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Southeast Area Farmers’ Market at LINC Saturdays July 28 & Aug. 25

Jul27

Note Location!
Southeast Area Farmer’s Market
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at LINC, Madison Ave. Parking Lot

We warmly welcome SNAP, Bridge Cards, WIC  and Doube Up Food Bucks!

mobile-gr-graphicMobile GR provides  Grand Rapids residents, workers, and visitors with 21st Century Mobility. In addition to managing street parking, ramps, and lots, Mobile GR is working to broaden transportation options and strengthen those in place. According to the City of Grand Rapids website,

“We know social justice, economic development, and transportation depend on each other’s success. We work to improve our quality of life by getting more people to use active transportation. We want to help expand people’s options so they can choose to take transit, walk, bike, carpool, or drive alone.”

When you’re picking up your delicious fresh produce at the market Saturday, stop and chat with Mobile GR staff to discover how you can be more mobile in GR.

Mobile GR sharing resources with market patrons July 28

Jul25

Southeast Area Farmer’s Market
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at LINC, Madison Ave. Parking Lot
Bridge Cards, Double Up Food Bucks and WIC Welcome!

mobile-gr-graphicMobile GR provides  Grand Rapids residents, workers, and visitors with 21st Century Mobility. In addition to managing street parking, ramps, and lots, Mobile GR is working to broaden transportation options and strengthen those in place. According to the City of Grand Rapids website,

“We know social justice, economic development, and transportation depend on each other’s success. We work to improve our quality of life by getting more people to use active transportation. We want to help expand people’s options so they can choose to take transit, walk, bike, carpool, or drive alone.”

When you’re picking up your delicious fresh produce at the market Saturday, stop and chat with Mobile GR staff to discover how you can be more mobile in GR.

Learn about Planned Parenthood’s resources at Farmers’ Market Saturday

Jul19

14021690_1263886476963384_2948188631749601892_n-1Southeast Area Farmer’s Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays at MLK Jr. Park. Bridge Cards, Double Up Food Bucks and WIC Welcome!

On Saturday July 21, staff from Grand Rapids’ Planned Parenthood Irwin/Martin Health Center  will table at the market, providing information about the full range of affordable services that they offer area residents with or without health insurance.

Did you know that in addition to helping with women’s healthcare and contraception, the health center offers general healthcare, HIV testing, LGBT services, men’s healthcare, pregnancy testing and services and more?

In addition, Planned Parenthood’s trained educators offer comprehensive sex education that helps youth and others learn about sex and sexuality, explore values and beliefs about those topics ,and gain the skills that help them make healthy choices despite bullying or peer pressure. Statistics have proven that comprehensive sex education is more effective than abstinence only programs in reducing teen pregnancies, abortions and STD rates.

OKT is proud to stand with Planned Parenthood!

 

Healthy Homes to share resources at farmers’ market Saturday

Jul13

seafm logo


11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays through November
MLK Jr. Park, 900 Fuller Ave. SE 49506
Bridge Cards/EBT/SNAP and WIC Welcome!
We do Double Up Food Bucks!

hhc
Staff members from the Healthy Homes Coalition will be at the July 14 Southeast Area Farmers’ Market to share resources and information about their programs. “The mission of the Healthy Homes Coalition is to improve children’s health and well being by eliminating harmful housing conditions.”

Programs include:

  • Healthy Homes for Healthy Kids. Healthy Housing Specialists provide preventive in-home visits for low-income families with children 0-5 years of age or children with asthma. Issues include lead poisoning, asthma, accidental injury (trips/falls, burns/scalds, poisoning, suffocation, etc.), and lung cancer.
  • Breathe Easier Asthma Program, for households with children with asthma who have repeat emergency department visits or hospital admissions. The project includes provision of consumer goods and home repairs to address asthma triggers (carpet removal, fix leaks and control moisture, pest management, ventilation, and more).
  • Fire Safety Program, a one-on-one in-home education on fire safety coupled with free smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector installations.
  • Radon Testing via do-it-yourself radon kits. Radon is a naturally occurring gas and is the second leading cause of lung cancer.
  • Get the Lead Out! Assistance to repair all lead hazards in the home.

For more information and qualifications, stop by Saturday or visit the Healthy Homes Coalition website.

 

Our farmers’ market is back!

Jul10

Southeast Area Farmers’ Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays through November at MLK Jr. Park, 900 Fuller Ave. SE 49506. 

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First day of the 2018 market!                           Photo by Grace Michienzi

gmichienziLast Saturday, the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market held its first 2018 market. We got off to a good start! (Despite the competing clean-up event.) The Grand Rapids Fire Department was on hand sharing resources from its Residential Safety Program (RSP). And, area residents enjoyed a nice selection of local produce.

If you stopped by the market, you may have noticed a new face at the main table. Grace Michienzi is spending her summer as an intern with Our Kitchen Table and MSU Extension. Originally from West Michigan, she went to Hudsonville High School. She says that she is excited to be working in a community that she considers her home.

Grace is a junior at Michigan State University studying Social Relations and Policy with a minor in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Throughout her life, she has had a passion for social justice issues, but it was not until she went to college that she learned that she also has a passion for food and food justice.

“It all started with a research paper that I wrote about urban farming and its
history,” Grace says. “I began to learn about food movements within cities to address the social and environmental inequities.”

She also loves to learn about organic gardening and farming, food policy issues such as the Farm Bill, and environmental issues regarding food production. You may have read Grace’s very informative post about the Farm Bill on our website.

“Mostly, I want to learn about the connections between people and their
food, and in what ways food movements can be as successful as possible at serving the
communities and neighborhoods they are meant to serve,” she says. “I have already learned so much in my weeks as an intern so far, and I am looking forward to learning more!

Besides her studies, Grace loves to hike, be outdoors, garden, cook, and travel. She has an adorable dog named Fish who she love to spend time with outside. She adds,”I love that I will get to spend a lot of time outside at the South East Farmers Market this summer!”

Urban Roots hosts farm open house Wednesday

Jun19

downloadUrban Roots Farm Open House
June 20, 2018 5:30-7:30 pm June 20, 2018
1316 Madison SE 49507

Farm Open Houses are an opportunity to celebrate our community together and explore the farm. Come when you can, stay as long as you are able, and share a farm-fresh meal with the Urban Roots staff. There’s a seat for everyone at the table. (And all the fresh strawberries you can eat.)

The Open House will be from 5:30-7:30 at 1316 Madison SE 49507. There is plenty of street parking or in the lot across the street.  Check out the Facebook event.

OKT presents at City-sponsored workshop

Jun11

18

Growing: Community Justice and Food
6-9 p.m. Monday June 18
Baxter Community Center, 935 Baxter St. SE 49506

OKT’s executive director, Lisa Oliver-King will talk about growing food–and growing justice–in Grand Rapids’ southeast neighborhoods. The workshop seeks to share how to strengthen relationships and quality of life in these neighborhoods, practice food justice and engage neighbors via a community garden with financial support from the City of Grand Rapids Neighborhood Match Fund (NMF) www.grandrapidsmi.gov/nmf.

The main goals of the NMF are to build stronger connections among residents in neighborhoods, and to address and promote social justice. All projects, including community gardens, must intentionally advance these goals. So if you’re a GR resident interested in starting a community garden to grow community, justice and food – attend this workshop for important tips and strategies.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY OPENS SATURDAY

Jun8
LFL photoLITTLE FREE LIBRARY FOR KIDS OPENS SATURDAY, JUNE 9,
IN OAKDALE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighbors of all ages have pulled together to establish a Little Free Library in a vacant lot at 1025 Oakdale St SE. The grand opening on Saturday, June 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. will feature free snacks, drumming, Vizions Dance, making bookmarks and, of course, BOOKS!

“If you can, bring a book to share at the grand opening. People who bring identification can also sign up for a free Grand Rapids Public Library card and Read to Ride bus pass to use at local branches,” said Teresa Jones.

The Little Free Library (LFL) at 1025 Oakdale St SE will focus on books for preschoolers through middle schoolers. Anyone may add or take a book at any time. The books are for sharing and must not be sold. The site also includes a picnic table, so neighborhood youth and adults can offer weekly summer story times in English, Spanish or Kinyarwanda.

The LFL at 1025 Oakdale St SE is officially registered by Little Free Library, an international nonprofit that fosters neighborhood book exchanges around the world. Its website states, “One of the most successful ways to improve the reading achievement of children is to increase their access to books, especially at home.”

The 1025 Oakdale St SE project is made possible by the City of Grand Rapids Neighborhood Match Fund, Habitat for Humanity of Kent County (which owns the vacant lot), Oakdale Neighbors, Modern Hardware, Steelcase, Bimbo Bakeries, Redux Books, Standard Lumber and dozens of neighbors and book donors.