02/28/2023
We changed the seed shipping option this year. Learn why:
Prior to the pandemic, we had never offered a shipping option because our goal was to increase food sovereignty and food access by distributing directly to our target local Cascadia groups-historically underserved folks including low-income, BIPOC, q***r, elders, etc. During that time we distributed mostly through drops at local schools, food banks, and community gardens but also a few annual events that had a high population of folks who needed seed the most. When in-person events were closed in 2020, we wanted to offer a shipping method due to the COVID pandemic, but we had no way to pay for postage. We asked low-income households to cover the actual cost of postage $5, and a $30+ donation to those who could afford to contribute more--and if someone could not afford the $5, they could request seed and we'd use some of the extra donations to cover their postage. Shipping did add around 100 hours of volunteer time, but more concerning was that a significantly high number of seed requests did not include a donation to cover postage and that many of the requests without $5 shipping donation seemed to come from historically high-income neighborhoods or out of state. While we do want everyone to grow some of their own food, it was disheartening to think of the huge amount of time and resources we spend a year on this project, not to have the seeds land with the folks who need them the most.
So this year we are mostly returning to our usual means of distribution, a few events and 5-7 local sites where folks can pick up free seed. We recognize that there are limitations and drawbacks to this strategy, but it's the best one we could come up with this year to address our concerns. We would LOVE volunteer help with this project and will ask volunteers for ideas on other distribution strategies for next year.
For those who are curious, here is an overview of our annual expense outline:
$500 Shipping cost to 100 households
$1500 seed envelopes, labels, printing, and shipping materials
$1200 growing supplies
$3000 food and lodging costs for temp volunteers during growing season. All labor is volunteer, our farm residents typically host 3-5 short term volunteers March-Oct and we pay this amount out of pocket to cover the cost of hosting them in exchange for their help with seed production.
Total Annual cost-$6200
Our seed distro now has 501c3 status, so all donations are tax-deductible!
After several years of limitations due to the pandemic, we are thrilled to be able to return to our primary means of distributing our free seeds---through local events and organizations.
