Since 2009, Winona Grange has provided vegetable, herb, and flower seed packets to other Granges, community gardens, food banks, libraries, and groups that promote gardening. In 2024 we distributed over 120 boxes that contained 30,000 packets. In addition our members and volunteers filled their bags and pockets with hundreds of packets for personal use.
Lake Valley Seeds of Boulder, Colorado, Bi-Mart Corporation, and Wilco Farm Stores donated packets they didn’t sell. They were stamped “Sell by 12/yy.” We all knew that the seeds had not expired.
Now packets are being stamped “Packed for 20yy,” which allows stores to continue to sell them another year or two. As a result, we’ve received only enough packets to distribute during Winona Grange’s spring Seeds and Bees event.
We too are disappointed. We had so much fun sorting packets and packing boxes. We know that the packets we shipped helped so many families throughout the Pacific Northwest. But things change, and we must find another project.
Questions or comments? Please feel free to contact us at seeds@winonagrange271.org.