The people of Field & Fire Bakery & Cafe have a reputation for doing good. They have regularly donated unsold bread to pantries and non-profits and held annual fundraisers for Grand Rapids Public Schools, Blandford Nature Center, Feeding West Michigan, The Pantry,  and Well House.

They host local artists, typically women, and sell their artwork at the cafe.

“We’re members of Local First, so we participate in all of their events,” says owner, Julie Kibler.  “We’re also members of Slow Food West Michigan. Most of the outreach we participate in is centered around food, women, kids, and health.

Kibler shares that she and her family have been moved by the renewed movement for Black Lives Matter and want to do more to help fight racism.

So, they decided to join  Baker’s Against Racism, a global group sponsoring a Worldwide Virtual Bake Sale to support Black Lives Matter from June 15 through 20. Field & Fire decided to donate the funds they raise to OKT.

“After some talking and googling, we found that the official BLM group in GR had been abandoned. We wanted to help a real grass roots group that could really use the funding,” Kibler says. “Food desserts are just another way to oppress black and brown people. Our goal with this effort is to approach racism from a slightly different angle, and that is justice through food. We’ve been pushing healthy eating for the last seven years, and it’s time to push it in a new direction.”