Save the Dates!
Upcoming Events with Growing Hope
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Growing Hope has many upcoming events and volunteer opportunities - check out the Growing Hope Calendar for more details!
Saturday, July 11: Fresh calendula salve-making class with Caryn Simon. Wednesday, July 22 and Saturdday, August 1: Big Communty Harvest Garden Tour. Friday, July 24: Permaculture presentation and discussion with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture. Tuesday, September 15: Tour de Fresh. Saturday, September 20: Growing Hope's 5th Annual Hope's Harvest wine-tasting and fundraising event!
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| Chicken Debate Update |
The City of Ypsilanti has just put out it's proposed chicken ordinance. First hearing for public input will be during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 7, at 7 pm at City Hall. See the notice and proposed ordinance language here, and show up to make your voice heard! |
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Volunteer Announcements |
Last call for garden mentors! Growing Hope still needs volunteers to help mentor new gardeners as part of the Four Square society. Contact ryan@growinghope.net to get involved!
Perry Learning Garden work day hours have changed.
Open volunteer hours at the PLG (formerlry from 3-5 pm) are now being held from 10 am to 12 pm. Contact ashley@growinghope.net for more info!
Volunteer hours at the Growing Hope Center are now RSVP only.
Open volunteer hours at the Growing Hope Center take place on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Please RSVP by calling the office at (734) 786-8401. |
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Run for Charity! |
Raise money for Growing Hope by running or walking in the Big House Big Heart race this October! The first 20 people who are interested in raising pledges for Growing Hope will have their $32 entry fees PAID by Suburban Chevrolet Cadillac Saab Hummer of Ann Arbor! If you are interested in this, please print out your entry form, fill it out, and send it to Growing Hope, PO Box 980129, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, attention Kristen Cuhran. You can also fax your entry to 734-484-4630. To qualify, entries must be received by Growing Hope's office by August 1st, 2009. You will be notified if you are in the top 20 (but, even if you aren't, you can still choose Growing Hope as your nonprofit charity of choice for your Big House Big Heart run/walk! Click here for more information, or e-mail info@growinghope.net.
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| Adobe Oven at the Growing Hope Center! |
In July & August, Landscaping for the Heart & Soul is working with us to construct an outdoor Adobe oven at the Growing Hope Center! Located under a small pavilion with a green roof, being constructed by our partners at WCC's Residential Construction program, we'll cook pizza, bread, and more in this outdoor kitchen. Want to learn or help? Email ashley@growinghope.net to get more involved!
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Community Classes
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Permaculture Lecture and Discussion: July 24th from 6:30-9:30PM at the EMU School of Business. Bill Wilson from Midwest Permaculture will be presenting on ways for you to turn your yard into an edible landscape. Edible landscapes are a great way to empwer people to grow their own food and find economic stablity. For more info, e-mail ashley@growinghope.net or call (734) 786-8401.
Fresh Calendula Salve-making Class: Two part class taught by local birth doula Caryn Simon at Little House Farm, 10 minutes north of Ann Arbor. The class is offered twice this summer; July 11th and July 25th and again August 8th and August 22nd. The cost is $35 per student, supplies included. Class sizes are limited to 8 students. To register, please contact adah_rose@hotmail.com or call (734) 646-1351.
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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!
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Big Community Harvest
Garden Tour
July 22 and August 1
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Wednesday, July 22, 6 - 9 p.m.
Saturday, August 1, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
A display of Washtenaw County gardens that increase low-income people's access to fresh, local and nutritious foods. Click here for a list of gardens on the tour!
This is a self-guided tour. Stop at one or all of the sites in any order. Each location will feature a different aspect of the Big Community Harvest project, with some offering discussion on ways to create and sustain a community garden, build raised beds, keep out critters, involve youth and seniors, extend the growing season, etc. Half of all produce is donated to meal programs, food banks, and neighbors.
For more information, download the flyer and call (734) 786-8401
or e-mail faithandfood@growinghope.net
The Big Community Harvest Projects are funded by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation/Pfizer Big Idea Grant.
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Downtown Ypsi Farmers' Market
Strawberries, Carrots, Broccoli and more!
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Join us every Tuesday, from 2-7 pm for fresh fruits and veggies, hot food vendors, crafts, live music, community activities and more!
Vote for the Downtown Ypsi Farmers' Market here, and we could win $5,000!
Upcoming Events:
June 30 - Musicians Strange Currency.
July 7 - Market Manager Sarah Smith's dad will be leading kids songs! Bring the kids! Dancer Stephanie Schult will be leading hoola hooping, and Timothy Leahy, expert in Vietnamese Culinary and Food Culture will be leading a seasonal food demo!
July 14 - Senior Appreciation Day
July 27 - Senior Appreciation Day, and Cookie from Above Ground Hair Studio will be at the market from 2-4:30 to cut hair on a sliding scale, with all money received directly benefiting the market!
The Downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market:
Fresh, local and healthy for the community. Michigan Ave and Hamilton St. SNAP/EBT, credit, debit,
and Project Fresh accepted. Call 734-786-8401, or check www.growinghope.net
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| Grants Available for Farmers |
 Repastspresentandfuture.org has been raising money to help new and expanding farmers build hoop houses to increase the available fresh local food available to our community in all 4 seasons. They have an open application process now for the first 2 projects. Applications are due July 10th.
Recipients will receive low interest loans on easy terms for approximately $8,000 to build a hoop house and the Repasts Present and Future crew will assemble the 2 hoop houses on Aug 1 and 15. The application can be found here or you can email panchobush@gmail.com for further information.
Another grant is available for farmers through the Food System Economic Partnership. Grants ranging from $500-$2,000 are available for farmers, owners of a food related business (or those aspiring to enter the industry) who produce food as a living for local markets in Southeast Michigan. For more information, download the application! FSEP grant submissions are due July 13th. |
| Growing Hope Has Multiplied Again! |
 This summer many new youth & adults are working for Growing Hope, whether as adult or youth garden mentors in the West Willow Garden Summer Camp, through Michigan Works' Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), as youth interns, or others hired to run these programs! You'll see our fifteen SYEP youth (six of them are pictured above!), ages 14-21, at the Growing Hope Center, at the farmers' market on Tuesdays, and at the Perry Learning Garden, where they're learning valuable gardening, landscaping, and business skills as they help the community grow. Interested in sharing your knowledge with them? Email karen@growinghope.net to get involved. Welcome, all! |
| Growing Hope Partner Garden Feature: Rec Park |
 Rec Park Community Garden (behind the Senior Center on Congress St. in Ypsilanti) is the perfect model of a community garden! If you happen to be around Rec Park or the Senior Center please check it out - we're sure you'll be inspired by the signs, the plants and the brilliant organization. The garden steward for Rec Park is Lisa Bashert. If you would like to inquire about open plots (for next year, it's all filled up for this year!) or community garden organizing tips, Lisa has years of experience and lots of good advice. Find an application and Rec Park Community Garden Guidelines on our website. | |
