Growing Hope fosters an equitable & sustainable local food system where all people are empowered to grow, sell, buy, prepare and eat nourishing food.
The open-air Depot Town farmers market takes place every Saturday from May through October from 9am – 1pm.
Spring arrives with a quiet urgency. The thawing ground reminds us of the resilience of our land, of the ancestors who tilled it, and of the communities who still gather to nurture its abundance.
In 2003, Growing Hope became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on school garden development throughout Ypsilanti. Since then, we have expanded to strengthen and support the local food system throughout the community. In 2006, we started the downtown Ypsilanti Farmers Market and began managing the Depot Town Farmers Market in 2013. In 2008, we established the Growing Hope Center and Urban Farm where people of all ages learn to grow their own food. The Ypsilanti Farmers Marketplace and Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen were completed in 2018 to better support local farmers and food entrepreneurs. In 2020, we adapted to community needs as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic by opening the Ypsi Area Online Market, a year-round online farmers market.