SEEDS Garage Sales Store-1 Browning Ave. Toronto, M4K 1V6.(Phone)647 444-5534. The organization Socio-Economic and Environmental Development Solutions (SEEDS), a registered Canadian Charity based in Toronto, Canada is seeking your help in collecting non-GMO vegetable seeds and or seed catalogs for distribution and planting in Zambia, Africa. Are you familiar with the saying - “Giv
e a man a fish he’ll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he’ll never go hungry?” If so, then please help us send seeds so people can help themselves. Let me explain what we do at SEEDS...
SEEDS Garage Sales store collects gently used items from our community and sells them.
96% of the money collected goes to support the charity. We work in Mongu, Kalabo, Kaoma, and Sioma in Western Province Zambia and Katete and Chipata in Eastern Province. These areas have very little commerce and lack viable seed varieties to sustain the population. In these parts of Zambia, 85% of the population lives in poverty, the highest levels in the country. To help alleviate some of the food insecurity in the area due to these high levels of poverty, we collect non-GMO vegetable seeds in Toronto Canada, from student volunteers at Bendale B.T.I, an organic grocery store - The Big Carrot, and others. The seeds are then dried, packaged and sent to the Silozi Seed Bank in Western Province and the Ngoni Seed Bank in Chipata, where they are distributed to locals for planting. In exchange, these local partners gather fallen tree seeds for the tree and fruit tree nursery’s that are budding enterprises. These trees are then planted in communities by our local staff and through our voluntourism tree planting initiative. Surplus seedlings are also sold for a nominal fee to help support project activities and to help protect endangered Elephants. Thanks to the generous donations of our partners and volunteers, since 2013, we have, so far collected, dried, packaged and sent over 5.7 million seeds and handed out seeds to over 500 families to 6 locations in Zambia. By recycling seeds that would have otherwise been thrown out or composted, we are implementing a self-sufficient seed bank & tree nursery that provides relevant training for year round agriculture; improves the genetic diversity of local gardens, farms and kitchens and builds resilient healthy food systems and people. We believe that providing villagers with new varieties of vegetable seed, helps them earn more income and reduce food scarcity in their villages, lessening the need to poach animals and decreases the number of human elephant interactions and conflict. Further, the trees we grow and plant help to reforest communities, provide shade, are a source of food, fuel, fertilizer, and assist with controlling the erosion of the soil. Come & have a look in our store at 1 Browning Ave., Toronto, M4K 1V7 or check out our web site or pages. Joanne Hutchinson
Founder & President
Socio-Economic And Environmental Development Solutions(SEEDS)
[email protected]
www.sendseedstoafrica.org
https://www.facebook.com/Siloziseedbanktreesforelephants
https://www.facebook.com/sendseedstoafrica
https://www.facebook.com/seedschipata
http://sendseedstoafrica.org/seeds-video-gallery/
SEEDS Garage Sales Store, 1 Browning Ave. Tor., On., M4K 1V6, (P) 647 444-5534.
