Earlier this month, regular host Bella Isaacs met up with the executive and assistant directors of Growing Hope, Cynthia VanRenterghem and Erica Bloom. Their nonprofit focus on four interconnected areas of the local food system in Ypsilanti: farms and gardens, youth and schools, farmers markets, and food entrepreneurship. The three talk about the roots of Growing Hope (get it), how this organization seeks to empower food producers and consumers in Ypsilanti, and how you can get involved.
Established in 2009, the Detroit Food Policy Council is a 21-member “education, advocacy, and policy organization” and advisory body to the Detroit City Council. It’s primary mission is to ensure “the development and maintenance of a sustainable and equitable food system” in order to create a “food-secure City of Detroit.” Unlike food policy councils in other cities, which are typically arms of the local government, Detroit’s is a nonprofit that was born out of community activism and organization spearheaded by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.
