Council Members

Isabela joined the council because she believes that food develops culture, helps us grow, strengthens relationships. She says, “food is an art and an expression; food is joy, food is love.” She wants to address the racism and accessibility problems in the food system.

Favorite food? “Nothing hits quite like the homemade frijoles in a fresh tortilla or a pork filled tamale that my abuela used to make for us when we were kids,” she says. “But you can’t go wrong with a bowl of fruit and a glass of iced tea.”

Sarah joined the council because she wants our community to have greater ease and access around the ability to grow our own food.

Her favorite foods are almost any kind of roasted veggie, like brussels sprouts and butternut squash.

"I am grateful for the opportunity and privilege to join the Kent County Food Policy Council," he says. "I hope to use my skill set to collaborate with other council members to help improve the health of the community through nourishment, education and wellness."

Kevin's favorite food is .... anything his wife makes.

Camren joined the council because he believes that food as medicine has no future without accessibility for all communities. "We intend to break that barrier," he says.

Pozole and fresh tortillas are Camren's favorite foods.

She joined the council to make changes that improve access and affordability to good food.

Patricia loves apples!

Gricelda believes that food is meant to be enjoyed, savored, and can create memories for anyone who is preparing and eating it.
She says, "Whether it was my dad cooking or my mom, we looked forward to sitting down and enjoying a fresh meal (as a kid). If you ever visited my parent's home, you would be sure to go home with a bag of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, or zucchinis. They didn't have chickens in their back yard because it wasn't allowed, otherwise, they would be raising their own chickens as well. Thanks to my parents I now have a small garden with tomatoes, zucchinis, and cucumbers at my own home. I love spending time with my kids watering the vegetable plants. This is something I believe every family should have access to. It's all about having access to fresh vegetables and creating memories while enjoying them."

If she had to pick one food, mole is something that brings her joy. "This is a very labor-intensive sauce with chicken that my Dad was the best making," she says. "Just don't ask me to make it!"

Lindo Mexico Restaurante Mexicano

She says: "I volunteered for this role because I want to see more equity in food distribution in the county and I especially want to work toward the elimination of food deserts."

Anne has a special appreciation for eggs.

Carola is the FitKids360 Program Supervisor at Health Net of West Michigan. She joined the Kent County Food Policy Council because she would like to bring all of the players in the food system together.

"Peruvian food brings me so much joy," she says. "I'm willing to drive to Chicago just to eat."

Bree joined the KCFPC to participate in an opportunity to listen and act on solutions alongside neighbors that want equitable opportunities for advancing their health and well-being. She says, "I would like to see culturally relevant nutrition marketing that promotes healthier food and beverage options."

A sweet potato/black bean burger with avocado on top or a toasted bagel with butter coupled with dark hot chocolate are some foods that bring Bree joy!

Julie believes that through working together, we can help local food systems empower individuals to grow healthy food for themselves and their neighbors. "I believe change can start with a bit of knowledge and a small seed in the hands of a child," she says.

Julie's favorite food is heirloom tomatoes, straight from the vine. "My advice," she says, "always bring the salt shaker with you to the garden."

Samika would like to see equality in our community around food.
"So many families are in a state of turmoil due to the lack of quality healthy foods," she says. "Now with the pandemic, it's an even harder task to acquire healthy food. I want to assist with mapping and publicizing local food resources, getting government officials to buy locally and support community members."

Her favorite food is pizza, no particular kind, just pizza.

Sarah joined the council because she believes community work is ceremony. "We are the seed keepers for the next generations to come," she says.

Her favorite foods are moose roast and squash.

She loves to grow, bake, cook, preserve, and eat all sorts of foods. "My love of all things food started when I was a youngster helping my parents and grandparents with our big garden and has continued throughout my life as I’ve tried new foods and grown my own garden," she says. "I look forward to joining our community in celebrating, growing, embracing, and eating all foods with the Kent County Food Policy Council."

Her list of favorite foods include: baked brie with raspberry jam, warm and earthy chili on a cold day, mushroom melts on fresh bread, homemade salsa, and fall harvest salad.

When it comes to the change needed in our food system, Crystal would like to see more diversity in leadership. She says, "Representation is key to building awareness around food issues."

Her favorite food is tacos.

Denny joined the council because he believes our land base is the foundation of the food we eat. "I'm a farmer, I've been one my entire life," he says. "We have visitors from all over the world and we realize how fortunate, how lucky we are to have the food sources we have. No land base means no food."

Denny's favorite food is beef.

Teresa joined the KCFPC to ensure the voices of farmworkers are around the table where policies are formed.

Her favorite food is the Torta de Barbacoa sandwich.

(Teresa, right, alongside with violence survivor-turned-food entrepreneur L. Mendez, left)

Wende is the Director of the Essential Needs Task Force, which also houses the Food and Nutrition Coalition.

More to come for Wende!

Janelle has been involved with the food policy council formation team since 2018 when she moved here from Ontario, Canada. She started as a volunteer and the moved into a staff role in late 2020. She is particularly excited about how groups can come together to influence change and believes in the power of food to bring us together. She loves gardening and is on a mission to make as much of her yard edible as possible.

Her favorite foods are whipped cream and kale salad.

Emily is excited to work with the KCFPC because she loves our local food system and want her neighbors, friends, and colleagues to be aware of and able to access all it has to offer. “I want to support and strengthen it so that my community is more self-reliant and less dependent on big corporations and charity to meet our food needs,” she says. “For me professionally, that means conducting research to help the KCFPC understand the community’s experiences with the local food system. For me personally, that means learning to garden and preserve my own food and sharing my knowledge (and food) with friends and family.”

For her birthday, Emily’s mom makes her a lemon cake with lemon icing, lemon curd between the layers, and toasted coconut covering the exterior. And when she’s sick, she makes me matzo ball soup. She loves sweet things and trying anything new.