We ship seeds for various vegetables and school supplies to our partners who live in the United States and abroad. These are some of the places to which we sent seeds:
1998... A newspaper article on the plight of post war Bosnians caught my eye…it caught my interest because, as lifelong gardener, it mentioned dhow the Bosnians used to eat from their gardens before the war. Something said to me: "why not get them seeds?"
So, began the journey of The Seed Lady... and the creation of Seeds for Peace.
The help of many groups, local Rotarians, churches and schools... family and friends all contributed to the present day nonprofit Seeds for Peace Int'l, Inc.
My two kids, born in 1996 and 1998, have lived their lives with seeds in the living room, as this is entirely a "kitchen table project". There are no offices or staff. The work is 100% volunteer, with founder Sue doing much of the work.
Our seeds are donated from Lake Valley Seed, in Colorado, and Berlin Seeds, in Ohio. Each year they generously donate tens of thousands of seed packs. The seeds then need to be sorted, stored and eventually packed into boxes for our friends in East Africa, Texas, etc. etc. Administrative assistants, Theodore and Chester, oversee the packing process.
How do we find our partners? They often find us. Word of mouth, newspaper and magazine articles, and yes, social media, are ways impoverished gardeners, farmers, refugees, and others find us. The need is immense, especially in Africa.