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

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.

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It's National Farmers Market Week!

By Julius Buzzard • August 5, 2025

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

By Julius Buzzard • August 1, 2025

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

A Recipe for Community Health

By Julius Buzzard • July 31, 2025

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.

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