Exploring Life & Business with Lindsay Calka of Groundcover News

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Calka

Hi Lindsay, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Groundcover News was founded in 2010 by Susan Beckett. We are a community street newspaper and there are many publications like Groundcover across the United States, and world. Beckett was visiting her daughter in Seattle, Washington, and came across a vendor for the street newspaper “Real Change.” When she returned to Ann Arbor, with help from the International Network of Street Papers, and a dedicated team of volunteers, Groundcover News was started in a church basement.

In 2010, there was a lot of panhandling in the City of Ann Arbor. Groundcover, for some, was an alternative: selling Groundcover is low-barrier, dignified work. It is still that — and more. In 2024, a variety of people sell and write our newspaper — not just people experiencing homelessness.

Groundcover News exists to: 1) provide economic opportunities for self-determined individuals impacted by poverty, 2) produce a street newspaper that gives a platform to underrepresented voices in Washtenaw County, and 3) promote an action to build a just, caring and inclusive society.

Groundcover News is a biweekly publication that is majority authored by people with lived experience. It is sold by about 40 vendors and each issue read by thousands of people.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
COVID-19 certainly introduced challenges for Groundcover News — as it did for many communities, businesses, and people. As a completely in-person operation, we had to greatly pivot our day-to-day work when the pandemic began. We considered: what will vendors lose when they can no longer sell the paper? And organized to meet those needs in other ways.

We sold online subscriptions and 100% of the payment went to individual vendors as cash stipends. We set everyone up with a cell phone and paired them with a “buddy” to check-in weekly, build relationships, and communicate important information about resources. We did food distribution by partnering with local food banks. We used funds to pay utility and rent bills to keep people housed.

This was a major struggle for our small nonprofit, but with an outpouring of donations and army of volunteer support, we made it through the period with no print sales.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
All Washtenaw County residents should buy and read Groundcover News! When you buy the paper, 100% of that money goes directly to the vendor. Groundcover News vendors buy the paper upfront and sell on the street for profit — working for themselves. Vendors can accept cash or cashless payment.

We are the only year-round print newspaper in Ann Arbor and Ypsi, and are proud to report on issues important to the homeless and low-income community.

Our paper has something in it for everyone! Puzzles, coupons, essays, poetry, news, and more.

Pricing:

• Groundcover News is only $2
• Some vendors also sell a magazine that is $15

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.groundcovernews.org
• Instagram: @groundcovernews
• Facebook: @groundcover