There’s a new seed bank at Edmonton’s Food Bank, aimed at helping more people start gardening and growing their own food.
“If you can afford it, please buy your seeds, but if you can’t, we want to make sure that these are available to low-income individuals and households and groups so that they can grow food as well,” said Tamisan Bencz-Knight with Edmonton’s Food Bank.
The food bank brings in the seeds in the fall, then reuses them in the spring. The idea was initially inspired by the Edmonton Public Library — but revised.
“The idea of us flipping it, that we’re bringing in the seeds in the fall to use for the spring, is changing that narrative,” Bencz-Knight said.
“Make sure that we have deposits as well as the withdrawals of the seeds.”
The seeds have been donated by local stores, garden centres and community members.
“We’ve been out there in the community over the summer months and into the fall, encouraging them that if you don’t have to return it, if you can do your counts and give it to us, that’s what they’ve been doing,” Bencz-Knight said.
The food bank ensures packs get out to their depots and agency partners. They also share them with groups like Sustainable Food Edmonton.
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“What we found is that if you share it out to the community gardens, you are multiplying the amount of produce that not only stays locally in the neighborhoods for people and their individual grocery budgets, it makes its way back to the food bank,” said Junetta Jamerson, community garden facilitator with Sustainable Food Edmonton.
It’s creating an ecosystem of food security efforts.
“We have one garden alone that donates at least 600 pounds back, so thousands of pounds that makes its way back to the food bank after taking care of folks within the community,” Jamerson explained.
You don’t need a big garden or a green thumb to get started.
“You might not have lots of space, but you might have a pot on your balcony — you can grow stuff in that pot,” Bencz-Knight said.
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