Eastpointe groups foster sense of community – Macomb Daily

In these communication times, where texting and video chats have become more common than face-to-face chat, two Eastpointe groups encourage old-school human interaction.

The Residents’ Breakfast Chat, held on the fourth Saturday of the month at Donna’s Family Dining on Kelly Road, and the Chats in the Community Garden, held every other week at the Urban Seed Community Garden on Nine Mile Road, offer people a chance. Meet in a comfortable environment and talk about almost anything.

“Having face-to-face interaction is so important,” said Tim Kniaz, one of the hosts of Community Garden Conversations. “Sometimes it is really difficult to hear the tone of voice when texting and some things can be misunderstood or misinterpreted.

“We wanted to give people the opportunity to come together in person and talk about things that are meaningful to them.”

Meetings begin at 10:30 every Sunday morning and are held around the fire pit. There is no set end time and people come and go as the conversation moves from one topic to the next.

The meetings started last year and have been well received, Kniaz said.

“I think sometimes people want to get involved in their community, they want to meet other people who share the same interests, but they don’t know how to do that,” Kniaz said. “These meetings are a great way to make new friends and share ideas.”

On a September Sunday morning, John Hofmann discusses the 2024 harvest at his community garden and how it is being distributed to the community. Kniaz talks about plans for a Halloween event in partnership between Eastpointe Free Store and Urban Seed.

People are starting to come up with ideas for the event, from pumpkin painting to cider and donuts, and everyone seems eager to help.