A Rebranding Story
November 5th, 2020 marks the 5th year anniversary as a non-profit organization for SLP SEEDS as well as the launch of our new 5-year mission and new name, Seeds Feeds.
Since our inception, we have accomplished training over 65 interns and apprentices in Urban Agriculture and Food Advocacy, installed over 60 edible garden beds in St. Louis Park, developed the Edible Playgrounds, Lunch and Learn in the Garden and the Garden Fresh Culinary programs, donated or distributed over 11,000 lbs of food, sponsored over 50 people to attend the UMN Schoolyard Gardens Conference, hosted 6 years of events with free community meals served to over 1,500 folks, plus offered scores of sustainability and food classes to the community. They also recruited over 900 petition signatures to include Food Security in the city’s 10-year Comprehensive Plan.
In 2020, our COVID relief efforts were met with enthusiasm from both recipients and funders. People from all over the metro - from St. Paul to Richfield to Fridley to South Minneapolis to Eden Prairie and many more, came to SEEDS’ new warehouse location looking for food and gardening support.
Thanks to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, whose Urban Ag grant directors allowed us to switch the funds from our exciting Tiny Mobile Farm project to more urgent Covid relief efforts, we were able to serve everyone who asked for help. The original grant funds would have supported bringing our Lunch and Learn program to clubs, apartment complexes, the library and other events. Through that powerful community engagement effort, we wanted to empower the community to grow food, get free food and identify community leaders who could be a part of a citywide food security task force. This project is only postponed for now, the Department of Ag has invited us to reapply for it for 2021. The 2020 grant funds were diverted to move operations out of founder Julie Rappaport’s home into a warehouse as a safe place for interns, apprentices and volunteers to process and distribute food grown in our 10 urban food bank gardens. Now, we are staying in the warehouse and growing food indoors, year-round. And changing our name from SLP SEEDS to Seeds Feeds.
SEEDS not only is an acronym for Sustainable, Edible, Equitable, Diverse, Service but seeds sown that grow community health. These seeds can be physical seeds that grow the food, or planting the seed about having an educational urban farm and watching that slowly grow into a realization, or planting the seeds of change to a more just food system. The mobile farm project was going to be called Seeds Feeds, taking from the name SLP SEEDS and adding the Feeds.
The “Feeds” not only represents physically feeding people with the food Seeds Feeds grows and provides but also feeding and nourishing people, community and the earth. By using organic, regenerative agricultural practices we help to repair the earth. By teaching people about nutrition and how to grow food, they connect with earth and their souls are nourished. By using powerful community engagement, other voices join in nourishing the community.
As the new Board of Directors thought about SLP SEEDS’ next 5-year strategic plan, we not only realized we had accomplished most of the goals from the first 5-year plan, but also realized we wanted to encompass everything that Seeds Feeds stands for. The goal of becoming a year-round growing hub is sprouting and should bear fruit soon. Our new logo, created by Apprentice, Zoe Frank, shows a lush filled edible greenhouse being held up by community hands with the tagline, “Nourishing people, community and the earth.”
We are excited about these changes that are happening now, and how it will help us keep growing in the future! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us at info@seedsfeeds.org.
