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Do you or your local community service group have a garden project?
Do you raise fresh vegetables for your local Food Pantry? Do you administer a Community Garden? Work with a 4-H group, or Youth Group Garden Program? Would you like to be able to give vegetable seeds to low-income families to grow their own vegetables? In what other ways could you or would you be able to put vegetable seeds to constructive use in community service?
Through a generous donation from a major distributor of garden seeds, Lake Valley Seeds of Boulder, Colorado, we are able to supply you with high-quality vegetable seeds of many varieties. We are very grateful for their generosity in addressing the issue of Hunger at the grass-roots level here in Oregon. Every local Grange in Oregon has, or will have, access to these donated vegetable seeds, and can distribute them in their local area as is needful.
In 2008, Winona Grange initiated a local effort to raise fresh vegetables, enlisting members and others to grow an extra row, or a whole garden, or to co-op with others at a local Century Farm. All the produce went to our local Food Pantry. In subsequent years, we have had Grange Gardens in different locations, have had a booth at the Tualatin Farmers Market, and given still more directly to the local Food Pantry.
As a result, we have seen renewed enthusiasm for community service, an increased community awareness of the Grange, more active participation at our monthly meetings, and some new members, too.
One of the Grange's original mandates was to provide seeds, supplies and equipment to farmers at reasonable prices, at a time in our history when merchants wanted to sell to them at retail, and then buy their produce below wholesale. We in the Granges of Oregon find ourselves returning to our roots in being able to enable others in needful community service programs all across the state.
If you represent an Oregon Grange wanting to participate in seed distribution for community service, please contact us. We are compiling a list of participating Oregon Granges, and will eventually post it on this page. Plant some seeds; grow some local community benefits.
If you represent a local Community Service Organization desiring vegetable seeds for your Garden Project, you have a few options. You may contact your local Grange, and ask if they are, or could be persuaded to be, participating in the Seed Distribution Program. You can also contact us at Winona Grange #271 directly. We will attempt to find a Grange near you in the program. Later on, you may be able to find a participating Grange in your area from the list mentioned above. In the absence of a local participating Grange, you may write us on your organization's letterhead, with a request for Seeds.
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January 2013 Update:
Assortments are now available.
Assortments can now be ordered, and shipping paid for, On-Line
Yes, we will be distributing garden seeds again in 2013. There are some things that are different this year:
First, we have more veggie seeds than we did last year. We received 3 large boxes: Beans, Veggie Mix, and a Veggie, Herb/Flowers mix
Beans: lots of variety here; all kinds of beans.
Herbs/Flowers: needs no explanation.
Veggie Mix: wide variety of all kinds of veggie seeds.
Bottom line: More variety overall, a good mix. Every year's seed donation is different from the previous year.
For the second year, we are using Regional Rate Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes. The rates are sheduled to rise slightly at the end of January. Our small assortments are the Regional Rate A boxes, a double assortment goes in a RR B box.
Scroll down the page to order On-Line. |
Contact us about Seeds
We are making the seeds available in assortments of two sizes, Large and Small, Small being whatever fits into a Regional Rate "A" Box. Double assortments fit in the Regioanl Rate "B" boxes; they're twice the volume of an "A" box. At the bottom of the page, you will find the costs and some other choices to make.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.
Assortments will be labeled as"Donated Seeds, Not for Resale" and "Distributed by the Grange." We are also able to furnish "Your Grange" labels for identifying "your" assortment as being distributed by "Your Grange."
Seed packets will be available at no cost, except for the cost of shipping via the US Mail. Priority Mail will be used, as the Post Office supplies the boxes at no cost.
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