Motu Viget Spirits’ partners have had to modify their operations in the wake of COVID-19. Even with this unexpected hurdle, Motu Viget has been able to secure placements in over 260 locations to date. Moving forward, they hope to see more underrepresented businesses appear at local restaurants and on retail shelves.
Alita Kelly is passionate about food justice, education, and empowerment. Through her recently launched business, the South East Market, she is working to serve her community and improve people’s quality of life, as well as foster new dialogues about the food system.
Contact tracing is a crucial component in combating communicable diseases. Several local organizations have reached out to the Kent County Health Department to provide assistance with their recent contact tracing efforts.
The South Division corridor is a vibrant area made up of individuals and business owners with diverse backgrounds. The Division United project seeks to address community concerns and create a plan for improvement.
“You have to be able to take a step back and, at the core, understand what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to accomplish with your career,” says Laura Hopson, president and CEO of EM Services, LLC. She continuously strives to find opportunities for everyone to thrive, particularly fellow minority- and women-owned businesses. She shares details about her decision to relocate the multi-million dollar company to Grand Rapids and her insights on the importance of diversity within the supply chain.
For many, navigating the coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges, including increasing concerns around housing security. Nationwide, renters have raised complaints about discrimination within the housing sector. Local organizations are working to actively provide assistance to community members now and help improve housing equity in the future.
The city of Wyoming is diverse and growing, bringing together multi-generational residents as well as new additions to the community. In light of all of the recent happenings, it may be easy to forget that the census is still underway. The city of Wyoming is actively encouraging residents to participate and, in turn, positively impact their diverse and growing community.
All restaurants in Michigan will be allowed to reopen for dine-in as of June 8 per the MI Safe Start re-engagement plan. Linear Restaurant in the Monroe North neighborhood shares how they will create a new normal and with new safety measures throughout the dining experience.
With the 2020 census underway as of April 1, both the City of Grand Rapids and community organizations are actively working to engage with residents to dispel myths around the census and highlight the importance of completing it — even despite additional barriers brought on by COVID-19. Several local organizations are connecting with typically undercounted communities to help ensure more accurate representation this time around.
International Women’s Day is March 8, 2020, with a theme of Each for Equal. Several women-owned food businesses are coming together to celebrate, collaborate, and give back. Three of these entrepreneurs share their insights on why gender equality is important, how collaboration benefits everyone, and how businesses can help make change.
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