On April 19, a group of graduate architecture students at Kendall College of Art and Design designed and built five large and two small raised garden-beds at Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Academy. After filling with organic composted soil, Our Kitchen Table Program for Growth participants planted the beds with organic vegetable starter plants on April 23 and 24.
Now the Program for Growth has even more space to grow nutritious food for students at school, their families and people in the neighborhood!
The Michigan Local Food Council Network is launching an interactive discussion series, Catalyst Conversations: Re-designing Our Food System. These conversations will invite all advocates and community members – from novice to seasoned expert in topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion – to build relationships and share ideas to mobilize communities for transformative action. The Catalyst Conversation series will use deep-dive discussion to frame a spectrum of food systems change across individual, organizational, and institutional levels; equip participants with practical, accessible change models; and incorporate healing and restorative practice.
The first of these interactive conversations will take place Tuesday, May 25th from 2:30-4 p.m. During this initial event, a panel of “relatable experts” will ground participants in cultural understandings of food systems engagement and transformation. We will invite participants to engage in small group discussions with these experts and one another. The MLFCN will also seek input on future discussion topics for this series.
This series has been created through the MLFCN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Team, a small (but mighty) group of MLFCN members from across Michigan, that has worked to build a framework for this series that is inspiring, educational, and action-oriented.
Thank you Walkers and Supporters! You are the reason this event has once again been a success, raising funds to support the work of the OKT-managed Southeast Area FArmers Market and 13 other local organizations that are working to create a good food system for all. We are so grateful for your efforts.
It’s not too late to donate! Donations are collected through June 30th. Our fundraising page will remain live until then. Stay tuned as we tally final results and announce our top fundraising teams after we’ve collected all donations. If you have been collecting cash or check donations you can drop those off at our t-shirt curbside pick up locations next Tuesday, May 18 between 3-7pm (click here for locations). You’re also welcome to mail them to Access of West Michigan, 1700 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids MI 49508. Checks should be made payable to Access of West Michigan. Did you get a yard sign?
Walk for Good Food T-Shirts & Masks Did you raise $150? Come and get a free Access Walk for Good Food T-Shirt! We will have walk t-shirts and masks available for curbside pick up May 18, 3-7pm! To get a closer look or for pick locations and details, click here.T-Shirts are available in sizes Youth S-L, and Adult S-3XL. They will also be available for a $15 purchase. Masks are free. Items available on a first come first serve basis.
Spoken word artist Té Speight, just released this brand-new video short.
Té’s powerful poem “400 Years” delivers a truth-to-power message from his personal experience and perspective.
Please take a minute to watch it. If you love it like I do, please pass it along to others!Here are those links for Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The piece offers a fresh and unique take on the infamous history of sugar as a commodity, and speaks directly about the soda industry’s aggressive marketing tactics toward the Black community.
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the Access Walk for Good Food is just around the corner. As of last year, we’ve adapted the Walk in accordance with safety precautions related to COVID-19. Instead of bringing together over 700 walkers in one day, we will be asking people to walk in their own neighborhoods anytime between May 2 and 12.
Last year, our first remote Walk was an immense success. Though COVID-19 continues, we find great purpose in continuing a historic event that carries such rich meaning in our community. In the face of injustice, walks of solidarity and intention have been grassroots means by which people have historically shown they support a cause dear to their heart. This is why we ask our community to walk. We believe in a Good Food System, with abundant access to food that nourishes, creates connection, and supports thriving local economies and opportunity for all.
We are thankful for our title sponsors, SpartanNash and Andy J. Egan Company Inc., along with many others who are supporting this year’s Walk for Good Food. The Walk is one of the best ways to invest in long term impact and food justice in our community. As we move forward from the impact of COVID-19 on our community it is more important than ever to support organizations working to provide healthy, fair, green, and affordable food to those who need it the most.
By walking, teams and individuals are able to raise funds for non-profit organizations doing crucial work in our community. Over the course of 43 years, the Walk has raised more than $6 million for dozens of local and international non-profits. This year, the Walk will fund 14 organizations working towards a good food system. The work of these organizations ranges from community gardening and neighborhood-based fresh markets to meal delivery programs and community development initiatives.
This year’s Walk for Good Food will remain remote. This means households are encouraged to walk in their neighborhoods. You can do your walk anytime between May 2 and May 12. Follow along via Access’ social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) using #Walk4GoodFood. Participants will receive an individual fundraising page that can be used to collect donations. Those not interested in walking can still create a fundraising page. For those not interested in online fundraising, donations can be sent to:
Access of West Michigan 1700 28th Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49508
The Walk is a way to bring together community members to highlight and support local organizations addressing food security and injustice. We invite you to walk and support a thriving food system for all that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable.
Join OKT’s Lisa Oliver-King joins Crystal Tunstall, Victor Williams, and Kareem Scales in a virtual dialogue about how food and environmental justice are needed in Grand Rapids’ neighborhoods. 6:30 p.m. Weds. April 28 via Zoom (see meeting ID below). Sponsored by Grassroots UP.
Click here to join! Virtual Walk takes place May 2 through 12.* Pick your day and time!
In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Walk for Good Food in your own neighborhood. Access of West Michigan is asking walkers to walk individually or with their household while maintaining a six feet distance from anyone else. For specific details, visit the Walk For Good Food Website.
Make a donation to the OKT walk team– your support will make a difference as we work towards a thriving food system for all people during these challenging times.
Sponsor the Walk, or ask your company or organization if they are interested!
Building on the success of employing more than 350 youth last summer, the City and area businesses – are poised to employ 650 Grand Rapids residents ages 15 to 24 beginning June 14.
GRow1000 will offer young people 120-hour work experiences over six weeks from June 14 through July 23. Youth participants will work 20 hours each week earning $10 an hour for those under 18 and $13 an hour for those 18 and older. To participate, individuals must meet the following basic requirements:
Be between 15 and 24 years old as of June 14
Live in the city of Grand Rapids
Be eligible to work in the U.S.
Youth may apply now through Friday, April 30, HERE. Required paid training begins May 18. Bus passes will be available as needed. As the employer of record, the City will process youth applications and match them to available positions.
“We know planning for the summer seems so far in the distance especially with these cold temperatures so youth may not realize that summer is actually right around the corner,” said Shannon Harris, interim executive director of Our Community’s Children. “This is why we’re extending the youth application date to Friday, April 30th. This will be an experience they will never forget, and it just may be what’s needed to ignite their dreams.”
Participants in GRow1000 will have the opportunity to gain work experience and social capital in the following sectors: local government, manufacturing, healthcare, construction, youth development, community development, tech, video production, finance, the arts, public relations, higher education and more. This accounts for 450 jobs with more registering daily.
More than 60 businesses and organizations have committed to hosting a GRow1000 youth and an additional 21 businesses, foundations and individuals have committed to supporting the program financially.
Join the OKT Walk team here! All money that our team raises will go to help fund the Southeast Area Farmers Market.
Over the past 43 years, the Access of West MichiganWalk for Good has raised more than $6 million for dozens of local and international nonprofits addressing hunger and food insecurity. This year, the Walk is funding eight local organizations that are working hard to improve access to healthy foods and diminish other impacts of poverty: the Kent County Food Policy Council, North End Wellness Coalition, Our Kitchen Table, Revive and Thrive Project, SECOM Resource Center, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and UCOM.The work of these organizations ranges from community gardens, neighborhood-based food markets, and meal delivery programs to emergency food pantries and community development initiatives. Each walker raises donations for the Walk from their friends, family, co-workers, and congregations.
All are invited to join the walk anytime between May 2 to May 12, either individually, creating a team, or joining an existing team. (Walkers observing Ramadan can extend the end date to May 19.) Those who would rather not walk can make a donation. Donations can be made to a specific walk recipient organization, as well. It’s easy to do on the Walk for Good Food website.
Those who would rather send a check can send one to Access of West Michigan, 1700 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508.
Our Kitchen Table 