VanBuren received her Farmers’ Market manager certification in 2012 from The Michigan Farmers Market Association(MIFMA) in 2012 after completing their comprehensive Farmers’ Market Training Program in Lansing over the course of eight, day-long sessions covering Business Planning and Market Growth Management; Human Relations and Conflict Management; Market Governance, Rules and Enforcement; Fundraising; and Marketing and Outreach. A final manager-to-manager education and networking opportunity completed the program focusing on sharing experiences and lessons learned.

Former market manager, Yvonne Woodard (also MIFMA certified), is also stepping into a new role with OKT. While she will continue at the farmers’ market as a vendor and peer educator, Woodard has also taken on the role of garden coach with OKT’s yard gardening program.

Here are some photos from last week’s class.

For more information, visit oktjustice.org/farmers-market/.

On Saturday May 4, OKT yard gardeners came to Blandford Farm to pick up  mustard greens, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Swiss chard, herbs and three varieties of lettuces. More food plants will be distributed as the growing season commences. Our garden coaches look forward to working with these gardeners as they grow their own healthy food.

According to www.worldhunger.org, an estimated 925 million people live with hunger day after day.  In Grand Rapids, more than 27% of our children are food insecure.  While OKT recognizes that only a systemic change to the corporate controlled food system will eliminate this injustice, efforts like the Hunger Walk do help fill the gap, here and now. We especially appreciate that some of the Hunger Walk funds will help support the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market.

Lila Cabbil

Cabbil, who worked side by side with Mrs. Rosa Parks for decades, serves as president emeritus of the Rosa Parks Institute and is author of the book, Accountability and White Anti-Racist Organizing: Stories from Our Work. She has also facilitated team building with the OKT staff and SoutheastArea Farmers’ Market partners over the past two years.abbil for the weekly Catalyst Radio show.

At the forefront of the food justice movement, recently launched the Campaign for Food Justice Now, a membership-based organization that will use a race, class and gender analysis to promote food and agricultural system reforms and advocate for the adoption of right-to-food policies in the United States.

LaDonna Redmond

A speaker, radio host and former Food and Society Policy Fellow, Redmond was one of 25 citizen and business leaders named a Responsibility Pioneer by Time Magazine. She successfully worked to get Chicago Public Schools to evaluate junk food, launched urban agriculture projects, started a community grocery store and worked on federal farm policy to expand access to healthy food in low‐income communities.