NOVEMBER 1, 2024 FOOD JUSTICE GROUNDCOVER NEWS 5 Find the Ypsi Vegan Food Distro outside of 169 N Washington St. on Monday evenings. Freegan Vegan: local food justice activists help two causes at once In the front yard of Hospitality House on North Washington St. in Ypsilanti there is a table, a rack and a sign that says “food only.” On the table and rack is a constant cornucopia of donated foods ranging from fresh produce to milk and eggs to boxed and canned foods. Recently a group of local food justice activists began adding prepared vegan dishes to the fare found on Monday evenings. Some of the food is prepared by a person who goes by Shanky who is a food justice activist and gardener. I asked Shanky how the vegan food distro got started. “[Some friends and fellow vegans] met up at the library and threw around some ideas. Then we thought, let’s drive around and find people on the street. Let’s just start making meals. "That week FedUp was closed, someone asked if we could do a small distribution; so we came up with 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Cliff Bars and juice boxes." FedUp Ministries serves meals to the street community. “Then we got permission to do it in front of Hospitality House. We put out flyers to the farmers market asking for leftover produce. A few other community members donated as well. We had a decent amount of produce to get out. We did some cooking and baking and threw it all together, then handed it out in mismatched containers.” Shanky is an Ypsilanti local who has been on nonprofit boards and helps run several community gardens while teaching people how to grow. She began baking vegan and gluten-free items for her friends with food allergies. On-again-off-again vegetarian, she does eat eggs and uses them in her baking. She also makes her own oat milk but does not JIM CLARK Groundcover vendor No. 139 eat honey. Shanky said, “Honey bees are an invasive, non-native that kills other bees by dominating the food sources.” Instead of honey, Shanky recommended, “Use maple syrup. It works just as well.” Every Monday offers a chance to see different activists staffing the vegan food distro table. One person, who goes by Cinder, is also a food justice advocate and vegan. Cinder said, “I have been vegan for ten years now and in that time I haven't done as much activism as I would have liked. I have mostly volunteered at events and worked to share my ideas one-on-one. I have always done volunteering in one way or another, so that aspect has been a part of my life since early childhood. I was keeping my eye out for local opportunities to help the disenfranchised members of our community without compromising my beliefs. I saw a call for volunteers on a local Facebook group and got in contact with the group from there.” The group was the vegan food distribution team. Cinder went on to explain the program. “The food distribution we are doing has a focus on offering a hot vegan meal each week … We also offer ready-to-eat options, produce, baked goods, and hygiene products as they become available. The whole program right now is being run by volunteers and a small pool of weekly donations. We are, of course, trying to expand that donation pool. Anyone who wants to reach out about donating food, drinks, or any other vegan products for distribution can reach out in person or via our Facebook page: Vegan Food Distro Ypsilanti.” I asked Cinder what they thought of the relationship between food justice versus housing rights. She answered, “On one level, offering a delicious hot meal of any kind is a step in the right direction. We need to make sure everyone knows where their next meal is coming from as a start. On the level of why vegan specifically, there are a few notes to consider. Firstly, most vegan food lasts longer without refrigeration than traditional options. Secondly, the meals lean heavily on vegetables. The health and energy benefits to whole foods are undeniable. Regular consumption of whole foods is associated with fewer hospital stays, lower risk of cardiac disease and a diminished number of overall health problems. Helping unhoused folks stay as healthy as possible means helping alleviate the potential of large medical expenses over time. We try to offer a variety of fresh produce every week to the same end. Lastly, the environmental, nutritional and community benefits of veganism are truly impossible to ignore. We can help those in our community without adding to the existing issues associated with animal agriculture. So why wouldn't we? Whether homeless or struggling, everyone deserves to eat healthy, delicious food.”
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