Save the Dates!
Upcoming Events with Growing Hope
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Have you checked our Growing Hope calendar lately? Lots of upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, including our Spring Plant Sale and weekly chances to dig in at the Growing Hope Center with Farmer Dan in the hoop house or help build raised beds. Read more throughout this e-blast and on our website. Tuesday, April 14: Farmers' Market Vendor Orientation beginning at 9:30 am. Call us for details. Thursday, April 16: Masters Project Symposium at the University of Michigan SNRE.Friday, April 17: Raised Bed Build at the Growing Hope Center from 2:30 to 5:00 pm. We need your help-- and you'll learn our secret technique! Wednesday, April 22: Join us on Earth Day for a SEEDLING & SEED SWAP from 5 pm to 7:30 pm at the Corner Brewery. Bring seeds and seedlings you'd like to swap with other gardeners. Friday, April 24: Raised Bed Build at the Growing Hope Center from 2:30 to 5:00 pm. Saturday, April 25: Ypsi Urban Farmer Breakfast at the Growing Hope Center from 9 to 10:30 am. Friday May 1-Saturday, May 2 & Saturday, May 16: Growing Hope Spring Plant Sale at the Growing Hope Center! Tuesday, May 5: First day of the season for the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer's Market!   |
Join the Faith and Food Initiative
Get Your Congregation Growing for Good
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Through the Faith and Food Initiative, a partnership among Growing Hope, Food Gatherers, and Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, Growing Hope will work with congregations in Washtenaw County who want to grow produce to feed neighbors in need in our communities. The congregation may have a garden on-site at their place of worship, or they may collectively donate harvest from individual home gardens. In any case, Faith and Food assists in planning and organizing to maximize the yield of healthy food to donate to Food Gatherers. We're still identifying congregations for our pilot program in 2009. For more information or to participate in the program, please contact Merilynne at faithandfood@growinghope.net.
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West Willow Summer Garden Program
Volunteers Needed!
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Do you live in the West Willow neighborhood? Are you interested in gardening and healthy eating? Do you want the opportunity to work with young people and make an impact in your community?
Growing Hope is proud to announce that it is partnering with the New West Willow Neighborhood Association and Community Garden to bring you the first ever West Willow Summer Garden Program. Youth between the ages of 8 - 14 years will be learning how to garden and eat healthy during this 6 week program (June - August). We need adult and youth (15 - 18 yrs old) from the West Willow neighborhood to help lead this program.
Volunteers will mentor youth in the garden two days a week - and will also receive a stipend. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Meg at Growing Hope - (734)786-8401 or meg@growinghope.net |
The Time for Soil Testing is NOW!
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| Growing Hope is a drop-off location for soil samples to be taken to MSU Extension for analysis. Here we have information on how to take samples, an application for what tests you need done and a convenient box to put your samples and information in. For more information contact: ashley@growinghope.net or stop by the office! |
Mechanic & Yard Signs... ???
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Are you handy with vehicles? Growing Hope needs someone to take a look at the beater truck we use for Farmers' Market, compost hauling, and more. We'll pay for any parts, and would like someone to at least do a diagnosis of the most important things to fix this spring. Can you look under the hood for us?
We're also needing recycled yard signs (think polictical campaigns of old) that we'll repurpose into farmers market signs. We'll take 1 or 100-- just drop a line!
Let us know if you can help at info@growinghope.net.
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Support the Farmers' Market
Volunteer to Count, Greet, or Teach
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Growing Hope is seeking volunteers to help staff the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer's Market this season. The market runs 2-6pm in May-October. We need volunteers for  setup, take-down, market greeting and visitor counting. If you can volunteer for part but not all of that time, that is fine. Help make the market a thriving community space and resource for fresh, healthy food! Market volunteer orientation will be Tuesday, April 28th, from 4:30-5:15pm at Bombadill's. Please call or email karen@growinghope.net to sign up.Not available to volunteer, but still want to help make the Farmers' Market a success? Would you be willing to show your support by placing a weekly yard sign with market information in your front yard? Please email Sarah at sarah@growinghope.net if you are interested in joining this crew of fine promoting folk! | |
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IT'S GROWING SEASON!
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 Check out the new Spring Catalog, and get your pre-orders in for raised beds, seedlings, edible container planters, herbs, youth-made hand-balm, and more! The catalog is also available on our website and in hard copy at our office. Mark your calendars for our Spring Plant Sales at the Growing Hope Center and shop in person, pick up your catalog pre-orders, and hang out for a while. Friday, May 1 from 3-7 pm, Saturday, May 2 from 9 am-3 pm, and Saturday, May 16 from 1-5 pm.
Get your hands in the soil now! We just received a donation of over 5000 herb seedlings from Raker (many thanks!!) that we'll plant up into container gardens, in 3" pots for sale and donation, and put into the ground. We need lots of volunteer hands on board to between now and then to help us prepare for the sale. You can
review shifts on our Spring Plant Sale Volunteer page and e-mail karen@growinghope.net to sign up.
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Four Square Society
Gets Fresh Compost
GH To Build 40 Raised Gardens in 2009 with Low-Income Families!
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Growing Hope's Four Square Society, an initiative started last year to better understand the role small-plot, urban gardening can play in improving our community's access to fresh fruits and veggies, has been awarded a two-year grant from the University of Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research. The grant will make it possible for us to build, support and fully evaluate the success of forty new Four Square Society Members in the yards of low-income and no-income households. Families will grow yummy veggies & herbs in three 4' x 4' raised beds, and be paired with a garden mentor if they're new to growing.  What's that? You might like more free, homegrown-yummy fruits and veggies in you life this summer? And you have sunny space for three 4'x4' raised beds? Download the flyer here and apply before May 1! Email ryan@growinghope.net, or give us a call to talk about it. |
Growing Hope Business Sponsorships
A Great Way to Show Your Community Focus
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Does your business or institution want to show that it helps to make things grow? That it puts its money where it's community is? A Growing Hope Business Sponsorship is a great win-win opportunity to support our work and promote yourself! Our deadline for Downtown Ypsilanti Farmer's Market sponsorship is the end of April, though we'll still accept sponsorships until July for our annual Hope's Harvest fall food & garden gala. In-kind donations of goods or services are also recognized as business sponsorships... and there are larger on-site sponsorship opportunities soon to be available for the Growing Hope Center. Please, be in touch!
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Growing Hope Welcomes
Two New Staff Members |
 Liz Dah MacGregor (left) has come on board as Growing Hope's Office Manager. She is thrilled to bring her obsession with organization to Growing Hope, where she has volunteered in the past. Liz is a member of the Board of Directors at the Ypsilanti Food Co-op and tries to be an active and involved member of the Ypsilanti Community, when she's not chasing a toddler around. Me rilynne Rush  (right) recently joined our staff as the Faith and Food coordinator - a brand new program which you can read more about in this e-blast. Merilynne has worked in various health care settings, including as a midwife and nurse, and has been involved with several non-profit organizations. Being an avid gardener, she says it's fun to have a job where she can encourage and organize others. |
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SNRE Master's Project Symposium |
Join us this Thursday, April 16, for the SNRE Master's Project Symposium. The Symposium will take place in the Dana Building, Room 2024 from 8 am to 5 pm, and will feature the presentation of eight Master's Projects, including Sustaining Hope: A Strategic Business Plan Model for Growing Hope from 9-10 am. |
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Getting Hungry for the
Downtown Ypsi Farmers' Market?
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Are you interested in selling garden goods, farm harvests, food, or crafts at the Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers' Market this season? Join us every Tuesday afternoon, beginning May 5th, and running through the end of October from 2-6 pm in the parking lot at the corner of Michigan Ave & Hamilton in downtown Ypsilanti. Read about the Market in our 2008 Season Report. Find out more about becoming a vendor, and fill out an application today! Download a 2009 Season Opener flyer, post it, and help us spread the word!
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Can You Support Us This Spring?
Donate to Growing Hope Online
or Join our Facebook cause!
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 Join the Growing Hope cause on Facebook, where you can see event updates and invite your friends to join!
If you support our work and want it to continue, please consider make an online donation through our website! | |
In gratitude & hope--
The Growing Hope Team
Amanda, Karen, Meg, Dan, Sarah, Ashley, Kelly, Roy, Ryan, Terry Liz, Merilynne, & the GH Board of Directors
Growing Hope is a 501c3 nonprofit in Washtenaw County dedicated to helping people improve their lives & communities through gardening. We hope you'll join our efforts.
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