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Farmers Market Saturday July 27!

Jul25

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at MLK Jr. Park
900 Fuller Ave SE 49506
Look for the yellow market tents!

Did you miss our opening day on July 13? Well, that’s too bad because our market manager Ms. Belinda reports that it was a great time for vendors and patrons. This Saturday, we hope to host a Greens Cook-off demo featuring greens prepares many different ways by Ms. Belinda herself. We say hope as vandals have damaged electrical wires at MLK Jr. Park. Hopefully, we will be cooking Saturday. Power to the people! We do have some yummy greens recipes printed for you all.

We’re also excited to welcome back our new anchor farm, Moore Garden and Farm @mooregardenfarm. This small Muskegon family farm is run by Lynette Moore, a Black woman farmer determined to serve our farmer’s market this year.

Ms. Yvonne is back with local produce and craft items!

The Fresh Market at UMCH and the GR Food Coop will also have fresh local produce for you. #TheFreshMarket #UMCH #GoodFoodClub #GRFoodCoop. Four or five other vendors will have fresh produce, handcrafted fashion accessories, candles, and more.

Come on down and do community with us!

We welcome Bridge Card, SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and many other assistance and coupon programs. How the Double Up Food Bucks Program Works 

GR Food Coop hosting free cooking class July 25

Jul17

Tortilla! Salsa! Tacos! Puerto Rican rice! Co-op Owner Mary Nalbach is offering cooking classes to help folks learn how to cook fresh food on a budget. She has heard that some folks just haven’t learned the basics of being in the kitchen, so she is offering these classes to remedy that problem. Join her July 25, 6-8 pm. at 1438 Division Ave. S. Ingredients will be supplied. RSVP Mary by text at 231-846-0159.

Southeast Area Farmers Market opening day Saturday July 13

Jul9
  • 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at MLK Jr. Park,
  • 900 Fuller SE, 49506

Our Kitchen Table’s mission for the Southeast Area Farmers Market is to increase access to healthy foods in Grand Rapids’ southeast neighborhoods, where food apartheid is apparent. To accomplish that goal, we have brought on a new farmer as a vendor and, and we’re partnering with both New City Farm and The Grand Rapids Food Co-op.

To help us celebrate our opening day, the Grand Rapids Fire Department is deploying a firetruck to MLK Jr. Park during the market. Youngsters (and the rest of us) will be able to look inside and see it up close!

In addition to vending fresh produce, the Food Co-op will also host an information table and inviting patrons to join this a community-owned grocery that will be established soon. The cost for a lifetime household membership is:

  • Food For All program: $25 or $6/month for 5 months for people who self-identify as low income.
  • Standard membership: $250 per household or $26/month for 10 months.

Scholarships are available by request for people who can’t afford either.

All members receive the same benefits: one vote per household for who sits on the co-op board; member-only deal days; and profit sharing when store is profitable. A Supportive Business Program may also provide members discounts at participating businesses and educational opportunities.

Event explains how food gardening can boost your mental health

Jun13

Free Planting Event
1 – 3 p.m. Sunday June 23
MLK Park, 900 Fuller SE 49506

In collaboration with OKT, the Grand Rapids Food Co-op is hosting a free Planting Event facilitated by Reynalda Jones, a fellow Co-op owner. The event will explore:

  • Gardening’s impact on mood and physical well-being.
  • Whole foods and mental health.
  • Connecting with nature through mindfulness.
  • Gardening for personal development

Each participant will plant seeds in a flowerpot (provided) to take home and enjoy.

A licensed clinical social worker practicing through her own business, A Solution B, Jones has over a decade of experience in the co-occurring, mental health field. She specializes in working with women experiencing stress, anxiety, and PTSD. She utilizes traditional talk therapy with a fusion of evidence-based holistic care to promote emotional wellness and whole-body wellness. Her goal is to educate others to actively prevent burnout before it is overwhelming for the body and mind. From May to October, her services also incorporate therapeutic gardening and clients have the opportunity to engage in therapy sessions, cultivate mindfulness skills, learn about nutrition, prioritize mental health, and much more.

Please support OKT in the #Walk4GoodFood

Apr23

Please support the Walk for Good Food! The Southeast Area Farmers’ Market is one of the recipients of Walk funds — and OKT manages the market! Open from the July through November at Grand Rapids’ Martin Luther King Jr. Park, our market ‘s vendors are primarily women of color from Grand Rapids’ Southeast neighborhoods. Most of our sales are completed with food assistance dollars.

Because the market takes part in the Double Up Food Bucks program,  our patrons using SNAP benefits can purchase twice as much fresh, local produce. This means that our neighbors with income challenges can feed their households even more nutritious food –even though they live in neighborhoods that otherwise have very limited access to healthy foods.

When you support the walk you support the market. You can join the OKT walk team or pledge your support through an online donation here. The donate button is near the top of the page on the left. The Join Team button is below the OKT photos. OKT also seeks corporate and business donors for the event. Download the corporate sponsor packet here.

SUNDAY, MAY 5th, 2PM TO 4PM: IN-PERSON KICK OFF AT Richmond Park!
This year’s event will include an in-person kick-off event at Richmond Park (1101 Richmond St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504). The event will include t-shirt pick-up, light refreshments, a walking route, and children’s activities. Stay tuned as more details will be shared such as maps and volunteer opportunities.

MAY 5 – MAY 15: WALK IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
In the past three years we’ve found that many loved engaging in the Walk by gathering in their own community or walking on their own. You and/or your team do not have to attend the in-person event to participate.

#Walk4GoodFood 2024

Apr9
Our Kitchen Table is now recruiting walkers to join our 2024 #Walk4GoodFood team. You can walk with us the day of the event 
To join OKT’s Walk Team, click here! Or email media@OKTjustice.org.

West Michigan is brimming with food assistance organizations, but our community continues to acknowledge “hunger” as a constant threat to children, families, and seniors. We need a new approach — a thriving community where all residents have access to healthy and affordable local food. This is why we walk.

Save the date! #Walk4GoodFood May 5 – 15

Feb21

Our Kitchen Table has again been chosen as a recipient of funds raised by the Access of West Michigan Walk for Good Food. OKT uses these funds to support the operations of the Southeast Area Farmers Market. Stay tuned to learn how you can support the 2024 Walk for Good Food by joining a walk team, donating to OKT’s team, or becoming an OKT corporate walk sponsor. #Walk4GoodFood #W4GF #AccessWM

“Troubled Water” film about Line 5 showing at GVSU GR campus

Jan25
Scenes from Troubled Water

This film about the Great Lakes and Line 5 crude oil pipeline has been showing on sold-out screens in Traverse City, Cheboygan, Ann Arbor, and Chicago. Now it’s coming to Grand Rapids!  Troubled Water is a new film that follows them from Mackinac Island to Lansing, through the Great Lakes, and up the Grand River. Two friends embark on an epic stand-up paddle adventure to discover the grandeur of the Great Lakes and Michigan’s water.

You are invited to the Grand Rapids premiere at the Loosemore Theater at GVSU on Thursday, February 1. 

Check out the trailer:

Troubled Water Trailer
GET TICKETS

You can get tickets at the Michigan Climate Action Network website. MiCAN, an OWDM steering committee member, is hosting the screening. Tickets are only $5, and free student/needs-based tickets are available.

The event starts with a reception at 6:00 p.m., with the movie beginning at 6:30 p.m. One of the filmmakers/subjects of the movie, William Wright, will be present for a Q&A after the film.

Experience the wonder of Michigan’s abundant natural resources and meet the passionate people dedicated to protecting those resources. Although the Great Lakes face daunting environmental challenges, a community centered on a shared love of water provides hope for the lakes’ continued preservation.