Seeds of Change(R) Announces “Sowing Millions Project” — the Campaign to Inspire America to Grow Organic Food
Organic Seed & Food Company Teams With Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless and New York Restoration Project to Give Away 100 Million Seeds
Press Release Source: Seeds of Change On Wednesday March 30, 2011, 7:00 am EDT
RANCHO DOMINGUEZ, CA–(Marketwire – 03/30/11) – SEEDS OF CHANGE®, an organic food and seed company, announces the launch of the “Sowing Millions Project,” a campaign to give away 100 million certified organic seeds to individuals, community groups and non-profits who are passionate about growing fresh organic food. The effort is designed to inspire individuals and organizations to use organic gardening to make an impact in their communities.
“At Seeds of Change, we believe in fresh food’s ability to bring people together and grow communities,” said Tricia Lang, Seeds of Change brand manager. “Through the Sowing Millions Project, we aim to make a difference by helping people to know where their food comes from and how it is grown by giving people the tools to grow their own organic food from the seed, to the ingredients, to the plate.”
To kick off the campaign, the SEEDS OF CHANGE® brand is hosting a unique, hands-on educational event today in New York City at New York Restoration Project’s (NYRP) Rodale Pleasant Park Community Garden. NYRP is a non-profit organization dedicated to cleaning and greening New York City parks, community gardens and open space. Partnering with NYRP, celebrity chef and gardener Rick Bayless will help members of the East Harlem community garden plant seeds to start this year’s garden and share tips for how to harvest the produce to create simple, healthy, flavorful organic meals at home. Bayless will be joined by more than 25 local community members, who will help plant vegetable and herb seedlings and enjoy a special luncheon featuring exclusive SEEDS OF CHANGE® original recipes. Attendees also will receive a SEEDS OF CHANGE® Home Garden Starter Kit, food and chocolate products and simple tips and fun activities to inspire organic gardening and cooking.
“As a chef who believes in using fresh, organic produce whenever possible, I’m thrilled to be working with Seeds of Change to help ensure that all 100 million seeds are claimed by home gardeners and gardening groups,” said Bayless, award-winning chef-restaurateur and “Top Chef Masters” season one winner. “Using fresh, simple ingredients grown at home in your cooking is a great way for people to learn more about where their food comes from and how to enjoy cooking with the best food available.”
One of the first groups to receive seed packets is NYRP, who are dedicated to restoring and maintaining New York City parks and community gardens in under-resourced neighborhoods. Community gardens are an essential part of NYRP’s mission and work. The organization serves more than 1,000 community gardeners through their work in 55 community gardens citywide. Throughout the spring, summer and fall, NYRP presents local, community-inspired programming including garden workshops, lectures, community festivals and events. Seeds of Change is giving the organization 2.5 million seeds, which will supply seeds to all of NYRP’s community gardens — a total of 700 community gardens citywide — and provide seeds to 9,500 individuals throughout the city.
“New York Restoration Project is grateful for support from Seeds of Change, which will allow us to distribute seeds to our committed community gardeners in 55 gardens across New York City’s five boroughs,” said Amy Freitag, Executive Director, NYRP. “NYRP is excited to give our community gardeners easy access to organic seeds and produce with this generous donation from Seeds of Change.”
1% Fund Gives Way to Inspirational Stories
Seeds of Change proudly donates 1 percent of net sales to promote sustainable organic agriculture. As part of the “Sowing Millions Project,” the brand will be using monies from the fund to make grant donations to individuals and organizations doing inspiring work in their communities through organic gardening. These groups, which will receive funding and enough seeds to conduct their annual activities, include:
Good Life Garden at UC Davis exposes and educates individuals about the relationship between good food and good health
RebeccaPlants inspires people to get outside and discover how easy it is to incorporate simple gardening and outdoor activities into a busy schedule
Recipe for Success leads the way in hands-on Seed-to-Plate Nutrition Educationâ„¢ for children to change the way they understand, appreciate and eat their food
City Slicker Farms empowers local community members to meet the need for healthy organic food for themselves and their families by creating urban farms and backyard gardens
Mud Baron known as the Los Angeles Unified School District‘s “Johnny Appleseed,” helps collect funding and donations for school gardening programs citywide
How to Get Your Seeds
Individuals, community groups and organizations are encouraged to visit the Seeds of Change web site to sign-up for a portion of the 100 million seeds. Within two weeks, individuals with backyard or rooftop gardens will receive 6,250 seeds (25 packets) and groups with a larger need will receive 250,000 seeds (100 packets).
To help get more gardens growing, for every seed request they receive on the web site, Seeds of Change will make a matching donation to The American Horticultural Society (up to 25 million seeds), resulting in the planting of thousands of vegetables and herbs in cities across the country.
For more information and to sign-up to receive seeds via the “Sowing Millions Project,” visit the website www.seedsofchangefoods.com/sowingmillions, Facebook page, www.facebook.com/seedsofchange and Twitter at www.twitter.com/seedsofchange.com.
About SEEDS OF CHANGE® Products
Seeds of Change (SeedsofChange.com) was founded in 1989 with a revolutionary vision: to make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving countless heirloom seed varieties in danger of being lost to the “advances” of modern industrial agriculture. While that vision still holds true today, the company has evolved to be a strong producer of Certified Organic Foods (SeedsofChangeFoods.com) and Chocolates (SeedsofChangeChocolate.com). Their line of Certified Organic Rice & Grain Blends, Simmer Sauces, Pasta Sauces, Salad Dressings and Chocolate Bars were inspired by the notion that great taste and sustainability go hand in hand.
For more than 20 years, Seeds of Change has been committed to promoting the use of sustainable organic agricultural practices. To demonstrate our commitment, the company contributes 1 percent of net sales to support organic growing programs.
About NYRP
New York Restoration Project (NYRP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to reclaiming and restoring New York City parks, community gardens and open space. In partnership with the City of New York, NYRP is also leading MillionTreesNYC — an initiative to plant one million new trees throughout New York City’s five boroughs by 2017.
Since the organization’s founding by Bette Midler in 1995, NYRP has achieved dramatic results by investing in the greening and beautification of underserved communities throughout New York City. NYRP staff, AmeriCorps members and community volunteers have planted hundreds of thousands of trees, shrubs and flowers to support the restoration of our city’s parks and community gardens; restored and helped maintain six New York City parks; and removed more than 2,000 tons of garbage from the City’s open space. In 1999, Midler and NYRP saved 114 community gardens from commercial development and established the New York Garden Trust to ensure NYRP’s precious plots of land remain public gardens in perpetuity. For more information on NYRP, visit www.nyrp.org.
Contact:
Contact:
Nicolette Harrod
Current
310-854-8223
nharrod@talktocurrent.com
