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!

Celebrating Our Team

We are celebrating our fabulous farmer, Christopher! Christopher brings an incredible amount of care and dedication to our work, both as he cares for the land we steward and its yield and as he cares for the many neighbors who visit every day. On July 16, he celebrates two years at Growing Hope. Thank you, Christopher, for investing in our community in many ways! 

Upcoming with Growing Hope

Summer Community Day: Join us on July 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for a fun afternoon on the farm. This event is free and open to all and will include free seedlings, kids' activities, stone-oven pizza, a bounce house, learning opportunities, our raffle drawing, and so much more!

Solidarity Raffle: Invest in a solidarity economy through our summer raffle! Proceeds from this raffle help us continue offering our CSA at a sliding scale, ensuring that fresh, local produce is available to everyone in our community. The drawing will be live on July 14 (presence not required)! Plus, great prizes include a solo stove, garden starter kit, wheelbarrow, local food, craft goods, and more! Get your tickets today! 

Power of Produce Club: Join the fun at the Power of Produce (POP) Club! Our farmers market-based program teaches kids about fruits, veggies, and local food systems through exciting activities. From trying new foods to chatting with farmers, it's a whole market experience! Kids get tokens to spend and enjoy weekly activities like cooking demos and scavenger hunts. Join us on Saturdays in July and August from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Help your kids discover a love for healthy foods in a fun environment!

Growing Hope's Community Composting at the Ypsilanti Farmers Markets is a pilot bucket exchange program that gives our community a new access point to the Growing Hope Urban Farm's community composting site. Participants will bring buckets of their food waste scraps collected at home to the Ypsilanti Farmers Market and receive a clean bucket to take home. Learn more and sign up online. 

Community Garden Grants: We are excited to announce that Growing Hope is offering grants to support community gardens in Ypsilanti. Thanks to funding from Washtenaw County, a total of $3,000 is available, with grants expected to range between $200 and $1,000 each. These grants empower local initiatives that enhance neighborhood vitality and promote sustainable urban agriculture. Learn more and apply online. 

Community Resource Fair/Location Change: Visit the Ypsilanti Farmers Market on July 27 at 16 S. Washington St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the weekly farmers market and a community resource fair. In addition to the fresh produce and goods you've come to love, this market will feature resources from community partners such as the Washtenaw County Health Department, Hope Clinic, and many more. Note: The farmers market location is downtown, on Washington St., only this week!

Ypsilanti Farmers Markets: Join us every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Depot Town at 100 Rice St. to shop from local farmers, producers, and makers. The Ypsilanti Farmers Markets accepts SNAP/EBT, Double Up Food Bucks, Prescription for Health, WIC Produce Connection, and Senior Market FRESH.

Ypsilanti Area Online Market: Orders can be placed between Thursday and Sunday, and pick-up occurs on Tuesdays between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. We accept EBT/SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and Prescription for Health, and the Online Market runs year-round! Make your order this week!

Field Trips: We have dates for field trips to Growing Hope this fall! You can join us at our Farmers Market or our Urban Farm. All trips include a hands-on activity exploring topics in food justice, a tour of our space, and a cooking lesson! Field Trips are $150 for groups of up to ten (with an additional fee for extra participants) and free for YCS groups. Sign up here or by emailing Esha Biswas.

Group Volunteering at the Growing Hope Urban Farm: Looking for a team-building activity for your group? Schedule a volunteer event with us and spend some time outside at the Growing Hope Urban Farm! Click here for more information.

News & Events from the Community

Need food this summer? Learn more about the Meet Up & Eat Up program that provides free summer lunches for kids and teens. Link.

America’s Farmers Market Celebration by American Farmland Trust is the only annual ranking of the top farmers markets in the United States as voted on by the public. Since 2008, the Celebration has highlighted the critical role farmers markets play in communities nationwide while highlighting the farmers, staff, and volunteers who make markets happen. This year, they are giving away $15,000 in prizes to the nation’s favorite farmers markets. Vote online today!

The Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference is gearing up for an engaging conference on August 12th at Grow Benzie. The meeting will feature hands-on workshops on farms throughout the region, compelling sessions at the Grow Benzie hub, and plenty of opportunities to connect and share notes with other small farmers throughout the state. Tickets are only $25 and are on sale now. Visit smallfarmconference.com or follow @nmsmallfarmconference for tickets and more information.

Great Lakes Audit: An audit of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has found a mix of successes and challenges in its implementation. While the program has made significant strides in cleaning up toxic hot spots and preventing restoring habitats, it also faced project management and accountability issues. These findings highlight the need for continued oversight.

Smog Monitors: Michigan will monitor smog levels in eight counties amid the switch to summer gasoline. These counties include Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. This monitoring aims to track and mitigate the formation of ground-level ozone, ensuring better air quality during the summer months. 

Bird flu updates: Michigan reports the highest number of bird flu cases among dairy herds and humans in the U.S. since January, with 25 herds and nearly seven million birds affected. The USDA attributes the spread to people, vehicles, and shared equipment. Recent findings have shown traces of the virus in wastewater in Warren, Jackson, and other cities. However, these results don’t necessarily indicate an outbreak, with experts saying more testing is needed to determine what the findings mean. Michigan is providing $28,000 grants to impacted dairy farms for research, aiming to curb the outbreak through enhanced biosecurity measures and further investigation. (WDET)

"If you want a far-reaching effect for your dollar, investing in Growing Hope is like dropping a stone in water - the ripple effect is widespread."
- Growing Hope Volunteer

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