Aug 12, 2026
Shiloh Maples is an Anishinaabe seed-keeper, doctoral student, community organizer, educator, and host of the podcast series Spirit Plate. Originally from Jackson, Shiloh moved to Ypsilanti in 2007 to get her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Eastern Michigan University....
Aug 11, 2026
Alex Ball is a farmer, entrepreneur, and food accessibility activist at the state and federal levels. He has lived in Washtenaw County for the majority of his life, either in Ypsilanti or other nearby cities along the Huron River. Working as a vegetable farmer since...
Aug 11, 2026
Julius Buzzard is a father, husband, and the Executive Director of Growing Hope, an Ypsilanti-based nonprofit that empowers everyone to grow, sell, and prepare their own life-sustaining food. Julius is originally from Bay City, where he was raised by his mother and...
Aug 11, 2026
Phimmasone Kym Owens is the Founder and Executive Director of Refugee Garden Initiatives (RGI). She graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2023, earning a degree in General Studies. She will be pursuing her Master of Social Work degree from the...
Aug 11, 2026
Desiraé Simmons currently serves as the ward 3 representative of the Ypsilanti City Council and is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice. She attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts during high school and then...
