To say it’s been a challenging year may be the largest understatement ever made. But through it all we have seen a shining light pierce the veil of uncertainty to make all involved gleam with pride. That’s right, through the support of our partners and hardworking team behind the scenes our Foundation is happy to say that we’ve reach more than 115,000 students (and counting!) across Canada.
Below is a recap of what we have been able to accomplish in 2020 via the contributions made from organizations (households included!) like yours. In reading below you will find how your own donations can make a positive difference in the lives of children who need it most.
How the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation Was Able to Exceed Goals in 2020 and How You Can Help Us Do Even More in 2021
Seeds of Inspiration (SOI) and Plant a Seed – Read!
Plant a Seed’s goal at the start of 2020 was to push past the 94,000 students we had already reached through our educational programs including our Seeds of Inspiration (SOI) and Plant a Seed – Read! as well as funding school garden projects – and then the COVID pandemic changed life across Canada and around the world!
Through SOI and Plant a Seed – Read! we were able to accomplish the following despite the challenges we all faced:
- With SOI we reached over 116,000 primary grade students from more than 1,800 schools across Canada by December 2020.
- With Plant a Seed – Read! we reached out to more than 1,000 libraries across Canada.
School Garden Projects
While SOI and Plant a Seed – Read! plants the proverbial seed for outdoor learning there’s nothing quite like heading outside to get students’ shoes and fingers dirty in the soil!
We have been nurturing mindful children by providing funding to create interactive and fun ways to introduce healthy foods and deliver healthy lifestyle education to children and youth. This was accomplished via the development of school garden programs and other outdoor learning opportunities. Thoughout the year we continued to grow our school garden programs across the country, our list of school gardens supported now includes the following:
- Sutherland Secondary School, North Vancouver, BC – c/o Edible Garden Project
- Forest Grove, Burnaby, BC – c/o Sprouting Chefs
- Windsor, Burnaby, BC – c/o Sprouting Chefs
- Lochdale Elementary, Burnaby, BC – c/o Sprouting Chefs
- Roch Carrier, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Devonshire Community Public School, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Lisgar Collegiate, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Regina St. Alternate School, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Robert Hopkins Public School, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Chapman Mills Elementary, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Norman Johnston Alternate High School, Ottawa, ON – c/o Growing Up Organic
- Garden Love, InsideU Community Garden, ON
- Westmont, Victoria, BC
- St-Marguerite, Woodstock, ON
- Port Weller, St-Catharines, ON in partnership with The Peanut Mill Natural Foods Market, retailer
- Ecole Peter Greer, Lake County, BC
- Deer Lake School, Burnaby, BC [Independent]
- Surrey School District – Royal Heights Elementary, BC
- Surrey Schools District – Fleetwood Park Elementary, BC
- Surrey School District – East Kensington Elementary, BC
- Surrey Schools District – Ecole Woodward Hill Elementary, BC in partnership with Organic Grocer, retailer
- Le Nichoir, Hudson, QC – Mount Pleasant Elementary School, Hudson, QC
- Le Nichoir, Hudson, QC – Forest Hill Senior Elementary School, Saint-Lazare, QC
- Le Nichoir, Hudson, QC – Evergreen Elementary School – Daycare, Saint-Lazare, QC
- Encompass, Coquitlam, BC
- Intergenerational Garden, Maple Ridge, BC
- Roy Stibbs, Coquitlam, BC
- Ecole Peter Greer (Part 2), Lake County, BC
- Gordon Neighbourhood House in partnership with Garden Health, retailer
How have these programs been received? Here is just one expression of appreciation for the Foundation’s work:
“I would recommend this program to other teachers. I like that it is place based education and a provocation for inquiry […] You could tell a lot of thought went into the nature journal design and lessons […] Thank you for the opportunity to use your program and thank you for making it free of charge.” – AT, Teacher, Parkside Centennial Elementary, BC
At Home Activities Too
In 2020 many households had either chosen or were required to have their kids learn from home. Understanding this challenge, our Foundation made available a number of outdoor learning resources that could be employed at home in their own yards and gardens.
Plant a Seed’s series of At-Home Activities are posted on our website’s Kids Corner. They include the following discovery activities (available in English and French):
- Backyard Garden Observation
- Where did Dinner Come From?
- Discover Plant Parts
- Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt
- Harvest: Seed Saving Time
These new downloadable resources are available for teachers too. Watch for new activities coming soon. They will be used to support e-learning at home and in the classroom in 2021 and beyond!
What You Can Do to Help
Give Generously. Give Today. Give Monthly!
None of the above could have been accomplished without the support of philanthropic organizations and households throughout the country. With your help Plant a Seed can continue to fund school garden projects, Seeds of Inspiration, Plant a Seed – Read! programs and more! It doesn’t hurt that in addition to that great feeling you get from giving you’ll receive an official tax receipt for 100% of your donation.
