Comments on: Community Efforts Aim to Improve Access to Healthy Foods in Ypsilanti http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/ Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:05:32 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: single moms housing http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-147 single moms housing Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:00:51 +0000 http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-147 <strong>single moms housing</strong> single moms housing single moms housing

single moms housing

]]> By: Achieve Leadership http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-111 Achieve Leadership Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:40:17 +0000 http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-111 <strong>Achieve Leadership</strong> Achieve Leadership Achieve Leadership

Achieve Leadership

]]> By: turtlebella http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-20 turtlebella Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:51:55 +0000 http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-20 Farmer's market here is downtown. Which I think helps a bit. But I think the problem is relatively high prices or the PERCEPTION of high prices. There is, however, a farm in the city program that has been very successful with the Hmong immigrant community. Growing their own food is a very recent memory for this group, in that the immigrants or recent ancestors actually farmed... and my neighbors raise their own pigeons for food. Talk about local. Farmer’s market here is downtown. Which I think helps a bit. But I think the problem is relatively high prices or the PERCEPTION of high prices.

There is, however, a farm in the city program that has been very successful with the Hmong immigrant community. Growing their own food is a very recent memory for this group, in that the immigrants or recent ancestors actually farmed… and my neighbors raise their own pigeons for food. Talk about local.

]]> By: mselizabethann http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-19 mselizabethann Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:25:37 +0000 http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-19 yeah, figuring out ways to make farmers' markets and sustainable food systems accessible economically, physically, culturally to everyone is an important/interesting issue on many levels. i think our farmers' market is only the 3rd in the state to take EBT at market. isn't that amazing? in a state with so many working class neighborhoods only 3 markets take food stamps. is your farmers' market in a pretty upper class neighborhood or businesses district? i've read about some CSA programs that let members with more money put down extra to go into a fund for offering memberships to lower income people for reduced cost. seems like a good way to use class privilege (not necessarily to address root causes of poverty but to promote some degree of equal access to healthy food systems) and could be used (if there are member events) to further cross class communication and community. yeah, figuring out ways to make farmers’ markets and sustainable food systems accessible economically, physically, culturally to everyone is an important/interesting issue on many levels. i think our farmers’ market is only the 3rd in the state to take EBT at market. isn’t that amazing? in a state with so many working class neighborhoods only 3 markets take food stamps.

is your farmers’ market in a pretty upper class neighborhood or businesses district?

i’ve read about some CSA programs that let members with more money put down extra to go into a fund for offering memberships to lower income people for reduced cost. seems like a good way to use class privilege (not necessarily to address root causes of poverty but to promote some degree of equal access to healthy food systems) and could be used (if there are member events) to further cross class communication and community.

]]> By: turtlebella http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-18 turtlebella Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:31:45 +0000 http://mselizabethann.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/community-efforts-aim-to-improve-access-to-healthy-foods-in-ypsilanti/#comment-18 This is really interesting. I've been thinking a lot lately about this kind of stuff. Cos it's where my interest in community activism, addressing racial inequality, environmentalism, racism (including environmental racism), supporting truly local farmers (i.e., not the massive agro-corporations that completely dominate our food supply) all intersect. And I live in an urban food desert. Although we he do have several Mexican/Salvadorean food markets and one large market, the availability of fresh (not to mention local or you know, stuff without masses amounts of pesticides) fruit and vegetables is rather negligible. Especially compared to when I go into one of these massive suburban supermarkets, which frankly just scare the crap out of me (but that's another story). But then there is the whole aspect of racism that is inherent in the idea that mothers (of color and/or poor) don't feed their children "right" - the whole 'bad mother' thing that someone- belledame? sylvia? damn, can't remember, brought up in a post a coupla weeks ago. The farmer's market in my urban center is big and actually within walking distance. But while many of the growers are people of color (predominately Hmong-Americans), as I look around the buyers are predominately white. The community supported agriculture CSA community (for lack of a better word) here is really active here. And I think it's been a pretty successful model for supporting local produce, local farmers. And for creating accountable, sustainable models of food production outside of a system that is so bloated and unaccountable that you get kids across the country dying from <i>E. coli</i> outbreaks, stemming from "organic" spinach. But it can only go so far as it is an almost 100% white, upper middle class movement. Mostly due to the fact that you have to shell out mega-bucks at the beginning of the growing season. And I always think this is pretty ironic. Cos really these upper middle class people, they are eating pretty healthy all ready, what with their access to co-ops and whole foods! So there's clearly a problem here that needs to be addressed. A couple of cities (Seattle I think being the most prominent) have been successful in starting programs at farmer's markets for low income seniors. And I think NYC and maybe Chicago have a program where local income families can get loans (for lack of a better word) for buying into a CSA farm. So I'm glad to hear about this stuff happening in Ypsilanti, smaller community than you know NYC! And I'm going to check out this Body and Soul thing... I gotta get involved in this kind of thing locally. Stop just thinking about it, and actually get off my ass and DO something! This is really interesting. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this kind of stuff. Cos it’s where my interest in community activism, addressing racial inequality, environmentalism, racism (including environmental racism), supporting truly local farmers (i.e., not the massive agro-corporations that completely dominate our food supply) all intersect. And I live in an urban food desert. Although we he do have several Mexican/Salvadorean food markets and one large market, the availability of fresh (not to mention local or you know, stuff without masses amounts of pesticides) fruit and vegetables is rather negligible. Especially compared to when I go into one of these massive suburban supermarkets, which frankly just scare the crap out of me (but that’s another story). But then there is the whole aspect of racism that is inherent in the idea that mothers (of color and/or poor) don’t feed their children “right” – the whole ‘bad mother’ thing that someone- belledame? sylvia? damn, can’t remember, brought up in a post a coupla weeks ago.

The farmer’s market in my urban center is big and actually within walking distance. But while many of the growers are people of color (predominately Hmong-Americans), as I look around the buyers are predominately white. The community supported agriculture CSA community (for lack of a better word) here is really active here. And I think it’s been a pretty successful model for supporting local produce, local farmers. And for creating accountable, sustainable models of food production outside of a system that is so bloated and unaccountable that you get kids across the country dying from E. coli outbreaks, stemming from “organic” spinach. But it can only go so far as it is an almost 100% white, upper middle class movement. Mostly due to the fact that you have to shell out mega-bucks at the beginning of the growing season. And I always think this is pretty ironic. Cos really these upper middle class people, they are eating pretty healthy all ready, what with their access to co-ops and whole foods!

So there’s clearly a problem here that needs to be addressed. A couple of cities (Seattle I think being the most prominent) have been successful in starting programs at farmer’s markets for low income seniors. And I think NYC and maybe Chicago have a program where local income families can get loans (for lack of a better word) for buying into a CSA farm. So I’m glad to hear about this stuff happening in Ypsilanti, smaller community than you know NYC! And I’m going to check out this Body and Soul thing…

I gotta get involved in this kind of thing locally. Stop just thinking about it, and actually get off my ass and DO something!

]]>