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Virtual Cook, Eat and Talk – Free!

Register to join the Zoom or attend via Facebook Live.

Are you pregnant, breastfeeding, or the mom of a low-birth weight baby? Are you a mom diagnosed with overweight or obesity? Do you receive SNAP, WIC, or other food assistance? Then you are invited! Actually, everybody is welcome. Join Our Kitchen Table cooking coach Belinda Henderson for a cooking demo and registered dietitian Winona Bynum in conversation on you can make easy, healthy, affordable meals for your family.
• Ask Winona what foods work for you and your medical issues.
• Grow a food garden in your window or on your porch.
• Learn how to stretch your food budget.
• Find out how to maximize your SNAP and WIC dollars at grocery stores and farmers markets.

Final 2022 farmers market Saturday Nov. 5

This Saturday wraps up the 2022 season for the Southeast Area Farmers Market. We hope you will stop by to support our vendors. Our community partner will be the Kent County Food Policy Council. Chat with them about what you can do in your neighborhood to help build a better, local, equitable food system that meets everyone’s nutritional needs. Healthy food is a human right!

Art at the Market, Grand Rapids Public Library at Southeast Area Farmers Market Sat. 9/24

Artists! Bring your own table, chairs & canopy. Check in with the market manager, Belinda Henderson, at 10 a.m. for set-up instructions.

Join staff from the Grand Rapids Public Library at the Southeast Area Farmer’s Market Saturday Sept. 24 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m! They will read stories, sing songs, have activities, sign you up for library cards and share information on library programs.

The market meets from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at MLK Jr. Park, 900 Fuller SE 49506.

Gun Buyback on Sept. 17

The Safe Alliances for Everyone (SAFE) Task Force and Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD) will cohost a gun buyback program 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Burton Heights Lot, 30 Burton St SW. No appointment is necessary.

Those wishing to dispose of their firearms are asked to transport unloaded weapons in the trunk of a vehicle. Personnel will not ask questions or collect any personal information. In exchange for each firearm turned in, residents will receive a gift card ranging from $100 for revolvers, shotguns and rifles to $200 for assault-type rifles and semi-automatic handguns. Black powder firearms will be accepted for disposal, but gift cards will not be given for such. Quantities of gift cards are limited and subject to availability.

The buyback program is part of SAFE’s and the GRPD’s ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime in the city. The event is funded through a $40,000 contribution from the SAFE Task Force. In 2020, during its first two buyback events, SAFE and the GRPD collected a total of 267 firearms. This year, through its enforcement efforts, the GRPD has taken more than 360 illegal guns off the street.

African American Arts & Music Celebration BIPOC Pop-up downtown Sept. 17

10AM – 6PM Saturday, September 17
Downtown Grand Rapids:Oakes St. SW outside of Studio Park Piazza and Alligator Alley alongside Van Andel Arena.

The Grand Rapids Kent County Convention Arena Authority’s Community Inclusion Group (CAA-CIG) is organizing a BIPOC Pop Up Shop as part of the Grand Rapids African American Art and Music Festival and ArtPrize.

The BIPOC Pop Up Shop will give diverse vendors an opportunity to sell their wares to thousands of residents and visitors coming downtown for the festival and ArtPrize. This is an incredible opportunity to grow your brand your business in Grand Rapids and beyond! Organizers are hoping to showcase a diverse array of products made West Michigan by BIPOC entrepreneursFor information, contact Britney Sylvester britneysylvester24@gmail.com or (616)427-8934.

Want to join as a vendor? Click on one of the links below.

Merchandise/Goods Vendors

Food Vendors

Feed the Block community mobile food distribution on August 26

Samika Douglas, a resident of the community, in partnership with LINC UP, will host Feed the Block, a community mobile food distribution event on August 26, 2022. Families will be provided with food, PPE, and other vital resources that they haven’t had access to because of the challenges created by COVID-19. The food and resources will be able distributed in a drive-thru/contactless pick up. Feed The Block will be a fun and uplifting event that will gather between 150-300 community members to build relationships in the southeast neighborhoods of Grand Rapids and connect neighbors to the many resources available tothem. Some of the resources that will be available are connected to housing security, mental and physical health, and COVID-19 education and awareness. Spanish flyer below.

This month’s market dates:  August 6 and 20

The Southeast Area Farmers Market is off to a great start. New for 2022! Hot food and coffee vendors, fresh produce from the South East Market, natural body care items and more! The market meets from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 900 Fuller Ave SE 49506.

Family Futures and the Grand Rapids Food Coop Initiative will be sharing resources on August 6. On August 20, learn about extending your food garden into the fall. View the full market flyer here.