce, live music, youth programming, and the kind of community energy that gives us all hope. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a weekly regular, we’d love to see you there.

In solidarity and gratitude,

Julius

P.S. Don’t miss our Summer SNAP Series on our blog , where we’re following workers, providers, and recipients of SNAP and SNAP-Ed throughout Washtenaw County. Their stories illuminate the human impacts of funding cuts, and offer tangible ways you can stand up for local food systems.

This Place Is Magic

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 20:56:52 GMT

Integrating Food Access and Preventive Care at The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor

Loren Sanders, the Food Program Coordinator at The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor , knows that the problems of food access and health are systemic, and that dealing with hospital bureaucracy and insurance can make patients feel uncared for. But one of her main goals is “to make at least one patient’s experience better, and to show them that the hospital really does care about each patient.” She emphasized that the hospital, which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy, genuinely aims to care for the poor, and that anyone can come and receive services, regardless of insurance coverage. Although she hates the cliche, she says that the farm truly is magic – that there is magic both in having this massive green space in the middle of the city, and magic in being able to tell anyone who comes to the farm “yes you can”– whether it’s picking a vegetable, walking around the green spaces, or taking food from the food pantry.

The farm itself is five fenced-in acres, with 1.2 acres in production, including four hoop houses (one of which is the nation’s first accessible hoop house) and a propagation house, but the work of the seven full-time farm staff extends far beyond that acreage. They also maintain the rest of the green space of the Trinity Health campus – an impressive 340 acres, making it one of the largest green spaces in Washtenaw County. They have been maintaining the trails, installing improved signage, and collaborating with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Huron River Watershed Council to enhance the green space for the benefit of all community members.

The farm has a flower garden, which was started around 2017 by a hospital staff member who wanted to grow flowers for patient bouquets. Since then, the flower garden has expanded, and the staff can bring 50 bouquets a week to the nurses' station in the hospital, which the nurses then distribute to their patients. Flowers aren’t just pretty – there is evidence that patients with flowers or plants in their room experience better health outcomes, such as lower blood pressure, less pain, and less anxiety.

The majority of what the farm grows on-site goes to their farm stand in the hospital lobby, where hospital staff can shop during their lunch breaks. Anything which goes unsold at the farm stand is then passed on to the Patients and Providers Program, a donation-based program which serves food pantries such as EMU’s Swoops Food Pantry , the Hope Clinic Food Program , and the Packard Health Fresh-a-Sprout FREE Fresh Food Markets .

The farm share program at the Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor is an aggregate CSA program, meaning that while some of the produce is grown on the farm, most of the produce is sourced from other local farms. This expands the range of available produce in the boxes and also means that, rather than focusing on being a production farm, they can use their own space to focus on health education. The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor works with its partner farms during the winter to plan the following season’s crops, providing the smaller farms with a guaranteed buyer and the ability to build up their capacity.

The CSA currently serves 500 members, 400 of whom receive their boxes at no cost. The farm would love to be able to provide more boxes, but they’re currently limited by the practical constraints of their fridge size. The subsidized boxes go to Meals on Wheels clients (older adults who are homebound and unable to prepare meals for themselves), participants in the Ypsilanti Family Empowerment Program (which helps to improve the health and wellness of families living in Ypsilanti Housing Commission complexes), and various University of Michigan programs. These organizations pick up the CSA boxes from the farm and deliver them directly to their clients.

In addition to the CSA program, the farm also operates a food pantry, which is open to all and serves about 120 community members a week. They partner with Food Gatherers to provide the community with access to pantry staples in addition to fresh vegetables, eliminating the need for people to visit both the farm and separate food pantries. The farm uses their internal budget to purchase staples like eggs and milk (which, before federal cuts, they received for free from the USDA), receives rescued food like milk, eggs, bread, fruits, and vegetables from Food Gatherers, and orders non-perishables like dried or canned beans, cereals, rice, nut butters, and sometimes treats like Nutri-Grain Bars. In the hospital pantry, they focus on stocking easy-access things like pop-top soups, easy mac, and microwavable rice. Food Gatherers has had a 15% cut in federal funding, so the farm is currently waiting to see what the future will hold for their ability to continue to provide this level of food access.

The farm currently takes SNAP at the farm stand, and they offer SNAP boxes for $7.50 during Wednesday community distribution days. The Wednesday community distribution times are also times for community – Loren says that many people show up early with their coffees just to hang out, talk to each other, and enjoy the space. This is also when a representative from the SNAP-Ed program Healthy Habits Starts Now comes to the farm and provides recipes, samples, and tastings for community members. The Healthy Habits has been running for 8-12 weeks every summer, but unfortunately, the last day for the program is this August 13th; federal SNAP-Ed funding was eliminated by the recent “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The federal cuts to SNAP and SNAP-Ed funding will impact the operations of the farm (in ways yet to be determined). Still, beginning in January, the farm plans to start accepting “in lieu of services” (ILOS) reimbursements from Medicaid for qualified community members, which should hopefully offset some of the food costs for community members most in need of nutritious food. According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, ILOS are services the state deems to be medically appropriate and cost-effective when provided as substitutes for other Medicaid-covered services. The ILOS program is an example of preventative healthcare at work – the goal is to improve health and reduce the future need for medical services by reducing food insecurity and ensuring enrollees have access to nutritious foods.

Loren is hopeful that the ILOS program will open them up to different types of grants and relationships with integrated research with the hospital. There is the potential for doing medically tailored boxes for conditions like diabetes or boxes tailored for prenatal and postpartum nutrition, and conducting research on the efficacy of the boxes as a form of health intervention. She would also really love for the farm to be able to move towards providing pre-made meals, though this would require them to get additional food licensing.

For now, the farm remains an oasis in the middle of the city, with Trinity Health outpatients receiving physical therapy and tending the raised beds in the accessible hoophouse, CSA members enjoying the rain gardens and picking herbs from the beds near the food pantry, kids coming to the farm to learn about the importance of fruits and vegetables and enjoy the green spaces, and current and retired Trinity Health staff tending their designated community garden. The tightening of federal and state budgets will require innovation to continue providing these benefits to the community. Still, hopefully, The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor will remain a magical place for many years to come.

A Recipe for Community Health

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:54:53 GMT

With SNAP-Ed funding set to expire, Washtenaw County risks losing a low-cost, high-impact program that brought nutrition and joy into classrooms, parks, and farmers markets.

If you have a child in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, you probably know about the “Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities” program. The program provides direct education to K-5 students throughout a five-week program, focusing on food education. Topics include learning about fruits and vegetables, the importance of physical activity, handwashing, honoring food traditions, and many other related subjects. The kids get excited about the Healthy Schools, Healthy Communities programming in a similar way to how they get excited about arts or music programming – a fun break from normal classroom routines, where they try something new.

Each session involves the kids using their bodies, using their brains, and using their mouths. It starts with a “fit bit,” engaging students’ bodies in fun exercise and “getting the wiggles out” before they settle into the brain portion of the day. The program has a special focus on literacy education, utilizing books about food and activities such as kids creating their own menus to reinforce reading, writing, and grammar skills — all while learning about food and nutrition. Finally, each lesson ends with a recipe-based, sensory-based tasting. This provides a fun, low-stakes opportunity to try new foods, allowing kids to use their mouths to explore new tastes.

What you may not know is that all of this programming is a result of SNAP-Ed funding–funding which has recently been drastically reduced, putting the continued existence of programs like these in peril. Danielle Dros is the program lead for SNAP-Ed programs in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, and she shared with me the broad impact that the program has in the Washtenaw area. The Healthy Schools Healthy Communities program reached about 3,000 students in the area, across thirteen schools and 146 classrooms (in just the last year!). But that program is only one part of the program’s direct education initiatives (which in turn are only one part of the broader program).

In addition to the school year program, there is also a summer “rec connect” program, a physical activity-based program which operates at six sites, including Ypsi library branches and Ypsi Community Schools summer schools. The program is a game-based, six-lesson series that explores a different movement each week, such as hula hoops, jump ropes, or yoga. Each lesson also includes tastings, where students engage in activities such as trying three different kinds of apples and rating them based on their taste.

The last component of the direct education is their Farmers Market Food Navigator program, which partners with the Whitmore Lake Farmers Market every other Sunday. A SNAP-Ed staff member sets up and provides resources to help people understand how to sign up for SNAP, how to use their SNAP benefits, give out food samples, share recipes, and understand what’s in season and how to store produce. (If you’ve been following the other articles in this series, this is the same role that Cassian Lethe plays at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market.)

In addition to direct education initiatives, SNAP-Ed also works on community strategies (formerly known as policy, systems, and environmental change) and indirect education. Some of their work in community strategies has involved helping Whitmore Lake Farmers Market get a card reader to be able to accept SNAP (a major hurdle for small markets), partnering with Superior Township’s Fireman’s Park to improve an underutilized park space, revamping the Ypsi Community Schools wellness policy, partnering with local food pantries to use the Healthy Food Pantry Assessment Tool to evaluate what the pantries are doing well and where there is room for improvement, and supporting with community data collection for the new Ypsilanti Peace Neighborhood Resource Center.

In their partnership with Superior Township, SNAP-Ed staff provided the logistical support to help the township understand what the surrounding neighborhood would like to see in the park. In 2022 and 2023, they knocked on doors and took surveys. After collecting the data, they turned it into a visually appealing and easily readable report, which they provided to the parks and recreation department. The parks department was then able to use the report to ask the township to allocate more funds for the park renovation, and their advocacy was successful. As a result, in 2024, the parks department was able to add a younger kids playground, an older kids playground, benches, outdoor exercise equipment, and a walking trail.

This year, SNAP-Ed again partnered with the Superior Township parks department, as well as the township’s library, to create a story walk on the new walking trail. Story walks combine reading and physical activity by displaying a children’s book, page by page, along an outdoor path. All books used for the story walk are SNAP-Ed approved, allowing kids and their families to learn about healthy food while enhancing their literacy skills and enjoying quality time in nature.

The final component of SNAP-Ed’s community work is its indirect education programs. While direct educational programs focus on reaching kids in schools, the indirect education programs allow SNAP-Ed to have a presence in the community. They attend both school-based and community-based tabling events, such as the upcoming Annual Parkridge Summer Festival/Joe Dulin Community Day in Ypsilanti on August 23rd and the Kite and Rocket Day at Fireman’s Park. When they table, they offer tastings and recipes, information about the programming in schools, and fun swag. They also partner with the CSA Food Navigator Program to table during pickup times for the Argus Farm Stop and Farm at Trinity Health CSA boxes, providing a recipe that features the produce in the CSA box for that week and offering further information about the SNAP-Ed program. This, along with all of their other work, provides resources not only to people who are direct recipients of SNAP benefits, but also to all community members. Programs like SNAP-Ed benefit everyone, including individuals who may never realize they are benefiting from them.

At the end of our interview, Danielle shared that this article feels, in many ways, like a eulogy for the program. The current funding for the program only goes through September 30, 2025. After that, its existence is in peril unless the Michigan Fitness Foundation (which administers SNAP-Ed) can find an alternative source of funding for it. This is the kind of program where a very small dollar amount goes a long way, and Danielle still has hope that the state and/or other national organizations with vested interests in food access will step in to fill the funding gap. Hopefully, Danielle’s dream comes true, and we don’t lose such a valuable program forever.

Feeding More Than Hunger

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 20:54:14 GMT

CASSIAN LETHE, SNAP-ED, AND THE STRUGGLE TO KEEP COMMUNITY CARE ALIVE

Receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits is one thing. Knowing how to use those resources most beneficially is another. The role of SNAP-Ed , a federally funded grant program, is to bridge that gap and help people make their SNAP dollars stretch, teach them how to cook healthy meals, and lead physically active lifestyles. In Michigan, SNAP-Ed programs are run through the Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF) and are present in all counties throughout the state. This program channels valuable resources into local organizations that aim to make a positive impact on the health of their communities, particularly in low-income areas.

Cassian Lethe is the food navigator at Growing Hope and runs the SNAP-Ed program. Each Saturday, Cassian goes to the Ypsilanti Farmers Market (which is run by Growing Hope). It distributes flyers containing information on resources for low-income community members, educates people on how to enroll in SNAP and how their benefits work, and prepares a recipe of the week, along with free samples to hand out. She describes the SNAP-Ed program as “a springboard for people’s agency,” a way for individuals to have their basic needs met, which then gives them the freedom and time to learn new things about food preparation and even grow their own food.

Cassian is passionate about helping people access food assistance because she grew up in a food-insecure household that did not access any benefits. She grew up in rural Texas, where she describes it as being very taboo to receive benefits. “You either don’t receive them or you do get them and you lie,” because of a perception that “if you need assistance, you are a burden.” Kids with reduced school lunches would be bullied, and cashiers at stores would harass people when they would pull out an EBT card and take much longer to serve them and check them out.

Because her family was food insecure but refused to receive benefits, Cassian began farming in her early teens as a way to help support her family. She raised cattle to sell at market, showed and sold chickens at 4H, and started researching permaculture, square foot gardening, and anything else that would make things easier for the family–and that would also work around her school schedule, since she was still only 15 when she began completely managing the farm.

At the time, she felt proud of what she had accomplished on the farm and of providing for the rest of her family. Still, she also started struggling with a myriad of health problems, including severe anxiety. At the time, she didn’t connect this to the fact that she was working basically from 6 am to 10 pm every day, and that all of her responsibilities were very high-stakes: if she didn’t provide lunch for her younger brother to bring to school, then he wouldn’t eat; if she burnt dinner, there wouldn’t be dinner; if she weren’t able to bring in enough money, her family wouldn’t have money for basic necessities.

Cassian is passionate about connecting people, through SNAP-Ed, to resources for basic necessities, so they have the time and resources to experiment with new foods and recipes. One of the things she has noticed about the SNAP recipients who take samples from her at the farmers market is that they frequently ask, “Are you sure they’re free?” Cassian emphasizes to program participants that the samples are free in multiple ways: the samples don’t cost any money, but they’re also free in the sense that people haven’t lost out on anything if they don’t like the sample. They didn’t waste money, waste food, put out their family, or any of the other things people experiencing food insecurity often worry about.

Fortunately, most people do like Cassian’s samples! They almost always run out, and many community members return week after week to try the next thing she has prepared. The recipes focus on ways to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into cooking, with a special emphasis on items people may not be familiar with, such as using beets to make “pink pancakes.” Food-insecure people with children often wouldn’t be able to risk making new foods like this at home; if the child doesn’t like it, then it would be a waste of food. But with the free samples, there’s no risk, and Cassian can immediately see the relief on parents’ faces when the kids seem happy with the sample. The parents then have the ability to take a recipe card with them and feel confident that if they cook this new recipe at home, their family will enjoy it. Through the free samples and accompanying recipe cards, community members can try new foods, gain knowledge about food, and take that knowledge home in an actionable form.

However, the members of the community Cassian serves as the SNAP-Ed coordinator at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market are worried about their future and often ask Cassian if she will have to stop coming to the market because of federal SNAP cuts. They are aware that the federal government's cuts to SNAP and other aid programs will affect them, but no one is yet certain how. Cassian’s worst fear is having to turn people away, because she knows what it’s like to feel like if you try to reach out for help, there won’t be anything there. SNAP-Ed is part of the something that she needed growing up, and she values being able to be that something for other members of her community.

Regardless of the federal cuts, Growing Hope will continue to do at least some of its food access work. Cassian explained that Growing Hope is like a field of various produce, where if there is a drought, some things will make it through, but not everything. She shared that every time a support system fails, it is the people who are most vulnerable who are hurt the most, and that Growing Hope can’t, on its own, save everyone, even though it would like to. She wants community members to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that they won’t be turned away, but due to the federal cuts, she is unsure if she’ll be able to provide that security anymore.

Cassian repeatedly emphasized how SNAP-Ed, SNAP, and other benefits programs work together to make the community as a whole healthier, and how the government’s recent cuts are relevant to us all:

“We’re not just individual points on a map, we’re pins stuck in a corkboard, which are all tied together. [Cutting benefits] will put strain on everyone, even if they don’t think that includes them. You’re going to be experiencing tension. Even if you feel like you’re not in any way tied to these government programs, you still need to go through the effort of advocating for those who do. Even in small ways.”

When Food Is Weaponized

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 20:02:20 GMT

Standing for Krystal Clark and the Right to Eat

At Growing Hope, we believe in food sovereignty: the collective right of communities to define their own food systems. That right does not end at the garden gate. It does not end at the prison door.

Krystal Clark is enduring environmental violence at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, Michigan’s only prison for women. She reports drinking and bathing in mold-infested water, eating food crawling with bugs, and being denied urgent medical care. This is not an isolated incident. It is the result of decades of disinvestment, environmental neglect, and the systemic criminalization of Black women.

Food sovereignty means the right to safe, culturally appropriate, nutritious food; food that nourishes, not food that harms. When a system feeds people contaminated meals and calls it justice, it has lost all moral ground.

We must understand this as a food system issue; one rooted in environmental racism and profit-driven incarceration. Incarcerated people are not exceptions to human rights. They are litmus tests for whether we believe in justice at all.

We stand with our partners at Survivors Speak, who have been advocating tirelessly for systemic change inside MDOC. Their leadership, rooted in lived experience, love, and liberation, reminds us that abolition begins with the radical act of care.

Follow @survivors_speak and join the call for clemency and accountability. We echo their demands and invite our community to treat Krystal’s story not as an exception, but as a mirror.

As we grow food, we grow power. As we build gardens, we build justice. And as we fight for food access, we will not forget those who have been systematically pushed out of sight. Food sovereignty cannot coexist with a system that poisons people behind walls.

Clean water and safe food are non-negotiable.

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

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:00:26 GMT

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

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 09:00:01 GMT

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.

Kevin Spangler’s Quarter Cow Solution: Leveraging SNAP for Health, Equity, and Local Food

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 09:00:20 GMT

Kevin Spangler, who runs Boober Tours pedi-cap service in Ann Arbor, has had a long journey with his own health and relationship with food. He now has a successful business and relies on food as his medicine, but there was a time when he was out of work, on disability, and not eating well. He then received SNAP (Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program) and DUFB (Double Up Food Bucks) benefits for three months, and this allowed him to turn both his health and his life around. He now views himself as a completely different person, and works to help his pedi-cab drivers also navigate healthier choices and, for those on SNAP, to make their benefits stretch the furthest.

When Kevin first started receiving SNAP and DUFB, he wasn’t eating particularly healthily. But then he started shopping at the grocery store instead of party stores, and then began only shopping the perimeter of the grocery store where the fresh, less-processed foods are. He worked for a time at Silvio’s Organic Pizzeria, where he first learned about the Slow Food Movement–a movement which began in Italy but is now worldwide, and which emphasizes “good, clean, and fair food for all,” especially through local food and traditional cooking.

Kevin was so inspired by what he had learned that in 2016, he wrote an article about the Slow Food Movement for Groundcover News , a street newspaper that gives a platform to underrepresented voices in Washtenaw County. He then started shopping almost exclusively at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market and following a carnivore diet, eating almost exclusively organic meat (with the occasional organic fruit). Organic meat can be expensive, but Kevin has found innovative ways to make his money stretch the furthest. One way Kevin stretches his money is by buying ground beef and organ meats from Whitney Farmstead , a 100% grass-fed regenerative ranch in Webster Township. These cuts are full of nutrition and just as high-quality as anything else, but less popular than things like steaks, and therefore much cheaper.

Another way Kevin stretches his money is by working together with his pedi-cap drivers, who were also receiving SNAP benefits. Over time, he has had around ten drivers who were temporarily receiving SNAP, and they pooled their money together to buy a quarter cow from Baseline Farm for $1100. When buying a quarter cow, the cow is slaughtered on demand, and the butcher is able to customize the cuts based on the purchaser’s cutting instructions. Buying beef this way is a great way to both support local farmers and to get premium local meat at a substantial per-pound discount.

Buying an entire quarter cow (or a half or a full one!) is much cheaper per pound than buying individual cuts of meat, but it requires a substantial up-front investment. No individual SNAP recipient would be able to pay that much at once, but Kevin was inspired by his experience at a sober living community in Nevada, pooling together SNAP benefits to be able to buy things cheaper in bulk. So Kevin and his drivers, each receiving a different amount of benefits, pooled their money together to buy an entire quarter of a cow and split the meat amongst themselves. A quarter cow is a lot of meat–around 100 pounds–and you can get even more meat from it when you’re willing to use all of the cow–things like organ meat and suet–which Kevin and his drivers do.

Kevin says that it can be difficult at first to help people use their benefits in an efficient and healthy way, because of both a lack of desire to eat healthy and a lack of education about how to budget, invest, pay bills, and, in general, use money wisely. While he was receiving SNAP benefits and getting his business up and running, he needed to be extremely frugal. He made sure to max out on his DUFB by using them over the course of the month at the farmers market (there is a per-day cap on how much fresh produce you can have double benefits for), and only ever bought what he knew he would eat that week to eliminate any food waste.

Kevin passes these health and financial values on to his pedi-cap drivers, and over time many of the people he works with have been inspired by how he eats. It took him 20 years to start figuring out his own health, so he knows how difficult it can be and likes being able to use his own experience to help guide his drivers as they start their own health journeys. Kevin is now a successful, health-focused business owner, but it was a long journey to get here. Having access to SNAP and DUFB benefits was essential for getting him up on his feet, and he had the business savvy to be able to stretch those benefits and use them to their fullest potential. He is a great example of the ways in which, through careful budgeting and intentional buying, local, organic food can be accessible to people depending on SNAP and DUFB benefits.

“Everyone’s Farm Stop”: Making SNAP Work at Argus

julius@growinghope.net (Julius Buzzard) — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:00:27 GMT

At Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, food access and equity are central to the mission of building a robust local food system. The Argus food access team, Tess Rian, Mara Logan, and Rosie Estes, aim to make using food assistance at Argus as easy as possible and also to educate Argus staff, customers, and broader community members about the important role that food assistance plays in the local food economy. During recent store renovations, it was super important to the food access team that “EBT Welcome” be very clearly displayed on the street-facing awning of the store. Part of the aim of this is to change assumptions about “who is in our community.” Many people see both Ann Arbor and local food as domains of the privileged, but Ann Arbor is also a city full of students and young families, both of whom frequently use SNAP benefits at Argus.

Once SNAP customers are in the door, the food access team aims to make using SNAP as simple as possible and to make the money go as far as possible. Argus does this by offering heavily subsidized weekly produce boxes and by giving 50% off all fresh produce. The weekly produce box is a selection of 6-9 items selected by the staff, and includes detailed information about the contents of the box, including possible recipes. For non-SNAP customers, the boxes are currently $30, but for SNAP customers, the boxes are currently less than $10. The food access team designates 100 boxes a week to be available at a discount to SNAP customers, but currently, there are fewer customers than those who have requested to receive the boxes.

If you are a SNAP recipient interested in a discounted Argus Farm Stop produce box subscription, please email hub@argusfarmstop.com to set it up!

For non-subscription produce purchases, in the state of Michigan, the Double Up Food Bucks Program allows SNAP customers to make their money go twice as far when purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables. For every dollar they spend, they receive a “matching” dollar from Double Up, effectively making produce half off. However, the Double Up program has a daily limit of $20 and has been susceptible to disruption. During the height of COVID, the daily limit was temporarily suspended, but then the program itself was temporarily suspended altogether from August to December 2022. When the program resumed in 2023, the daily benefit was reduced by half (from $20 to $10) from January to September. In October of 2023, the program was returned to $20 and has remained at that level since then. However, due to the previous changes and disruptions, SNAP customers have a hard time planning for what their benefits will continue to be.

Argus aims to fill this gap by supplementing their own matching funds to give SNAP customers 50% off of all fresh produce, with no daily limit. This allows customers to buy the produce that they need when they need it. Argus funds this matching program through internal fundraising; for the past three years, they have done a “Round Up at the Register” campaign, which last year raised about 10k in just one month. A strong majority of customers choose to round up, which demonstrates that the local food community understands the value of making local food more accessible to more people.

The Argus food access team cares deeply about the impact their work is making, and checks in with customers using EBT cards at the farm stop about their experiences. They have received an overwhelmingly positive response about every aspect of the program, including both Double Up Food Bucks and the Argus discounted produce box subscription. The customers report being able to have access to fresher, healthier, and tastier food, which has expanded the kinds of produce regularly included in their dietary practices.

At the Farm Stop Conference in March 2025, put on by Argus, one of the most-attended sessions was on food access, co-presented by Tess Rian, one of the food access coordinators at Argus, and Noah Fulmer, a senior fellow at the Fair Food Network . The session was attended by farm stop owners and entrepreneurs from all across the country, all of whom had tremendous energy and enthusiasm for making food access a central part of their own farm stops. This highlights the importance of maintaining robust food assistance programs that can integrate with smaller, locally-focused businesses like Argus Farm Stop.

Doubling Up on Equity: The Financial Power of Food Assistance at the Market

julius@growinghope.net (Julius Buzzard) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 18:39:43 GMT

Ann Arbor has a reputation for being a university town with a relatively privileged, wealthy, white population. Farmers markets tend to have the same reputation. So the importance of SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Double-Up-Food-Bucks (which allows SNAP recipients to make their assistance go twice as far when buying fresh fruits and vegetables) to customers and vendors at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market might come as a surprise.

But according to Ann Arbor Farmers Market manager Stefanie Stauffer, the Ann Arbor market takes in more money from SNAP and Double-Up-Food-Bucks than any other market in the county. She says there are many “die-hard regulars” who the market staff know by name and who use their food assistance at the market weekly to access more nutritious, more affordable, and sometimes more culturally appropriate foods than they would be able to otherwise. Many of these customers come in from nearby communities like Ypsilanti, due to the size and accessibility of the market (it is located close to the city’s main transit center).

Almost all of the food vendors at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market take SNAP, and in 2024, vendors at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market redeemed over fifty thousand dollars in SNAP and just under fifty thousand dollars in Double-Up-Food-Bucks. Stauffer noted that the Wednesday farmers market is especially frequented by SNAP users; on a recent Wednesday, there were more SNAP token sales than regular credit card token sales.

Stauffer also noted that the market does a lot of outreach to non-English speaking communities so that they are able to fully participate in the market. The largest communities are Chinese-speaking and Russian-speaking, and according to Stauffer, “That’s very Ann Arbor; I’ve never talked to any other market like that.” Last time there was a big change in SNAP benefits, Stauffer hosted information sessions at two nearby senior centers, using a Chinese translator and a Russian translator, to communicate the changes and answer any questions about what this meant for them shopping at the market.

Stauffer notes that the exact SNAP and DUFB amounts matter a lot to the customers, and many of them will regularly check in and confirm how their benefits are changing due to the constantly shifting terrain of food assistance programs. Despite this, she is confident in the resilience of customers who use SNAP at the market to continue to weather changes to the program.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market is able to be the vibrant, diverse place it is largely because of the robust food assistance programs that less wealthy customers have access to. Without SNAP and double-up food bucks, the market might end up fulfilling the stereotype of being a space mostly for wealthier people.

A Just Food System Is Not Given--It's Grown

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 10:00:11 GMT

Beloved Community,

We are living through a moment of transformation, where food is not just nourishment, but resistance. Not just a value, but a strategy for survival.

Right now, the federal government is proposing deep cuts to SNAP and agricultural programs—policies that will land hardest on those already carrying generational weight: low-income families, elders, youth, and Black and Brown growers who have built life out of scarcity. These are not fiscal decisions. They are declarations: hunger is acceptable. Control is preferred. Liberation through land and food is a threat.

At Growing Hope, we reject that logic.
We are building food sovereignty in Ypsilanti.

We grow not for charity, but for power. We believe our people deserve more than handouts—they deserve the tools to feed themselves, their kin, and their neighbors with dignity.

The stakes are real. SNAP cuts will force impossible choices: rent or groceries, insulin or dinner. Food pantries, already threadbare, will shoulder what systems abandon. And local growers, especially Black farmers, will feel these cuts in shrinking markets, broken promises, and lost infrastructure. One grower shared, “We were finally starting to believe we had a place in this system. Now they’re pulling the rug again.”

This isn’t new. This is legacy. This is the pattern.
And still, we grow.

Because food sovereignty is not a trend—it is a birthright. It is the right to grow what sustains us, share what we harvest, and control our future without permission.

So what now?
We move.

Speak up. Call your reps. Tell them: cuts to SNAP and ag supports are attacks on our future.
Invest local. Every dollar at the farmers market is a vote for resilience.
Organize. Join us in shifting land, infrastructure, and food power into community hands.
Grow. Grow food for yourself, your family, and your community.

We are unwavering. A just food system is not given—it’s grown.

Let’s grow together.

With grit and love,

Julius

P.S. Our teens are actively engaging in this work every day, laying the foundation for generational health and a truly just food system. Read from them firsthand here .

2025 Teen Leadership Afterschool Program Highlights

Thu, 22 May 2025 20:47:02 GMT

Thursday, May 22 marked the last day of the after school program for our Teen Leadership Program. We wanted to take a moment to share some of the highlights from the past eight months and recognize all of the hard work done by our young food justice leaders: Tuula Martinez, Eli Harris, Josie Smith, Jaylah Cotton, Sienna Troy, and Nick Corvera-Garay!

Deepening Knowledge

The fall and winter months on the farm make way for many workshops in our Teen Leadership Program! This year, the majority of our meetings were youth-facilitated, and each of our teens planned and facilitated their own workshop relating to Food Justice, Cooking, or Community Organizing. They shared family recipes in their cooking workshops, talked about the effects of colonization on our food systems, and discussed power mapping in community change work. In the fall, we visited UM Campus Farm and the Community Food Forest at Leslie Park to learn from other food growers in our area and their farming practices. We prepared for the growing season at the Growing Hope Urban Farm with workshops about plant families, companion planting, and crop planning!

Community Engagement

This school year, our Teen Leadership Program planned and presented at least one free community engagement event every month! They hosted monthly Food Sovereignty Film Screenings and discussions with some of their favorite films being Seed: The Untold Story and Gather . They prepared and sold handmade tea bags and honey at the Ypsi Farmers Market. Each of our teens made their own zine for the first Ypsi Zine Jamboree at the Freighthouse. They hosted a public workshop on corn nixtamalization, and processed corn they grew last summer into fresh tortillas. In collaboration with the Washtenaw County Youth Commissioners, they planned and hosted Fighting Food Insecurity: One Bowl of Ramen at a Time event at our Urban Farm with the support of FedUp , Food Gatherers , and The Farm at Trinity . The goal of this event was to educate folks about food insecurity in our community and provide an easy way to elevate a simple meal like ramen with fresh veggies and edible weeds! They did informative tabling events at YCS schools, the Ypsi Library, and other community events. Perhaps the biggest accomplishment was the launch of the Growing Hope Seed Library! Our Teen Leadership Program saved and packaged seeds from our farm, sorted thousands of seed donations, organized varieties alphabetically, and planned a launch party for our permanent Seed Library! The Seed Library is open to all and is located at the Growing Hope Urban Farm. They revived their own Instagram account– you can follow at @growinghope_teens to get a first hand look at all their work!

Seeding, planting, and growing

The Teen Leadership Program manages three of the growing areas on our Urban Farm: the Children’s Garden, the Sharing Garden, and The Oasis. The teens are responsible for crop planning, seed starting, and planting the beds in each of these areas totaling over 20 garden beds! The teens worked together to make crop plans by calculating seed starting dates, transplant dates, how many plants per square foot, and creating cold and hot crop rotation plans. They soil blocked, started seeds, and planted all of the cold crops for the 3 garden areas which you can see growing now at our Urban Farm! They will continue to follow their crop plans all summer long to know when to harvest cold crops and plant more hot crops. Harvested food will be given out for free in our Community Produce Cart and also used in cooking lessons in our Summer Teen Leadership Program!

We are incredibly proud of this group of young people and grateful for their hard work, commitment to the community and the local food system, and the perspective and joy they bring to our organization! In June our current group of teens will be joined by six new teen crew members for a summer full of learning, growing, and leading!

Come as you are. Leave with what you need. Return when you can.

Tue, 06 May 2025 09:30:00 GMT

Beloved community,

This season, as we plant new seeds of possibility and dig deeper into our shared commitment to nourishment and justice, I’m overjoyed to share something truly special: our brand-new produce stand , a beautiful structure dreamed up and built by the youth of Brightmoor Makerspace . It stands as a declaration—not just of what is possible, but of what is already happening when we invest in our young people, listen to the land, and center care in our collective work.

Positioned near the parking lot for easier access, the new stand features a solid platform and a ramp—making it easier for neighbors with mobility challenges, elders with walkers, or caregivers pushing strollers to roll right up and gather what they need. More than just a structure, it’s an invitation:

Come as you are. Leave with what you need. Return when you can.

We’ve expanded the space to offer more. More produce, more flowers, more herbs, more abundance shared in community. And we’re able to do that because this isn’t just our stand; it’s yours. Our longstanding model of solidarity over scarcity continues: growers and farmers from across the county bring their surplus here, ensuring that good food never goes to waste, and that dignity remains on the table for all who visit.

The need this season is real. Inflation is high, and legislative shifts have cut the legs out from under programs that once helped meet people where they’re at. Trusted partners, agencies, and food providers are being forced to scale back or shut down. And yet— our produce cart remains open , every single day of the week. No ID checks. No income tests. No red tape.

If you need food, it’s yours. Period.

We’ll begin stocking the stand later this month. We usually fill it in the mornings, but please don’t hesitate to call ahead.

This is the work of youth, farmers, and neighbors who understand that liberation tastes like tomatoes in July and basil on your fingers and peaches you didn’t have to ask permission to pick.

Come through. Eat well. And keep building with us.

In solidarity and soil,

Julius

P.S. Don’t miss Pizza on the Farm—Thursday, May 23! Join us for wood-fired pizza, farm tours, and storytelling under the sky. It’s a gathering of hearts, mouths, and movements. Let’s eat, learn, and build together. RSVP here .

Creating a Space for Community

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 13:21:40 GMT

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

Beyond Buying

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:00:02 GMT

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

Tea, Honey, and the Gift of Local Food

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:00:01 GMT

A Conversation with Growing Hope’s Teen Leaders

For most people, tea and honey are something you grab off a store shelf. But for a group of teens in Growing Hope’s Teen Leadership Program, these simple products became an experiment in food sovereignty, a crash course in business, and a way to build relationships with their community. They grew the herbs, harvested the honey, designed the packaging, and brought their creations to the Ypsilanti Farmers Market—where something amazing happened.

I sat down with Nick Garay, Tuula Martinez, Eli Harris, Jaylah Cotton, Josie Smith, and other Teen Leadership Program members to talk about what it was like to go from farm to market, why food is more than just a product, and what they learned about themselves along the way.

The Journey from Farm to Market

Julius Buzzard: I love that you didn’t just sell something at the market—you created something. Can you walk me through the process of making your tea and honey?

Tuula Martinez: We grew the herbs ourselves at Growing Hope Urban Farm, harvested them, and dried them in the prop house. A few weeks later, we processed them and put them into containers. Then came the fun part—designing and making tea bags! We had to decide together what flavors would sell best, how many tea bags to include in each pack, and how to package everything. I was part of the design team, so we worked on the labels and ordered the boxes.

Eli Harris: After our first day selling tea, we looked at which varieties sold best and adjusted. We added calendula because people seemed really interested in new flavors. Every tea bag was hand-assembled from coffee filters, cotton yarn, and staples—it was so much work!

"Wow, I’m Running a Business"

JB: What was it like to have your own booth at the market, talking with customers and selling something you made?

Nick Garay: It was really fun! I loved being at the market, seeing other vendors, and getting all these customers. It was kind of surreal to think that people would buy something we made—and then go home and drink our tea!

Sienna Troy: Other vendors came up to us and asked questions, and some even bought our tea. It felt like we were part of this bigger community.

Tuula Martinez: The vendors were so welcoming. It was our first time selling, and they made us feel like we belonged.

Food as a Gift & the Power of Farmers Markets

JB: Has this experience changed the way you think about food, business, or what you might want to do in the future?

Nick Garay: The market and working at Growing Hope really changed my perspective. I read Braiding Sweetgrass and The Serviceberry and started thinking about the gift economy—how food carries meaning when you buy it directly from the person who grew it, rather than just grabbing something off a grocery store shelf. That’s what this market is about.

Abby Rogers: It’s amazing to see how much work goes into farmers markets. Meeting the other vendors, learning about their products—it really opened my eyes to how much passion and effort goes into making local food available.

Eli Harris: A lot of people came to the market with a specific idea of what they wanted, but once we started talking to them, they got interested in what we were selling. That interaction made all the difference.

What’s Next?

The Teen Leadership Program is already planning to return to the market this year, bringing new products and fresh ideas.

"We’re talking about making herb salts next!" says Sienna.

"We want to show how growing food can be accessible to everyone," adds Tuula. "It’s a great investment—you plant once, and you keep harvesting. We’re practicing what we preach!"

And as for the market itself?

"We’ll be back—at least once this summer and again for the indoor market!"

�� NEW LOCATION: 16 S. Washington Street

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

Want to support the next generation of food entrepreneurs? Become a Friend of the Market today!

�� Become a Friend of the Market Today!

Honoring the Earth, Honoring Our Farmers

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 10:00:02 GMT

Happy Earth Month!

Spring arrives with a quiet urgency. The thawing ground reminds us of the resilience of our land, of the ancestors who tilled it, and of the communities who still gather to nurture its abundance. But this year, as we step into Earth Month, I carry a deep and growing concern for the future of our food system—one that has been shaken by policy decisions that threaten the very foundation of food sovereignty in Ypsilanti and beyond.

The recent funding freezes and budget cuts—from the loss of the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program to the closure of USDA offices—are not just bureaucratic shifts; they are existential threats to our farmers, our food access programs, and the families who rely on them. I have sat across the table from our legislators, pressing them on these cuts and their real-life consequences. Time and time again, I have asked them:

How will our small farmers recover from the sudden disappearance of revenue they had come to rely on? How will low-income communities access fresh, local produce when the programs designed to bridge that gap are gutted?

The answers, when they come at all, ring hollow. And the weight of these decisions falls heaviest on Black farmers. Over the past few months, I have spoken to Black farmers across the state who have lost tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. Each has asked to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation if they speak out. We’ve spent years investing in trust—through policy change, the Washtenaw County Black Farmers Fund, and steadfast community advocacy—and now, that trust has been shattered.

The jar that held every marble of faith and progress has been smashed to the ground.

I am deeply concerned about the long-term implications of these actions—not just for our farmers but for the fight for equity in our food system as a whole. If we continue down this path, we will see more land lost, more livelihoods destroyed, and more barriers to sovereignty erected. But let me be clear: while these attacks are meant to dishearten us, they will not stop us.

Hope is not lost.

We are building and investing in a local food system that ensures the right to food for all.

We are planting, growing, and sharing. We are organizing, advocating, and refusing to be silenced. Our programs at Growing Hope continue to provide fresh, local produce to our neighbors, even as the environment shifts around us. We continue to uplift local growers, ensuring they have the resources they need to weather this storm as they have weathered past storms and will weather future storms. We demand that our legislators listen—not just to us but to the land itself, which has long whispered the truth of what justice looks like.

This Earth Month, as we honor and commune with Mother Earth and the ancestors who fought for our right to grow, we reaffirm our commitment to a just and sovereign food system. We will not let short-sighted policies or political indifference derail the work of generations. And we ask you to join us—whether by growing, sharing, advocating, or simply refusing to look away.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. If you’re looking for a practical way to participate and support our local food system, visit and become a friend of the market , where we’re reimagining how we invest in and support growers, eaters, and everything in between.

From Field to Market

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 10:00:05 GMT

A Conversation with Farmer Megan Lowlor Korovesis

For many of us, a farmers market is where we stop on a Saturday morning, pick up fresh produce, and maybe chat with a vendor or two. But for small farmers, getting to market is the culmination of months of planning, planting, and hard work. As the Ypsilanti Farmers Market prepares to move downtown this season, we sat down with Megan Lowlor Korovesis of Field & Forest Farm to talk about what it means to grow food, build community, and why this market is such a special place to sell.

The First Market: "A Huge Triumph"

Julius Buzzard: Megan, I want to start with your very first day at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market. Can you take me back to that moment? What did it feel like to step behind the table as a vendor for the first time?

Megan Lowlor Korovesis: Oh, it was a huge triumph. I remember looking at our stand, filled with fresh produce, and thinking, Wow, we actually did it. There’s so much work that goes into growing food, and that first market was the moment where it all came together. Seeing people stop, buy our food, and even come back week after week—it was incredible. It made all the effort feel so worth it.

JB: What was that effort like? I think a lot of people don’t realize just how much goes into getting food to market.

MLK: Oh, absolutely. The work starts long before market day. In February—sometimes even earlier—we’re already sowing seeds. Every step after that is a hurdle: making sure the seedlings survive, preparing the fields, keeping pests away, harvesting, washing, packing. And then there’s the unpredictability of it all—maybe the weather doesn’t cooperate, or a crop doesn’t grow the way you planned. By the time you get to market, you’ve already put in months of work.

And most of what we do is by hand. Small-scale farming is physically demanding, labor-intensive work, but it’s a labor of love. When someone comes to our stand and tells us how much they enjoyed the food, it makes every bit of effort feel worthwhile.

Beyond Buying Food: Farmers Markets as Community Spaces

JB: One of the things I love about farmers markets is how they bring people together—it’s not just about buying food, it’s about connecting with the people who grow it. Has being a vendor changed the way you think about food and community?

MLK: Absolutely. When you sell at a farmers market, you’re not just putting food on a shelf and hoping people buy it—you’re talking to people, hearing their stories, answering their questions.

I love when customers come back and tell me what they made with what they bought. Maybe they tried a new recipe or discovered that a fresh, local carrot tastes completely different from what they’re used to at the grocery store. It’s also great when people ask about the farming process—why certain crops taste sweeter at certain times of the year, or how to cook a vegetable they’ve never used before. Those conversations create a deeper connection to food.

And it goes both ways. I’ve had people tell me what they’re growing in their home gardens, and we swap ideas about what’s working and what’s not. It’s this wonderful exchange of knowledge and experience that you just don’t get anywhere else.

The Market Moves Downtown: What Changes & What Stays the Same

JB: This year, the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is moving downtown to Washington Street. As a farmer, what does that shift mean for you?

MLK: I’m really excited about it. The Freight House was a great space, but downtown has so much to offer. The new location puts the market closer to other small businesses, which means people can shop at the market and then explore the area—maybe grab a coffee, check out a local shop, make a whole morning of it.

JB: Do you think it will change the feel of the market?

MLK: I think it will bring more people in, but what makes this market special will still be the same. There’s a real sense of community here. The vendors are supportive of each other, the customers are curious and engaged, and it’s a space where everyone feels welcome.

One thing I really appreciate about the Ypsi Market is that it’s intimate. Some bigger markets, like Ann Arbor’s, can be overwhelming—parking is tough, and it’s so crowded that you don’t always get the chance to talk with the farmers. Ypsi’s market is different. It’s slower-paced in the best way—you can take your time, ask questions, and really connect with the people behind the food.

Why Shopping at a Farmers Market Matters

JB: If someone has never been to the Ypsilanti Farmers Market before, how would you describe what makes it special? Why should they come out and see it for themselves?

MLK: I’d say come for the food, but stay for the experience. Yes, you’re getting fresh, local produce, but you’re also getting a chance to meet the people who grew it, to ask questions, to learn about where your food comes from. There’s a warmth to this market—people chat with each other, they linger, they share recipes. It’s not just shopping, it’s a way to be part of something bigger.

And when you buy from a local farmer, you’re not just supporting that one person—you’re investing in your community. Every dollar spent at the market stays local, helps a small farm keep going, and contributes to a food system that values sustainability, health, and connection.

What’s Next for Field & Forest Farm

JB: Before we wrap up, what’s ahead for you this season?

MLK: We’re expanding! This will be our second full growing season, and we’re adding a CSA program where people can get a weekly share of fresh produce. The Ypsilanti Farmers Market will be one of our pickup locations, which is really exciting.

We’re also continuing to experiment with new crops, moving closer to reaching our goals of being no-till, and just growing in every sense of the word. I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces at the market, meeting new customers, and sharing the food we love to grow.

JB: It sounds like an exciting season ahead. Megan, thanks so much for taking the time to talk today—I can’t wait to visit your stand at the new downtown market.

MLK: Thank you! I’m really looking forward to it.

Visit the Ypsilanti Farmers Market

�� New Location: 16 S. Washington Street

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

Want to support local farmers like Megan? Become a Friend of the Market today and invest in a thriving, just food system.

�� Become a Friend of the Market Today!

Downtown Farmers Market: Not Just a Market, a Movement

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 22:10:21 GMT

The Saturday Ypsilanti Farmers Market is moving downtown!

Family, farmers, and food justice champions,

The seeds of change are taking root in Ypsilanti! This spring, we are thrilled to announce that the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is moving downtown to 16 S. Washington Street/Black Lives Matter Blvd. This shift is more than a change in location—it’s a deepened commitment to food sovereignty, economic resilience, and community nourishment at the heart of our city.

By planting roots in this space, we are breaking down barriers to food access and expanding opportunities for local growers, food makers, and artisans to share their harvests and creations. With the market just steps from the transit center, fresh, nourishing food is now even more within reach—whether you arrive by foot, bike, bus, or car. This move also makes it easier for families with small children, elders, and community members with disabilities to navigate to and through the market, affirming that everyone deserves a place at the table.

This move isn’t just about food—it’s about strengthening our local economy. Increased foot traffic and visibility mean that our farmers, vendors, and food makers have greater opportunities to grow their businesses, share their craft, and reach new customers.

But this is about more than commerce; it’s about community power.

Our new home at MarketPlace Hall unlocks the potential for deeper engagement—offering cooking demonstrations, gardening workshops, and hands-on classes that equip our neighbors with skills to feed themselves and their families. Move this line to here: A thriving farmers market fuels a vibrant downtown —bringing fresh food, economic opportunity, and gathering spaces to the heart of Ypsilanti.

A vibrant local food system is more essential than ever. As our community evolves and the climate shifts, we must strengthen the networks that sustain us. This market is not just a place to buy produce—it’s a space where small growers, local farmers, food makers, and artisans directly nourish and sustain their people . Whether it’s fresh fruits and vegetables, pantry staples, or locally prepared foods, every item at the market carries a story of care, tradition, and deep community connection.

Grown, crafted, and prepared by us—harvested, baked, and built for our people.

This is more than a market; it’s a movement. A space where every neighbor—regardless of zip code or income—has access to fresh, culturally relevant food. We remain steadfast in our commitment to SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and other food assistance programs to ensure nourishing, local food reaches every table.

Join us in celebrating this exciting new chapter! Opening Day is Saturday, May 3rd, from 9 AM - 1 PM —featuring live music, local flavors, and the joy of community in full bloom. T ogether, let’s build a food system that honors our growers, nourishes our neighbors, and invests in a thriving Ypsilanti.

We’ll see you at the market!

Julius Buzzard

P.S. We’re still accepting applications for vendors, community partners, and musicians! Apply online today.

Honoring Black Makers, Building Food Sovereignty

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 19:35:42 GMT

Sweet Greetings Community,

As we enter into Black History Month, I invite you to lean in as we reflect on the stories of makers—artists, bakers, herbalists, and creators—we honor the ingenuity that blooms from soil and spirit alike.

Sean, Bupé, Nashia, and Eric are carrying forward a legacy of resilience and resistance through their craft. They remind us that making is more than production; it is storytelling, ancestral memory, and an act of defiance in a world that seeks to homogenize and commodify.

Investing in our local food system means investing in the people who shape it.

From the farmers who steward the land to the artisans who transform raw ingredients into nourishment, we are weaving a web of interdependence that can withstand the storms of uncertainty. At this moment, when federal funding hangs in precarious balance, and communities are left to navigate the shifting tides of policy and politics, we must deepen our commitments to one another on our journey to realize self-determination.

We see the cracks in the system, and we also see the light that pours through.

The growing movement for reparations and land return is gaining momentum. Across the country, Black food businesses and land stewards are reclaiming space and sovereignty—from cooperatively owned grocery stores to community-run urban farms.

Here in Washtenaw County, Black entrepreneurs are creating thriving food businesses despite systemic barriers. The Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen provides a space where small businesses (many of whom are Black-owned) can thrive and where each owner can freely pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Meanwhile, the Reparations Council is laying the groundwork for justice, ensuring Black food businesses and land stewards have the resources to thrive. We work diligently to meet our community's growing need for this support.

These are not isolated efforts; they are part of a collective reckoning, a return-to-right relationship with land, food, and people. I invite you to lean in, whether it is through listening, learning, advocating, donating, or any other means.

Because it is about food. It is about land. It is about representation, justice, and sovereignty.

It is about us—standing in the fullness of our power and ensuring that everyone has the right to grow, create, and be nourished.

In solidarity and abundance,

Julius Buzzard

P.S. Sign up today to join the conversation with each of these makers.

Rooted in Hope, Growing into 2025

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:22:48 GMT

Dear Growing Hope Family,

The turning of the year invites us to pause, reflect, and envision what lies ahead. As we step into 2025, we celebrate the seeds of change we nurtured together in 2024. Each garden tended, meal shared, and bond forged has been an act of resistance and renewal, drawing us closer to a future of food sovereignty for Ypsilanti.

Last year, we witnessed profound moments of transformation: community gardens blossoming into sanctuaries of nourishment, teens learning the ancient wisdom of cultivation and care, and neighbors standing shoulder to shoulder to reclaim agency over their food systems. Each step, no matter how small, was a declaration that food is a human right, not a privilege.

This year, we grow deeper, stronger, and bolder.

We root ourselves firmly in equity, acknowledging the injustices that have shaped our food landscape and committing to uprooting them together. We strengthen the networks of care that cradle our community, ensuring no one is left behind. And we cultivate abundance—not just in the produce that sustains our bodies but in the joy, dignity, and solidarity that sustain our spirits.

Here’s our vision for 2025:

Planting seeds of justice: Expanding initiatives that center the voices and leadership of those most impacted by food inequity.
Cultivating sustainable connections: Deepening partnerships with local organizations and neighbors to create a web of support that nourishes all.
Harvesting the power of community: Celebrating our shared successes and embracing the collective wisdom that drives us forward.

This work is not easy, but it is sacred. Together, we will grow boldly, rest deeply, and dream expansively. Let us nurture the hope that lives within each of us and transform it into action that ripples across our city.

To a year of abundance, justice, and unwavering solidarity,

With love and gratitude,

Julius Buzzard

P.S. Keep an eye out for specifics and updates on how your solidarity is making a tangible difference in Ypsilanti.

2024 Volunteer of the Year

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:20:05 GMT

Beloved Community,

We’re thrilled to honor Francesca Williamson as our Volunteer of the Year! Francesca’s passion and tireless work have inspired our team and community. Her leadership in the compost program and commitment to sustainable practices have been invaluable. Francesca has given countless hours, never hesitating to dive in with a smile and lend a hand wherever needed. Her dedication reminds us of the power of individual contributions in making our vision for a resilient food system a reality. Here’s a note straight from Franchesca:

“It has been a joy to volunteer with Growing Hope this year. My family is from African American communities that migrated north from the rural south, so food and caring for the land are core parts of my culture and upbringing. As a child, I remember pulling weeds in my grandmother’s tomato rows and watching her preserve vegetables. My family regularly cooked and shared food with others — for church events, during community service programs, and when visiting elders and the ‘sick and shut-in’ (a catch-all term for people experiencing illness and living with disabilities). So, when I learned about Growing Hope, I was immediately drawn to the food justice mission and values. I started volunteering with the compositing team and learned a lot about bees, food waste-to-compost cycles, and local food system issues. As a newcomer to the area, joining the compost team has also been a way to connect with people, the community, and the land. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the impactful work Growing Hope is doing. I look forward to staying involved because Growing Hope feels like home.”

Our deep connection to the intersecting communities we serve and collaborate with drives everything we do. Through programs like youth leadership, food access initiatives, and partnerships with local organizations, we co-create pathways to address the interconnected challenges of food insecurity, educational inequities, climate change, and land access. This work is not about replicating old models but reimagining what’s possible—embracing innovation rooted in optimism and our shared humanity. As we reflect on the past year and look toward the future, we remain steadfast in pursuing systemic change, working toward a regenerative, inclusive food system for Ypsilanti and beyond.

Thank you for being part of the collaborative spirit and care that define Growing Hope!

In Gratitude,

Julius Buzzard

A Season for Reflection and Gratitude

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 09:17:06 GMT

Dear Friends,

As we gather this week to share meals and stories with loved ones, let us take a moment to reflect not only on the food before us but also on the systems, labor, and land that make it possible. Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude, but it also invites us to consider the deep and complex history of the land we occupy and the people—past and present—who have stewarded it.

At Growing Hope, we see food as more than sustenance; it is a bridge to sovereignty, justice, and community resilience. The dishes we prepare and enjoy this week symbolize the labor of farmers, growers, and harvesters across the country. It is their work—and the rich cultural and agricultural traditions they uphold—that nourish not just our bodies but our communities.

This season, I am especially grateful for your partnership in our shared pursuit of food sovereignty. Together, we are building a future where farmland thrives, local producers are celebrated, and everyone has equitable access to fresh, culturally relevant food. This work challenges the systems that have historically excluded too many, especially Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, from having autonomy over their food and land.

As you prepare and share meals, may the food on your table remind you of our most deeply held values: nurturing family, building community, and standing in solidarity with those working to create a just and equitable food system.

From all of us at Growing Hope, I wish you a season of reflection, gratitude, and bountiful connection. Thank you for being part of this journey.

With gratitude and hope,

Julius Buzzard
Executive Director
Growing Hope

Community with One Another and Our Ancestors

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:15:56 GMT

Partners in Progress,

The reds, oranges, and yellows of fall’s great show are magic. Our eyes and hearts are overwhelmed by the natural golden beauty of life inside a miracle as we balance the sorrow behind the constant impacts of the climate collapse that stretches and changes our seasons as we have witnessed all year.

Holding the devastation and the miracles in balance, we are filled with optimism and determination as we continue to invest in a more just and equitable food system. Collaboration moves us forward and is essential as we imagine and empower a self-reliant, self-determined community.

Following Earth’s example, we move into a season of gratitude, healing, and reflection as we celebrate the many community members who share their time and play a powerful role in this work and our vision of food sovereignty! Our faithful compost crew has transformed organic waste into rich, nourishing compost, helping to close the loop on food waste and nurture the soil our community depends on. Their dedication demonstrates the hands-on commitment that drives our shared mission forward and brings us closer to a sustainable, community-centered food system.

Getting our hands in the dirt and nurturing Earth helps us tend to ourselves, invest in community, and commune with our ancestors.

Thank you to all our volunteers—whether you’re turning compost, planting seeds, or sharing our mission. Your hard work and belief in the importance of food sovereignty create a real impact, one small act at a time. Together, we’re cultivating a future where our food systems are resilient, sustainable, and community-driven.

Thank you for growing with us,

Julius

P.S. Check out this article about our Inaugural Sprout Grants (or you can listen to it on WEMU).

When We Fight, We Win

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 09:11:52 GMT

Beloved community,

For so many reasons, autumn is my favorite season, and I hope you’ve enjoyed its first glimpse. The slow unfolding of this crimson season, paired with the crisp breeze and leaves crunching beneath our feet, reminds us of and invites us into Earth’s cycle of resilience through rest.

Our regional community of growers is experiencing nothing short of heartbreak as Earth turns us toward a season of rest.

Despite their many contributions to the local community, our comrades at Detroit Farm & Cider face ongoing challenges from the city, including unfair zoning disputes and bureaucratic hurdles that threaten their operations.

Until last month, Leandra King (aka Farmer Lee) had been threatened with jail time for keeping farm animals on her property. Now, the City of Detroit is illegally trying to seize the farm in a civil case!

The city has petitioned for an emergency injunction to seize Detroit Farm & Cider, alleging that the farm poses an irreparable danger to public health, safety, and welfare, claiming it is a public nuisance and environmental threat. However, these claims are strongly refuted, as the farm is fully licensed and permitted, with letters of support from surrounding neighbors and businesses. The city’s actions would result in the demolition of the farm, forcing the King family from their home and destroying the nation’s first Black-owned cider mill.

These actions are part of a broader pattern of systemic barriers that disproportionately impact Black farmers and undermine community-driven food sovereignty efforts.

This battle is not just about one farm but about protecting land access, autonomy, and the right to define food systems free from institutional oppression. As Detroit Farm & Cider fights to survive, it reflects the broader global movement for food sovereignty, where marginalized communities strive to reclaim their right to grow, distribute, and access fresh, healthy food.

This is a shared fight for justice, resilience, and community control over our food systems in Ypsilanti and beyond.

In Solidarity,

Julius

P.S. Support Farmer Lee’s family as they fight to keep their land and legacy, join the movement, and stand with Farmer Lee! Donate to fight with Farmer Lee!

Community-Centric Fundraising on the Farm

julius@growinghope.net (Julius Buzzard) — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 04:02:02 GMT

Greetings!

I’m thrilled to invite you to share a meal with us during Chefs in the Garden on September 15 and/or September 22 . Each bite will delight your palate and underscore the profound connection between sustainable agriculture and healthy, vibrant communities.

Local empowerment, self-determination, and sustainability are deeply embedded in our mission of creating a more just and equitable food system. These values are held within everything we do. With this in mind, we have been moving toward community-centric fundraising, which centers on the community’s needs and values. We often involve the community in the decision-making process and ensure that the funds are used to benefit the community directly.

Chefs in the Garden is where community-centric fundraising and food sovereignty intersect.

The event features local chefs preparing meals using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, celebrating the connection between food and community. This year, we are collaborating with Detroit Food Academy for a joint fundraiser on September 15 and piloting a family-style meal with Chef Ji Hye Kim on September 22.

While the food will be as divine as always, these changes help us amplify the voices of food justice throughout our community while celebrating the diverse but critical perspectives that make our community so unique.

Please join us in celebrating the power of good food and good company for a great cause.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. If you cannot make it, consider purchasing scholarship tickets for community members who might otherwise be unable to attend.

Growing Hope Awards Inaugural Sprout Grants to Empower Community Gardens in Ypsilanti

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 04:04:45 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ayanfe Jamison
Garden Manager
ayanfe@growinghope.net
7 3 4-786-8401

Growing Hope Awards Inaugural Sprout Grants to Empower Community Gardens in Ypsilanti

Ypsilanti, MI, August 22, 2024–Growing Hope is proud to announce the recipients of its inaugural Sprout Grants, which aim to foster community self-reliance, self-determination, and food sovereignty through the support of local community gardens. These grants represent a crucial step toward building a resilient and sustainable food system in Ypsilanti by empowering residents to take control of their own food sources and strengthen their neighborhoods.

The 2024 Sprout Grant recipients include:

Frog Island Community Garden: Installing a path to assist with ADA accessibility.
Parkridge Community Garden: Purchasing a tiller to allow them to do their best work in the spaces they steward as they grow food for the community.
M.E.S.S. House Community Garden: This funding will support the garden’s purchase of tools, construction of raised beds, and installation of fruit trees as it works to build a community farm.
Chidester Place Community Garden: Will build fencing to keep out deer and other wildlife.
Alley Garden: Repurposing recycling bins into raised garden beds along a path throughout Ypsi.
Cross Street Village Gardeners: Starting a small herbal garden with a fence and tools.
Normal Park Community Garden: Clean the grass and weeds out of the paths and put gravel or a thick bed of wood chips in the paths to keep the grass and weeds from the paths.

These community gardens have been selected for their commitment to nurturing local food production, enhancing access to fresh produce, and creating spaces where residents can connect, learn, and grow together. Each garden will receive financial support and resources tailored to its unique needs, allowing it to expand its impact and continue its vital work in fostering food security and community resilience.

“We are thrilled to support these gardens, each of which plays a critical role in advancing food sovereignty and empowering our community to become more self-reliant,” said Julius Buzzard, Executive Director. “These grants are not just about growing food; they’re about growing community, empowering individuals to shape their own food systems, and ensuring that everyone in Ypsilanti has the opportunity to thrive.”

The Sprout Grants are part of Growing Hope’s broader mission to promote community-driven solutions to food insecurity and support initiatives encouraging healthy, sustainable, and just food systems. By investing in these community gardens, Growing Hope is helping to build a future where every Ypsilanti resident has access to fresh, nutritious food and the knowledge to grow it themselves.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Growing Hope is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on strengthening and supporting the local food system throughout the community and beyond. We own and operate a demonstration urban farm, fund, and staff the Ypsilanti Farmers Markets, and facilitate home and community gardening programming, preparing fresh, affordable local produce and food entrepreneurship for youth and adults.

Staff Stories: Marceline Jones

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 04:09:49 GMT

Dear Growing Hope Community,

August 8th marked the last day of our eight-week Summer Teen Leadership Program! Over the past eight weeks, 12 Ypsilanti teens joined us as part of our farm staff for an intensive summer program of farm work and workshops on food justice, community organizing, social identity, and cooking lessons. The teens worked hard this summer caring for their Oasis Garden and the Sharing Garden, harvesting food for our CSA program and free produce cooler, and partnering with local organizations to deepen their knowledge about the Washtenaw County food system.

Last summer, the teens established The Oasis Garden, a section of the farm where they are responsible for crop planning, planting seeds, and tending from start to finish! The Oasis is identified by its colorful garden beds and welcoming energy- it is a part of the farm built for the community to visit and enjoy. This summer, the teen program took over the stewardship of the Growing Hope Sharing Garden! The Sharing Garden is the first part of the farm you see when visiting Growing Hope and it is open to the public to harvest their own food to take home. The teens worked hard to make the Sharing Garden another welcoming and inviting space by adding signs and colorful murals on the garden beds and planting abundant, easy-to-harvest crops!

The Teen Leadership Program is an integral part of Growing Hope, and we are so proud of and grateful for this incredible group of young people! This Summer, three of our teens, Marceline Jones, Cecelia Johnson, and Jackson Prevedel, graduated High School and will be moving on from the Teen Leadership Program. We are so proud of their work at Growing Hope and wish them all the best in their future endeavors! Marceline wanted to share a few words about their time in the Growing Hope Teen Leadership Program below!

Hello everyone!

My name is Marceline, and I have been in the Teen Leadership Program for two years. This fall, I plan to attend Michigan State University and major in Criminal Justice. I hope to specialize in missing person cases with the goal of giving closure to many families and friends who need answers. I know how scary it can be to have someone you love abruptly disappear. This is close to me as an Indigenous black queer person because there is a high percentage of people in minority communities who go missing every day and many cases that go unrecognized. While I am not going into agriculture, I plan to continue my passion for gardening at MSU and fight for food justice.

When I first started at Growing Hope, I was in a dark place. I was recently placed in foster care at 15 years old. I had issues with my health, and I didn’t have many friends at the time. While working on the farm, gardening and cooking became good coping strategies for my mental health. I was surprised that I could take a single seed and make it grow into something so beautiful, like a flower or a corn stalk, by having patience and love for the plant to grow tall.

In the afterschool program, I would usually come to the farm 2-3 hours early before work. I enjoyed walking around the farm, admiring the plants, and studying for school. This place became a home for me. Before I knew it, I realized that my coworkers and staff at Growing Hope had been giving me the same patience and love to grow as we would do for our seedlings. All for me to Blossom into the beautiful person I am today. If I had never joined Growing Hope, I don’t know where I would be. In the end, Growing Hope saved my life. All I needed was a push to be the leader I was meant to be and to smile for the next kid who doesn’t know where they fit in.

When Growing Hope hires each year for the Teen Leadership Program, we never truly know who the new teens are or where they come from, until we all come together to work and have discussions. As always, we just have to love them, have patience, and listen to them no matter what. I will forever be grateful to Growing Hope for believing in me, when many others didn’t.

Together, we can make a change for our community and youth!

-Marceline Jones

National Farmers Market Week 2024

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 04:13:36 GMT

Happy National Farmers Market Week!

National Farmers Market Week is more than just a celebration; it is a testament to the enduring importance of local farmers markets in fostering community, promoting health, and advancing food sovereignty.

In Ypsilanti, the farmers market strives to be a vibrant hub of activity, showcasing the transformative power of these markets in building resilient food systems, empowering communities, and nurturing a deeper understanding of where our food comes from. One of the standout initiatives at the Ypsilanti Farmers Market is the Power of Produce (POP) Club. Now in its second season, this innovative program is designed to engage children in the vibrant world of fresh produce and local eating. In addition to engaging in activities to learn about fruits & vegetables, each participant receives tokens to spend on fresh produce at the market.

Savannah is a four-year-old girl who had never been a fan of vegetables. After joining the POP Club, Savannah learned about different types of produce and how they grow and was particularly intrigued by the vibrant colors and sweet taste of local peaches. Savanah now peaches as a weekly treat at the farmers market using her POP tokens. She’s even embarked on a mission to try every fruit and vegetable at the market!

Through the Ypsilanti Farmers Market, we invest in generational health and advocate for our community’s just and sovereign food system. In partnerships with local organizations and community groups, the market continually pioneers and implements programs that make fresh, healthy food more accessible to low-income families.

A thriving local farmers market is indicative of a thriving local food system.

We empower individuals with the knowledge and skills to cultivate their farms and gardens and nurture space to engage within the local food economy. Owning and taking pride in growing food for oneself and one’s community is a powerful step towards achieving food sovereignty.

As we celebrate this week, let us also commit to supporting our local farmers markets year-round. By doing so, we invest in the health and well-being of our communities, promote food sovereignty, and ensure a brighter, more sustainable future for all.

In Solidarity,

Julius

P.S. Join us for the Ypsilanti Farmers Market every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.—this week, we’ll be celebrating with a summer bash!

Chefs in the Garden 2024

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 04:16:00 GMT

Growing Hope Announces Return of Chefs in the Garden Fundraiser with Two-Night Dinner Series

YPSILANTI, Mich. (July 2024) – Growing Hope is thrilled to announce the return of the beloved Chefs in the Garden fundraiser, set to take place on Sept. 15, 2024, and Sept. 22, 2024, at the Growing Hope Farm in Ypsilanti. Beginning at 5 pm each evening, the two-part dinner series featuring celebrated chefs Kiki Louya and Ji Hye Kim will offer an experience of local farm-to-table food and encourage support for strengthening our local food system. In addition to the memorable dining experience, attendees will enjoy auctions, raffles, and live entertainment.

After a break in 2023, guests can expect to experience the first Chefs in the Garden joint fundraiser with the partnership of Detroit Food Academy on Sept. 15th. Both organizations share a mission for youth programming in local food systems through culinary arts, sustainable farming, entrepreneurship, education, and leadership in local communities. The evening will feature a three-course dinner with dessert, prepared by Chef Kiki Louya, recognized as one of “ 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America ” by the New York Times and other notable chefs from Detroit Food Academy . Working alongside teen program participants from Detroit Food Academy and Growing Hope, this collaboration showcases culinary talent and highlights the importance of youth engagement in food systems.

Growing Hope is delighted to welcome back Chef Ji Hye Kim, award-winning chef/owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor. Known for her food rooted in Korean tradition and adapted to showcase Michigan’s bountiful produce, her family-style meal will shine seasonally and locally. Her return to Chefs in the Garden is highly anticipated, as she is committed to prioritizing fair wages, benefits, and equity in the industry and has participated in programs like James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor.

Tickets for each evening of Chefs in the Garden will be available starting July 29. Tickets for the Sept. 15 event with Chef Kiki Louya are priced at $150, and tickets for the Sept. 22 event with Chef Ji Hye Kim are priced at $125. All proceeds from the Sept. 15 event will support Detroit Food Academy and Growing Hope’s efforts in empowering Detroit and Ypsilanti youth. “I am beyond excited to host these phenomenal, mission-minded chefs at our farm this season; I think our community is in for a truly transformational meal.” -Julius Buzzard, Executive Director.

You can purchase tickets for September 15 with Detroit Food Academy and September 22 with Chef Ji Hye Kim online on or after July 29.

Reclaiming our Connection to the Land

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 04:19:32 GMT

Greetings,

In the heart of Ypsilanti, a small, vibrant, diverse community, we are reimagining the food system and building a reality where everyone can access fresh, local, and nutritious food.

We are reclaiming our connection to the land.

If you’ve ever heard me talk about the Growing Hope Urban Farm, you’ve heard me talk about its dual purpose as both a production farm and an educational space. Our farm and its proven methods could be (and are) replicated throughout our community. In these ways, we equip our community members with the tools, resources, and knowledge to equitably interact with food and the food system.

Everyone deserves a chance to grow.

Community gardens empower communities to reclaim control over their food sources, reducing reliance on external, industrial food systems. We continue to invest in spaces for our community to grow for themselves and one another. We are excited to announce our first-ever Community Garden Grants (if you lead or work in a garden that benefits our community, please apply today)!

These grants empower local initiatives that enhance neighborhood vitality and promote sustainable urban agriculture. Within our neighborhoods, we can deepen from a foundation of food justice and ensure that food sovereignty is more than an ideal but a lived reality. Community gardens do so much more than provide food; they demonstrate that with unity and dedication, a sustainable, self-sufficient future is within reach.

When we grow together, we foster belonging and empowerment.

Thank you for growing with us,

Julius

P.S. We are invested in the entire food system cycle, so we are piloting our community compost program! Food waste is the most common item sent to landfills, where it breaks down and creates methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. By composting and recycling, we could reach net-negative waste-sector emissions by 2030! Learn more and join today!

Fireside Chats with Disadvantaged Farmers

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 04:25:06 GMT

Happy Pride!

On a Friday afternoon in early spring, I joined several farmers and advocates for a “Fireside Chat” with Michigan Representative Elissa Slotkin and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

The Secretary shared updates about avian flu, the farm bill, and climate-smart agriculture initiatives. His thesis revolved around the viability of small and medium-sized farms by “getting entrepreneurial,” investing in climate-smart initiatives, selling agriculture waste, and more. During the Q&A, a dear friend and one of the only Black farmers in the room asked a question that could be summarized as:

How does this plan work for black and brown farmers?

It’s no secret that the USDA has a long history of excluding black farmers from financial resources or that 13.1 million acres were taken from black farmers by force or coercion. Understandably, this has led to a massive breakdown in trust towards the Department of Agriculture. Even today, many Black farmers experience discriminatory practices when they attempt to access this capital.

One part of his answer was a laundry list of grants and services the department had created for disadvantaged farmers. But this misses the mark.

We’ve repeatedly highlighted that institutions, organizations, or other government entities often have access to funding to support black and brown farmers, but to no avail. Our likeness is used for marketing campaigns, and our data is used for reporting, but far too often, Black farmers do not reap the benefits of this funding or support.

Without real accountability, these programs tokenize Black farmers.

The second part of his answer put the onus on Black farmers to do the work to actualize these resources in their lives. But we’ve done our research, we’ve reached out. The programs are not working. If the department cannot consistently acknowledge the system of injustice it was founded on, any and all meaningful change will only be stalled.

Black farmers often have little to no generational wealth, land, resources, or knowledge. What they have, need, and rely on is community. Community to show up, shop, and advocate for fairness and justice. This community makes our local food system better for everyone.

This is the community we’re building.

Together, we’re building food sovereignty, investing in the local food system, and ensuring everyone has a chance to grow. That’s why we’re investing in our community of growers. When our community has the tools, resources, and knowledge to interact with food and the food system with equity, we show up for one another.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. This month, we celebrate Pride, Juneteenth, and the diverse movement builders investing in food sovereignty throughout history and our community. We need all hands in this garden. Join in the movement and help ensure everyone has the chance to grow.

2024 Teen Leadership After School Program Highlights

Thu, 16 May 2024 04:39:03 GMT

Thursday, May 16 marked the last day of the after-school program for our Teen Leadership Program. We wanted to take a moment to share some of the highlights from the past eight months and recognize all of the hard work done by our young food justice leaders!

Deepening Knowledge
The fall and winter are quieter months on the farm, but our teens were hard at work putting the farm to bed, learning to cook new recipes with our fall harvest (we loved the butternut squash soup ), and deepening their knowledge about plants and food systems through workshops. A few fan-favorite workshops included plant families and intercropping lessons led by our Youth Programs Manager, Esha Biswas, and a food waste series led by our Teen and Schools Manager, Jenny Pritchett. Our teens are inspired by stories of Indigenous cooking, farming, and food system practices- some of our favorite documentaries on these topics included Seed: The Untold Story and Gather . They also participated in a corn nixtamalization workshop where they used dried corn from the farm and the ancient practice of nixtamalization to make fresh tortillas!

Community Engagement
Over the school year, the group participated in many different community engagement events. They did informative tabling events at YCS schools, the UMS Freight House events, and Growing Hope’s Earth Day celebration where they taught community members about native plants and how to make seed balls. They led two intergenerational cooking workshops at the Ypsi Senior Center where they partnered with local seniors to cook simple, nutritious meals! Growing Hope became a participant in the Neutral Zone’s Youth Driven Spaces Immersion Program, which is a year-long program that aids youth-serving agencies to increase youth voice, youth decision-making, and leadership in their programs and organizations. The teens have been learning facilitation and community-building skills, and Growing Hope adult staff have been learning how to include youth voices at every level of our organization. Through the Neutral Zone, the teens also designed and delivered a “ Sipping Self-care: Homemade Herbal Tea” workshop at the Youth Driven Spaces Conference, which was a huge success!

Seeding, planting, and growing
All the work our young people do is centered around our farm and growing food. Even in the dead of winter, they were learning about fungi and how to grow oyster mushrooms inside our farmhouse in buckets, thanks to Fungi Revival! Throughout the winter, the teens sorted and cataloged over 4,500 seed packets that were then donated to our friends at the Ypsi District Library for their Seed Library that is shared with the community! As spring approached, the teens began crop planning and seed starting for The Oasis and Sharing Gardens. They used crop planning techniques taught by our Farm Manager, Christopher. They learned how to soil block, direct sow, transplant seedlings, and how to plan and plant our garden beds! Their stewardship of The Oasis and Sharing Gardens will continue into the Summer Teen Leadership Program.

We are incredibly proud of this group of young people and grateful for their hard work, commitment to the community and the local food system, and the perspective and joy they bring to our organization! In June our current group of teens will be joined by seven new teen crew members for a summer full of learning, growing, and leading!

Food is a Human Right

Tue, 07 May 2024 04:43:49 GMT

Greetings Community,

You may have noticed us using the phrase “ Food is a Human Right” more frequently as we talk about our work. This statement is simple, but deep, and deserves more attention.

It’s not only about acquiring the minimum ration of calories. The right to food includes all nutritional elements necessary for a healthy and active life, as well as the means to access them. It’s about having the resources needed for sustainable food security. It is not just about the availability of food but also about its accessibility, adequacy, quality, and cultural relevance.

The right to food is inclusive.

Food is not a privilege.
Food is not a commodity.
Food is not a weapon or a tool.

Food is one of the basic building blocks of human life. Food is essential to enjoying every other basic human right. Food brings us together, binds our communities, and celebrates our diversity.

Together, we’re reimagining a food system that upholds this right at every level. A food system that equips makers to explore their entrepreneurial dreams. Where both the compensation of growers and access for the community remain fair and adequate. Where future generations know how to have intimate interactions with the food system and where everyone is afforded the chance to grow.

The right to food is intimately connected with human dignity.

Equipping our community with the tools, resources, and knowledge to have meaningful and just interactions with the food system helps us to acknowledge and restore the human dignity within each of us. Community is at the heart of this transformational work, and I’m so grateful to be doing it in community with you.

In solidarity,

Julius

P.S. You can participate in a more just food system today, by participating in our Solidarity Share Raffle , which helps us sustain our sliding scale CSA, and ensure fresh, local produce is widely available in our community.

Happy Earth Day

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 04:46:22 GMT

Happy Earth Month!

While turning compost on our farm a week ago, I took a moment to really take in my environment. Our farm is on one of the busiest streets in the city, just a few blocks from downtown, yet in these moments, surrounded by nature, I felt stillness, connected and whole. Our connection to Mother Earth is sacred, and our care for Mother Earth is crucial.

We celebrate Mother Earth and care for our planet as an act of healing for Mother Earth, the local food system, and ourselves.

Reducing food waste is another area where Earth Day and food sovereignty intersect. The immense amount of food wasted each year has a significant environmental impact, from the resources used in production to the methane emissions from landfills. Food sovereignty emphasizes using all parts of harvests and minimizing waste. Prioritizing local food and composting are acts that heal Mother Earth.

As we shift away from industrialized, globalized food systems that harm the environment and invest in agroecological and other low-input farming methods that work in harmony with nature rather than exploiting it, we heal our local food system . Using these methods, locally-grown produce has a smaller carbon footprint, mitigates climate change, and helps make fresh produce more accessible to everyone.

We heal our collective being when we connect with Earth in these ways.

Gardening, composting, and being in nature have reduced stress and increased mindfulness. When I spend time on the farm, I practice mindfulness by listening to nature with gratitude for how Earth sustains our existence. Mother Earth sustains everyone; without a healthy Earth, there can be no healthy humankind. Investing in our planet is a pathway to fulfillment and wholeness.

Thanks for being Earth Keepers with us.

In solidarity,

Julius

Food Justice & Cooperative Economics

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 04:50:42 GMT

Greetings Community,

The return of spring always brings new faces to the farm as we support an ever-growing community invested in growing food for themselves and one another. It reminds me why we must invest in infrastructure to support food sovereignty and self-determination.

I am always excited to kick off the season and initiate this programming because it’s a vital piece of our mission as we seek to build a just and equitable food system. Investing in food sovereignty means investing in members of our community . It requires us to move collectively as we imagine an economy that values food, acknowledges our right to it, and brings us together for our collective good. It requires us to consider cooperative economics.

The intersection of cooperative economics and food sovereignty is a dynamic space where community resilience, social justice, and sustainable agriculture converge . Food sovereignty emphasizes local control over food systems, empowering communities to make food production, distribution, and consumption decisions. Similarly, cooperative economics emphasizes the principles of collective ownership, democratic control, and shared benefits among members.

Collaboration between the two addresses food access issues and racial injustice. It empowers communities to define their own food systems, promote sustainable agriculture practices, and reclaim traditional food production and distribution knowledge.

And so, we invest deeply in equipping every community member with the tools, resources, and knowledge needed to have an intimate relationship with our local food system.

Some of this support looks like free seedlings grown at the Growing Hope Urban Farm, free compost and seeds, workshops, and supporting our local community gardens to thrive. This year, we are excited to reenage our Community Tool Lending Library! We have the space ready and have one question for you:

What tools would you like to have available from a tool lending library?

Thank you for reimagining the food system with us!

In solidarity

Julius

P.S. To free ourselves, we must feed ourselves–the Teen Leadership Program, Home Vegetable Program, Farmers Market, Seasonal Internships, and Solidarity Shares are all open to applicants!

Black *Food History 2024

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 04:53:41 GMT

Hujambo!

Our work in the food system, building food sovereignty, is oriented around one simple core belief: food is a human right.

It almost feels too simple.

At its most basic level, food is what sustains us. It provides energy for our mind and body and is essential for our growth, repair, and maintenance. But take a moment to think about when you realized the power of food. What made it so memorable?

Growing up in a middle-class neighborhood, where I was one of just a few Black kids, I remember realizing it wasn’t “normal” to show up to school early for a government-issued breakfast. I remember the unifying power of peanut butter pie or caramel cake. I remember visiting friends and learning about their family traditions like headcheese and pasties. These memories are about more than taste. Our memories of food embody foundational emotional experiences that make us who we are today.

Food is sustenance; it’s culture, creativity, and belonging. Food is a human right. It is a basic unit that can unite humankind with one another and Mother Earth. Food is the entry point to reawakening people to who we are.

Our collective autonomy over the ability to nurture ourselves and one another is central to obtaining this right in full.

America’s early history stripped Black folks of land, decision-making power, and, effectively, this comprehensive right to food. Today, many forms of atonement are being trialed. Across the country, there is a growing movement of land funds that intend to use crowdfunding resources to return land to Black farmers. Locally, Washtenaw County reparations council prepares to address decades of harm to Black residents. Congress continues to consider the Justice for Black Farmers Act. This would direct the USDA to remedy the agency’s historic discrimination within federal farm assistance and lending programs.

It’s about food.

It’s about land.

It’s about representation, justice, and sovereignty.

Because everyone deserves a chance to grow.

Thank you for growing with us,

Julius

P.S.

This month, we’ll highlight Black farmers on social media and via. email. These highlights will culminate with a live panel discussing the right to food and their perspective on these social movements and solutions to land and food justice.

Where Environmental and Food Justice Meet

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 04:56:47 GMT

Happy New Year!

I recently accepted the Environmental Justice Award from the Sierra Club. I was amazed at the accomplishments within our region as I listened to the stories of others in the program. It is an honor to participate in such a rich, diverse, and vibrant local community and to work alongside many other individuals and organizations as we collaborate to build systems of sovereignty as we interact with Mother Earth.

The food justice movement will fail without all of us on board.

At the same time, it would have been easy to feel out of place, given that so much of our work and advocacy centers on food justice and food sovereignty. It was a good reminder that food and environmental justice are inextricably connected. In fact, the food and environmental justice movements each emerged as critiques of environmentalism’s anti-black rhetoric and bend towards the elite class. Together, the food and environmental justice movements highlight and challenge harmful structures perpetuating inequality in our communities.

Earth was made for growing food.

When we live in harmony with Mother Earth, nothing is more true. There is so much Mother Earth has to teach us, and we are united through its fruit. Producing food is a central purpose of our planet, and food is at the center of human existence. It nourishes our bodies, brings us together, and ushers in peace and joy. We aim to help our community find this life-sustaining harmony with food and Mother Earth.

That is why we have to speak out with condemnation when we see instances in which food is being weaponized and politicized and actively damaging communities. For the past several months, this has been the reality for the people of Gaza and the West Bank. We stand in solidarity with the oppressed and the victims of historic injustice and power imbalance, particularly with the Palestinian people.

Imagine if these resources were poured into building harmony and peace with one another and Mother Earth through growing food. As we grow here in our community, we know we grow for one another.

We grow for sustenance.
We grow for nutrition.
We grow for pleasure.
We grow for peace.

Thank you for growing with us,

Julius

December 2023 Sprouts

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 05:05:57 GMT

Most dligent changemakers,

We often talk about our work at Growing Hope as it relates to creating systemic change. But what is systemic change? How does one organization in Ypsilanti enact meaningful, systemic change?

On November 5th, I was honored to join more than 50 BIPOC organizers, advocates, community leaders, and allies who gathered virtually with the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism , Ms. Ashwini K.P. A small group of us were asked to provide a brief oral testimony of our experiences of racial injustice as we work towards food sovereignty and face chronic food insecurity and food apartheid.

Our collective voice moves mountains.

Collaborating with folks around the country is awe-inspiring. I’m proud to be a part of this community alongside every one of you and have the opportunity to amplify our collective voice to enact systemic change. Online, you can find a summary of recommendations and Ms. Ashwini’s end-of-visit report , and I’ve included a snippet of my testimony below.

Land access is consistently the number one barrier to business development or ensuring a right to food for growers across our country. For growers of color, this disparity is magnified. I’m sure many of us know the national statistics that begin with stripping Black farmers of over 13 million acres of land and restricting them from federal resources for decades. This is a history that has led to redlining and apartheid that impacts every black grower today.

This week, I spoke with a Black farmer who has been farming on what has traditionally been Black land in a rural part of our community for the better part of a decade. He shared that it’s not uncommon for him to experience no warrant raids from police and threats of armed violence from nearby White residents. Because of this, many land-insecure Black farmers are being all but forced out of rural, resource-rich areas and closer to urban spaces where access to land is even more sparse.

Race uniquely affects urban growers. In cities where black and brown residents congregate, most with the most significant population, local governments use zoning and ordinances to control further how the already limited land can be used. In Ypsilanti, nearly two-thirds of all residential land is owned by just a few White property owners, and much of the remaining land is zoned in ways in which growing for production is unlawful.

In urban systems like these, I know of numerous landless farmers growing in parks and backyards spread across the region. For most growers who want to grow for themselves and their neighbors or families, there are limited ways to access any land to grow food. We work towards solutions to these barriers, such as community gardens, updated zoning and ordinances to support a right to garden, basing our food policy on the right to food, building growing commons, resource and skill sharing, and building home gardens.

There is an intrinsic connection between a right to garden and the right to food. If we can equip our community with the tools, resources, and land to grow for themselves and one another, we’ll collectively ensure fresh, local, and culturally appropriate produce for all.

Thank you for being a part of this movement.

In solidarity,

Julius

November 2023 Sprouts

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 05:09:55 GMT

Dearest community,

The first frost of the season signals a change of direction for Growing Hope and local growers and farmers alike. At the farm, summer crops are removed as we transition to only growing in the hoop houses. Our teens remain active on the farm and throughout the community, sharing what they learn about crop planning and seed starting. The kitchen is bustling, as always, and we are excited to celebrate Khadi, who graduated from the kitchen into a brick-and-mortar earlier this year (be sure to stop by next time you’re looking for a place to eat)!

One culmination of this autumn whirlwind of excitement is the return of the Indoor Winter Farmers Market this Saturday!

The Winter Indoor Farmers Market will provide a warm and vibrant escape from the cold at the Ypsilanti Farmers MarketPlace (16 S. Washington). The Winter Indoor Markets continue Growing Hope’s commitment to providing the community access to fresh, local food and supporting our outstanding local businesses. In addition to fresh produce and handcrafted goods, we proudly accept various payment options, including SNAP/EBT, Double Up Food Bucks (a program that doubles SNAP dollars spent on Michigan produce), Prescription for Health, WIC Project FRESH, and Senior Market Project FRESH.

For those who prefer online shopping, we are pleased to continue offering local products through the Ypsi Area Online Market. Customers can conveniently place their orders online and pick them up at 16 S Washington St on Tuesdays from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This online shopping option is perfect for those unable to attend the in-person market. SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks are accepted through the online market.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming the community to the Winter Indoor Markets, ushering in the 2023 winter season with warmth and togetherness.

In solidarity,

Julius

Growing Hope Welcomes Winter with Exciting Winter Indoor Markets

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 05:14:12 GMT

Press Release
For Immediate Release Date: Oct. 11th. 2023

Contact: Claire Austin, Farmers Market Manager Email: claire@growinghope.net

Growing Hope Welcomes Winter with Exciting Winter Indoor Markets

Ypsilanti, Michigan- As the days grow shorter and winter’s chill sets in, Growing Hope is delighted to announce the launch of the Winter Indoor Markets, providing a warm and vibrant escape from the cold. These indoor markets will be hosted at the Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace, located at 16 South Washington St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, offering a haven for fresh produce, handcrafted goods, and artisanal delights during the winter season.

Event Details:
Start Date: Saturday, November 11th
Operating Hours: Saturdays, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Location: Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace
Address: 16 South Washington St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197

The Winter Indoor Markets continue Growing Hope’s commitment to providing the community with access to fresh, local food and supporting our outstanding local businesses. In addition to fresh produce and handcrafted goods, we proudly accept various payment options, including SNAP/EBT, Double Up Food Bucks (a program that doubles SNAP dollars spent on Michigan produce), Prescription for Health, WIC Project FRESH, and Senior Market Project FRESH.

For those who prefer online shopping, we are pleased to continue offering local products through the Ypsi Area Online Market. Customers can conveniently place their orders online and pick them up at 16 S Washington St on Tuesdays from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This online shopping option is perfect for those unable to attend the in-person market and offers a wide range of produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and specialty items from many of the vendors who also participate in the Depot Town Farmers Market. SNAP/EBT and Double Up Food Bucks are accepted through the online market.

The decision to transition the Depot Town Farmers Market indoors was carefully made in collaboration with our dedicated vendors, loyal patrons, hardworking volunteers, and passionate staff. This transition enhances our ability to meet the needs of community members who may face challenges attending a traditional outdoor market while still seeking the benefits it offers.

This adjustment will create a warm and inviting atmosphere for the community to continue enjoying fresh, local produce and artisanal goods throughout the winter months, but it also allows us to extend our service to the community well into the winter season.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming the community to the Winter Indoor Markets, ushering in the 2023 winter season with warmth and togetherness.

Calendar Listing:
Event Name: Winter Indoor Markets
Start Date: Saturday Nov. 11th
Operating Hours: Saturdays, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace, 16 South Washington St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Description: Join us at the Winter Indoor Markets for fresh produce, handcrafted goods, and artisanal delights. Warm up your winter Saturdays with community spirit.
Contact: market@growinghope.net or visit Growing Hope’s website for more information.

Winter Indoor Farmers Market
16 South Washington St Ypsilanti, MI 48197 Saturdays
9am – 1pm

Online Farmers Market Pickup
16 S Washington St. Tuesdays
3pm – 7pm
Year Round

For more information and updates on the Winter Indoor Markets, please visit www.growinghope.net

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Growing Hope is a **501(c)3 nonprofit organization** dedicated to strengthening and supporting the local food system throughout the community and beyond. We own and operate a demonstration urban farm, fund and staff the Ypsilanti Farmers Markets, and facilitate programming around home and community gardening, preparing fresh, affordable local produce, and food entrepreneurship for youth and adults.