Register here: https://bit.ly/3MNdqgg.

On behalf of the Secchia family, Heart of West Michigan United Way would like to share a community dinner invitation with you and your program participants. There are no restrictions on who can attend. This is a free event and open to anyone! See information provided below.

You can register participants using the following link: https://bit.ly/3MNdqgg. You are also welcome to share the link and the attached flyer with community members.

In addition to inviting guests, the United Way is seeking volunteers.  Interested in volunteering? Check out opportunities here: https://bit.ly/SecchiaFamilyDinner.  

The Secchia family invites West Michigan to a community dinner with no formalities, just good food and fun conversations with fellow community members on Thursday, July 13^th at 6:30pm. The event is free and open to all! Free parking will be available at the DeVos Place ramp.

Peter Secchia passed away in October of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, not allowing his family to follow his wishes with a large community dinner to ensure that everyone is “full” as he “loved that feeling.” He crafted a menu prior to his passing that consisted of foods he desired to eat long before he became a successful businessman.

If you would like to be a vendor or share community resources, email SEAFM@OKTjustice.org.

This market season, the market will take place at the MLK Jr. Park, 900 Fuller SE, 49506 every other Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• July 8 & 22
• August 12 & 26 
• September 9 & 23
• October 7 & 21
• November 4

Check with the Kent County DHHS for more information.

From the Michigan League of Conservation Voters

The Michigan League of Conservation Voters is urging the Board of State Canvassers to reject the misleading summary on a petition which would ban solar energy in rural parts of Michigan. The proposal will halt the state’s clean energy progress, strip farmers of their rights, block landowners from earning a steady second income, and cut off vital tax revenue to local communities.

“To protect our Great Lakes and future generations, Michigan must transition away from the dirty coal and oil that pollutes our waterways and make the transition to cleaner energy sources, like wind and solar,” said Lisa Wozniak, executive director for Michigan League of Conservation Voters, which re-activated its ballot committee, Our Water, Our Democracy, to oppose the measure. “Renewable energy is a financial win for farmers, businesses and residents in rural communities across Michigan with several wind and solar projects up and running for more than a decade. Banning utility-scale solar projects in rural communities moves the state in the wrong direction. The proposed petition summary is flawed, misleading and would do a disservice to voters who support Michigan’s transition to clean, renewable energy.”

The board will meet at 10 a.m., Friday, April 28, in the Binsfield Office Building in downtown Lansing to discuss the proposed petition summary. Our Water, Our Democracy submitted a letter to the board urging it to consider how the proposed language doesn’t pass legal muster and should be rejected.

Our Water, Our Democracy noted the state’s renewable energy plan depends on generating more power from renewable resources, including solar, and an unprecedented amount of federal funding is available to help the state manage this transition – $20 billion to date. Clean energy projects are bringing millions of dollars in tax revenue to Michigan communities – providing critical funding for schools, libraries, police and fire services, roads, community services and more.

“This ballot proposal – being pushed by the same fossil fuel interests that have come into rural communities and caused chaos and division – would further harm public health, stymie Michigan’s job creation, and limit opportunities for farmers and landowners as they face economic uncertainty from extreme weather and low crop prices,” Wozniak added. “The petition summary must disclose these negative impacts so that petition signers are informed of the true adverse effects of the proposal before they sign the petition.”

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! 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.
• Receive vouchers good at the Southeast Area Farmers Market and select retailers.
• Learn how to stretch your food budget.
• Find out how to maximize your SNAP and WIC dollars
at grocery stores and farmers markets.

#Walk4GoodFood

Click here to join or donate to the OKT walk team!
-Optional in-person kick-off event May 7 at Mulick Park.
-Walk in your neighborhood anytime between May 7 and 17.

The 2023 Access of West Michigan Walk for Good Food – In Your Neighborhood is an annual 5k walk in Grand Rapids. The goal of the Walk is to fund non-profit organizations that address issues of food access and poverty. Our Kitchen Table has been chosen as a recipient agency. Money OKT receives from the Walk will help fund the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market, a walkable neighborhood market in a Grand Rapids neighborhood with little access to healthy, fresh foods.

OKT’s work, and the work of the other recipient organizations aligns with the definition of Good Food, which is food that is:

• Healthy (provides nourishment and enables people to thrive)
• Fair (no one along the production line was exploited during its creation)
• Affordable (All people have access to it)
• Green (produced in an environmentally sustainable manner)

The work of the recipient organizations ranges from community gardening and urban farming, nutrition programs, food pantries and meal programs, to food justice and community development initiatives. Our collaborative work has a vision of a thriving Good Food system for all people.

The Walk brings non-profit organizations, businesses, congregations, farms, and individuals together to bring awareness of the great work happening in our community to address food access and poverty. By walking together we unite in vision of a Good Food system for all and broaden our shared impact for social good. Over the last 44 years, the Walk has raised millions of dollars for dozens of local and international non-profit organizations.

What if everyone in our community could have equal access to food that nourishes, creates good jobs, is affordable, and treats the earth well as it is produced? What if non-profit organizations, businesses, congregations, farms, and individuals could come together to achieve this vision?

We believe it’s possible.
That’s why we walk.
Share the vision.
Walk with us.

Thanks to our food growers, market vendors, food growing coaches, and community partners, Our Kitchen Table has one more successful growing and market season under out belts.

Special thanks to the Grand Rapids Public Schools Martin Luther King Leadership Academy for continuing to host our Program for Growth, Kentwood Glenwood Elementary for hosting a food garden, City of Grand Rapids Parks department for support of the Southeast Area Farmers Market, and the many others who contributed to the 2022 growing and market season.

Would you like to support OKT with your
end of year giving?
Gifts are tax-deductible.

Our Kitchen Table relies on grants and donations to fund its programming. If you would like to contribute,
please click on this link or email your check to:

Our Kitchen Table
334 Burton St. SE
Grand Rapids MI 49507

Today’s market cancelled due to threat of high winds. See you in market season 2023!

Last day to submit public comment is November 8th!

DTE is asking the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for permission to raise residential rates 8.8% – without a plan to upgrade outdated infrastructure in older communities that are majority Black, people of color, or low-income. Their plan gives millions more to investors each year, and makes it even harder for communities to switch to solar and access battery storage.Your voice makes a difference. Tell the MPSC to reject DTE’s rate hike — and support affordable, reliable, pollution-free energy.

Submit Public Comment Here!