Mission, Vision & Values

Our Mission

Growing Hope fosters an equitable and sustainable local food system where all people are empowered to grow, sell, buy, prepare, and eat nourishing food.

Our Vision

Ypsilanti is a community where all people–particularly those with barriers due to race, class, culture, language, ability, and mobility–have access to nourishing local food that is culturally appropriate and affordable, can grow and prepare their own harvests, and may earn a living as a food grower, producer, or entrepreneur.

Our Values

Transformation

We maintain fierce hope that social justice and environmental sustainability is possible throughout the world and in our own communities.

We are inspired every day to do the hard work of transforming food systems and improving the health of our community.

We view education and skill building as tools toward greater opportunity and freedom against systemic racism and other forms of oppression.

We aim to support and create resiliency in people, ecosystems, neighborhoods and communities.

We leverage our resources and privilege to support and ally those most marginalized by the food system to grow leaders in the food justice movement.

Learning

We are committed to creating spaces and opportunities for all people to share resources, learn, grow, and have fun.

We empower people with the support, resources, and knowledge to grow and prepare their own food, and have a role in the emerging local food system.

Through research and learned experiences, we strive to become experts in our field so we may contribute to and access the growing body of knowledge and best practices in our work.

We seek partnerships that leverage each others’ experiences, ways of knowing, and networks so that we may grow and learn from one another.

Justice & Equity

We work toward greater equity to ensure people are not only food secure but can participate in a more just food system.

The spaces where we do our work are inclusive of all people; we do not tolerate racism and other forms of oppression in our work or program spaces.

We believe the people in our community have agency when it comes to deciding what they need to live healthier lives.

We commit to examining our own biases and privileges as we develop our policies, partnerships and programs.

We strive to dismantle systems of racism and oppressive power in the food system by ensuring fresh, affordable food is distributed and assessed fairly.

Integrity

We commit to creating an honest, constructive, and compassionate culture within our work spaces and in our interactions with our community.

We strive for operational excellence in how we plan and accomplish our work and communicate with partners, supporters, and program participants.

We are accountable for how our work affects the community; we listen to and seek out diverse perspectives for feedback.

We accept funds that support our mission and are transparent to donors and other stakeholders about how our funds are spent.

We celebrate our accomplishments, and hold space for honest reflection and feedback on challenges and lessons learned so we may improve for next time.

Placemaking

We aim to create welcoming and inclusive spaces that are explicitly anti-racist and support diverse people and ideas.

Our work to support and enhance gardens, local farms, and farmers markets is central to who we are.

We bring joy and beauty to our community by creating opportunities for sharing and celebrating food.

We commit to being good stewards of the earth, which includes our own cities and neighborhoods.

We create spaces that are physically safe and free of environmental contaminants detrimental to the health of humans, wildlife, and plants.

Solidarity Statement

As an organization advancing food sovereignty, we explicitly acknowledge the inherent violence and displacement the food system has on Indigenous Nations and Communities of Color. Our approach to our work is foundationally centered on disrupting these systems and repairing harm.

Fundraising Values

Food Justice is Our Engine [Justice & Equity]
We are unwaveringly rooted in food justice and sovereignty. We encourage conversation and always listen to ensure our values align.

Sharing Resources Shares Power [Transformation]
We leverage our resources and privilege to support and ally those most marginalized by an unjust food system to grow leaders in the food justice movement. We only raise money for general funding to place mission and budget decisions in the hands of the organization and organizational leaders and share power with the community. Additionally, this allows us to respond to the unique circumstances of any given year.

All Gifts Are Welcome [Placemaking]
Folks who share wealth are a part of our community, doing the work of creating a more equitable food system alongside us, “we” are in this together. To that aim, we intentionally create a fundraising practice that welcomes, celebrates, and invites gifts of any variety or size. Likewise, we celebrate gifts every gift, be it money, time, resources, or ideas, and invite donors to give at their level of comfort.

Compassion and Honesty Fuel Systemic Change [Integrity]
We are clear in our intentions and ask for consent before moving forward with a conversation about sharing wealth. A donor will never be surprised by a financial ask. We accept funds that support our mission and are transparent to stakeholders about how our funds are spent.

As We Learn, Our Practices Will Evolve [Learning]
Our approach to fundraising through our values will change and grow as we learn more about our community, our practice, and the changing needs of our mission.