GivingTuesday is upon us. Also known as the “Opening day of the giving season” it is a global movement for giving and volunteering which occurs as soon as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have concluded. It is a time when charitable organizations, the business community, and individuals come together in support of worthy causes.
One cause that has made headlines across Canada is the call to eradicate food insecurity, an issue that has grown significantly throughout the pandemic and subsequent recession. For this reason we encourage businesses and households alike to recognize GivingTuesday by giving to support Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundations’ programs. Here’s why.
Proven Track Record in the Fight Against Food Insecurity
You want to know that your GivingTuesday donation lands in good hands. Find peace of mind that it does by referencing current facts and figures from the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation.
106,000 Children and Counting!
At press time, the Foundation has provided invaluable learning experiences for more than 106,000 children across Canada. This has been accomplished through the following programs:
- Plant a Seed – Read! (storytime activity) – 158% increase in the number of Canadian libraries participating in 2019 and almost 1,000 participants
- Seeds of Inspiration (classroom resource kit for primary grades) – kits distributed to over 1,600 schools/100,000 primary grade students across Canada
27 School and Community Garden Projects Funded
The Foundation has also funded over two-dozen active school and community gardens in BC, Ontario, and Quebec.
Two School Breakfast Programs Supported
Through $1,000 grants the Foundation supports two ongoing school breakfast programs, including the Breakfast Club of Canada (a national program) and the Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund (via an Adopt a School initiative in BC).
Two Seed Preservation Programs Supported
For over 3 years the Foundation has provided annual support to two ongoing seed preservation programs. The Seeds of Diversity, a national organization based in Waterloo ON, and the UBC Botanical Garden’s Friends of the Garden seed collectors group based in Vancouver BC.
Five Educational Bursaries Established
Through $1,000 education bursaries the Foundation has support 11 students (rising stars!) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Thompson Rivers University (TRU), Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine, and THE Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) and we’ll continue to do so in 2021. Below is a breakdown of the programs the Foundation supports:
- KPU – student in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture program (ongoing)
- UBC – student in the Bachelor of Applied Biology, Food and the Environment program (ongoing)
- TRU – student in horticulture program (one-time)
- Boucher – student in naturopathic medicine program (ongoing)
- CCNM – student in naturopathic medicine program (ongoing)
Other Facts and Figures You Need to Know About
Natural health product (NHP) retailers across support Plant a Seed & See What Grows! This occurs through a variety of retailer-led events such as seed pack and reusable bag sales, customer “Ask Days”, and preschool visits. These retailers also show their support by committing to annual donations which contribute to local school garden projects. They also help us introduce the Plant a Seed – Read! program to their community libraries or Seeds of Inspiration to their local schools.
- 300+ retailers have Plant a Seed & See What Grows posters in their store
- 12 retailers have provided a single donation
- 15 retailers are recurring donors
- 26 retailers are Friends of the Foundation
You’ll also be pleased to know that the Foundation’s primary benefactor is Natural Factors, one of the largest manufacturers of nutritional products in North America.
With schools, retailers, and NHP manufacturers pledging to work with us you’ll find peace of mind that Plant a Seed & See What Grows is the perfect partner in your own mission to fight food insecurity in Canada this GivingTuesday, and beyond.
Plus, when you donate, Natural Factors (our lead corporate sponsor) will match your gift! This means the Foundation gets twice the funds and it will all go to support school garden projects, Seeds of Inspiration, Plant a Seed – Read! programs and more.
*You’ll receive an official tax receipt for 100% of your donation.
You can make your donation here, and feel free to share your support of our worthy causes on social media by tagging @SeeWhatGrows using the #GivingTuesday hashtag to spread the word!
*Established in 2014 and registered as a Canadian charity in 2015, Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation’s financial information is available on the Canada Revenue Agency website: list of charities. Registered Charity Number: 806222832 RR 0001
