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Pumpkin Party! Free pumpkins for kids

Oct3

Pumpkin Party 2025
@Joe Taylor Park
Saturday October 18, 2025, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Join Friends of Grand Rapids Parks  at the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market for Friends’ annual Pumpkin Party and enjoy family-friendly activities, including:

  • Free Pumpkins* for Kids
  • Free Trees* for Adults
  • Kids activities – Cider & Donuts

While you’re there buy fresh Produce from New City Neighbors and others.

This is a free event and is first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, check out Friends’ r Facebook Page for an alternate location!

https://friendsofgrparks.org/event/pumpkin-party-2025/Join Friends of Grand Rapids Parks  at the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market for Friends’ annual Pumpkin Party and enjoy family-friendly activities, including:

Free Pumpkins* for Kids – Free Trees* for Adults – Kids activities – Cider & Donuts

And buy fresh Produce from New City Neighbors and others.

 This is a free event and is first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, check out Friends’ r Facebook Page for an alternate location!

Pumpkin Party 2025

Pumpkin Party 2025 @Joe Taylor Park,October 18, 2025, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Join Friends of Grand Rapids Parks  at the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market for Friends’ annual Pumpkin Party and enjoy family-friendly activities, including:

Free Pumpkins* for Kids – Free Trees* for Adults – Kids activities – Cider & Donuts

And buy fresh Produce from New City Neighbors and others.

 This is a free event and is first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, check out Friends’ r Facebook Page for an alternate location!

Pumpkin Party 2025

Southeast Area Farmers Market Saturday August. 9

Aug4

Please shop the market Aug. 9 & 23!

Fatima Lee, New City Farm

The Southeast Area Farmers’ Market was held twice in July. We are sad to say we had very few shoppers. We believe this is because the market has moved from MLK Park, located at the busy intersections of Fuller, Hall and Franklin, to Joe Taylor Park, which is tucked within a residential neighborhood between two one-way streets. 

Our fabulous produce anchor New City Farm has a nice selection of freshly picked, local produce to choose from — and they accept SNAP. You are not going to find any produce more chock full of nutrients that this! And you’ll love the prices. If you’ve shopped the SEAFM before, you’ll run into other familiar faces among the vendors, as well.

Friendly faces and healthy food

Kevon Hess and Belinda Henderson are always on hand to help vendors and patrons at the farmers market. But you never know who else you might run into.

At the July 26 Market, Ms. Yvonne, who has been a SEAFM vendor since it began and Stelle Slootmaker, OKT’s communications manager since 2010, were thrilled to run into Sheri Munsell, who was a fabulous part of the OKT team when we were just starting out. They all had fun catching up.

Sheri has gone on to found the Hope Gain Network and works with many nonprofits in the Grand Rapids area.

L – R: Yvonne Woodard, Sheri Munsell, and Stelle Slootmaker

Black Impact Collaborative presents “The Black Experience”

Jul28

Friday, August 1, 2025, through Saturday, August 2, 2025 at GRPS University Campus, 1400 Fuller St NE, GR 49505. 

The Black Impact Collaborative is proud to again host “The Black Experience” which will focus on spreading “Black Joy” and the illumination of information across the Health & Well-Being, Education, Economic Security, Communication, and Elder Support impact areas that will ultimately elevate the experience of Black people in Greater Grand Rapids, MI. Some of the features of The Black Experience include a business expo and exhibits, local and national plenary, workshop speakers, an all-Black Attire Party, live entertainment, food and much more!

The Black Experience will kick-off with an all-Black Attire Party at GRPS University Campus, 1400 Fuller St NE, GR 49505.  on Friday, August 1 from 7:00-10:30PM. It will feature the live band For Your Soul Entertainment, Host Comedian Gregory Morris, food and drinks, best dress contest, prizes & more! On Saturday August 2 you can expect to attend workshops with National and Local Speakers such as Maggie Anderson, JD., Author of Our Black Year, hear from local Black-led organizations, Gubernatorial Candidates running for Michigan office, Kids’ Corner Activities, Premier Vendor Expo, Music, Food & more.

“Our primary goal of the Black Experience is to cultivate community healing in the black community by promoting intellectual, cultural, and thoughtful leadership and innovation in the areas of education, economics, health and well-being, serving our elders, and ensuring protection,” says Board Chair, Dallas Lenear. We can let you know that this will be a Family-friendly weekend for not only for Black Greater Grand Rapids, but for everyone. However, we know that it is essential that we elevate Black Joy – things that inspire, supports and uplifts Black Culture. This is an event that will do that.

Be sure to come out for this family-friendly event that will be educational, empowering, engaging, entertaining, and exciting! For additional details you can view our event site at https://bicgr.com/the-black-experience/. You can also follow the Black Impact Collaborative Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/the411gr) to stay up to date! If you have any questions about the event you can call 616-888-8411, or email info@bicgr.com.

Farmers, growers! Join us at the market.

May11

This year’s Southeast Area Farmers Market will take place at Grand Rapids’  Joe Taylor Park. The market not only provides our Grand Rapids neighbors with fresh local produce but also provides other community organizations an opportunity to share their resources.

We are thrilled to have New City Farm join our community of market vendors this year. They will provide fresh produce grown right here on their farm in Grand Rapids. We welcome other local farms and growers to come vend as well. 

If you would like to be a vendor at the 2025 Southeast Area Farmers Market, email SEAFM@OKTjustice.org.

FAMILIES AT RISK IN FEDERAL BUDGET DEBATE, ADVOCATES WARN

May8

 Advocates for immigrant families, health care, food security, and economic opportunity warned today that the federal budget debate in Congress threatens deep cuts to health care and social services for millions of Michigan residents in immigrant families. Spokespersons for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC), the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition (PIF), Michigan Primary Care Association, Michigan League for Public Policy, and Food Bank Council of Michigan briefed Michigan journalists by teleconference.

“These cuts will impact immigrant families and communities across the state.” said Christine Sauvé, Policy, Engagement, and Communications Manager at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “Immigrants are integral to Michigan’s social, cultural, and economic fabric and the proposed restrictions would hurt us all. We all benefit when more people have access to the care and support they need to thrive.”

“Policymakers need to understand that – in addition to the human consequences – these cuts will mean job losses, loss of needed services to keep folks well, and facility closures across our state, including areas already experiencing insufficient healthcare access,” said Jackie Chandler, Population Health Manager at the Michigan Primary Care Association.

“The Child Tax Credit and other anti-poverty measures drastically reduce child poverty, making for a more prosperous economic environment with lower public costs in the long term,” said Scott Preston, Senior Policy Analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy. “Immigrants are important contributors to our state’s economy and the proposed cuts would simply make life harder for citizens who want to stay in Michigan and be part of our state’s future.”

“Denying SNAP to lawfully-present immigrants and U.S. citizens in immigrant families will drive up hunger across the state and undermine the economic stability of families, farms and other food producers, and neighborhood retailers across the state,” said Anna Almanza, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations, Food Bank Council of Michigan

“Congress should be looking for solutions to problems like unmet health care needs, hunger, and poverty, not making those problems worse,” said PIF Campaign Strategist Esther Reyes.

2024 was a good year for Our Kitchen Table

Jan1

Thanks to the support of our food growers, market patrons, market vendors, and the schools hosting food gardens, OKT had another good year of growing and sharing fresh, local, healthy fruits, vegetables and herbs. As food prices rise, “growing your own” is an even more powerful way to feed our families and create an alternate to a broken food system that is focused on profits not health.

Southeast Area Farmers Market marked 20 years

In addition to Ms. Yvonne (right), who has been with the market all 20 years, 2024 saw Moore’s Family Garden and Farm vending fresh produce grown in Muskegon. The Grand Rapids Food Coop and UMCH Fresh Market also brought fresh fruits and veggies every week. However, everyone’s favorite vendor was Jazae (above), a ten-year-old grower who is saving up for medical school, with help from her granny.

In 2024, OKT maintained food gardens at Glenwood Elementary School in Kentwood and Campus Elementary School in Grand Rapids. 

With direction from OKT peer garden coach Belinda Henderson, families who chose to were provided with organic food plants, soil, containers or raised beds, and coaching so they could grow their own food at home. All food plants were grown by Blandford Farm.

OKT wishes you and yours a happy, healthy, full-of-good-food 2025!

OKT featured in Why Hunger video

Dec17

“From Security to Sovereignty: How Black Food Sovereignty Heals Local Food Systems and Economies.”

The Southeast Area Farmers Market and OKT’s growers are featured in this video produced by WhyHunger.

WhyHunger was founded in 1975 by the late musician Harry Chapin and Radio DJ Bill Ayres on the fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance. What began as a simple commitment between two friends to make a difference has grown into a global non-profit, celebrating over 40 years of supporting social movements and grassroots innovations to change the systems, policies and institutions that perpetuate hunger and poverty in our world. WhyHunger has proven that change is possible and that justice can prevail.