It's widely known that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables has many health benefits, including protecting against heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But we also know that availability of this produce varies by community. So, what do you do if the closest source of fresh produce is several miles away and you don't have a car, or your limited income allows for a grocery trip only once a month? Some residents of Ypsilanti face this dilemma every day and the community is working to make real changes.

Two initiatives, both connected with the Ypsilanti Health Coalition (YHC) and Washtenaw Steps Up, aim to increase Ypsilanti residents' access to produce and other healthy foods. These projects sprang from an eye-opening nutrition assessment conducted in 2005 by the YHC, which found most Ypsi food stores sold only alcohol and snack foods. Download nutrition assessment map

New Farmers' Market Downtown: Opened in Summer 2006, a new downtown farmers' market is a promising new addition to the Ypsilanti food. Each Tuesday, from May through October, over 20 vendors offered locally grown produce, prepared foods, and crafts to an enthusiastic group of shoppers from all over the city. Residents of Towne Center, a low income senior high-rise directly across from the market, were especially faithful shoppers. With almost 3,000 customer visits, the first season of the market had a very strong start!

This summer, lead agency Growing Hope will provide organizational leadership to this market initiative. The Ypsilanti Health Coalition is also devoting part of its 2006-2007 Washtenaw Steps Up funding to help make the market sustainable. Several YHC members are helping start a Community Advisory Board that will provide community input and support to both Ypsilanti Farmers' Market locations (Depot Town and downtown). 

Ypsilanti Healthy Food Access Initiative: The second project to address the lack of healthy foods in Ypsilanti is the Ypsilanti Healthy Food Access Initiative (YHFAI). This group conducted focus groups and a market analysis this fall to determine consumer demand for healthy foods. The YHFAI steering committee presented its results to the community at an open house in November, 2006. Their findings demonstrate clearly that people in Ypsilanti, particularly in the Southside area, are very aware of their lack of food choices, and strongly desire more sources for healthy food. The market study, however, found that the population size is probably too small to support a supermarket or large grocery store. The YHFAI steering committee recently decided to recommend recruiting a small grocery store to a downtown location; this recommendation will be shared with the community in a series of feedback sessions this winter.

For more information on these exciting community nutrition initiatives, please contact Jenna Bacolor at bacolorj@ewashtenaw.org or 734-544-2969.