Eastpointe

Fundraiser a success, market will open in May

By Sara Kandel
C & G Staff Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Sara Kandel From left, John Hoffman, owner of All About Health; Mayor Suzanne Pixley; Michelle Liss, owner of J Cola Hair Salon; and Councilman Ron Laforest take a break from hawking raffle tickets to pose by one of the silent auction tables at the Eastpointe Enhancement Commission fundraiser. Photo by Sara Kandel From left, John Hoffman, owner of All About Health; Mayor Suzanne Pixley; Michelle Liss, owner of J Cola Hair Salon; and Councilman Ron Laforest take a break from hawking raffle tickets to pose by one of the silent auction tables at the Eastpointe Enhancement Commission fundraiser.

EASTPOINTE — After a successful fundraiser and lots of support from the community, the Eastpointe Enhancement Commission’s Eastpointe Farmers Market is almost ready to open.

“Our goal was to raise $1,000, and we did,” said Councilman and EEC member Ron Laforest.

The group raised a total of $1,100 at its Cloverleaf fundraiser on Feb. 28, but Laforest said the thing the group is most happy about was the turnout.

“The nicest part, though, was to see the unity in the community and all the support,” Laforest added.

“I just can’t believe how much the community and the surrounding communities have come out to support this. It started out with just a few of us; then one by one and two by two, people just kept coming on board. We’ve been getting a lot of support from city officials and local businesses, and our fundraiser was one of the busier fundraising events Cloverleaf has hosted,” said EEC Chair John Hoffman, who owns All About Health in Eastpointe.

“We’ve already raised enough money to start, but we’re discovering new costs along the way, so we will continue to fundraise, but we already have enough to get up and running.”

Opening for the first time from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, the market will feature 20 vendors with wares that range from produce to locally made products and flowers to alpaca yarn.

There are currently 15 vendors booked for opening day, and the group, run through the Eastpointe-Roseville Chamber of Commerce, is in the process of reviewing applications for the remaining five spots.

“We’re going to have a little bit of everything,” Hoffman said. “The only rule is everything has to be made or grown within 100 miles of Eastpointe.”

“We expect to have the place completely filled on opening day,” Laforest added.

In addition to the market, the EEC will be bringing as many as four urban gardens to the Eastpointe area this spring.

A couple of plots have already been chosen, but the group has not disclosed their locations yet. Hoffman did mention one location, though, that they are still in the process of pursuing.

“We are in talks with the Senior Housing Commission about putting a garden there,” he said. “The seniors there said they were interested in maintaining one, and we would really like to make that happen because it’s not just something they want to do: The food grown there could help them save money on groceries.”

He said the group is focused on bringing the things to Eastpointe that the residents really want, whether it be a farmers market, the urban gardens or festivals. They just want to enhance the Eastpointe community and make it a more desirable and active place to live and do business.

The EEC’s optimism and desire to better Eastpointe has spread throughout the city, picking up support from residents, businesses and city officials.

“The morale in the city has just been great,” Laforest said. “People really do want to make a difference, and people are what makes the EEC work. This could not have happened this quick without all these organizations and people coming together to make it happen.”

Past Mayor Harvey Curly is one of the people who has really stepped up in support of the cause. He was at the Cloverleaf fundraiser selling raffle tickets throughout the night.

“My heart is out there for the people that are out there trying to open businesses and make things happen,” Curly said. “We’ve got to be a family, that’s what I’ve always felt. We just have to be a family and be out there supporting each other to make this the community we know it can be.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Sara Kandel at skandel@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1030.