SOULFUL SEEDS

We believe that developing community through green garden space in the middle of neighborhoods with the greatest need improves access to healthy foods, improves mental health, increases physical activity, and improves life-long well-being.

We build large-scale, managed urban gardens. We offer education, produce distribution, and workforce development programs and serve garden neighbors. We have two gardens; one on a local hospital campus and the other on a housing campus that provides emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to homeless women and children. Our programs are directed toward underserved community members with low-incomes, housing insecurity, disabilities, and other marginalized conditions. Demographic highlights of the special populations we serve are as follows: 25% are under the age of 18, 59% have a physical or cognitive disability, 91% have a behavioral health disorder, 70% are women, 37% belong to a minority racial or ethnic population, 28% are chronically homeless, and 5% are veterans.

Soulful Seeds began as a small pilot project on the campus of the St. Mary’s hospital in Reno. We are currently developing our first full-scale garden on the Our Place housing campus, which provides emergency, transitional, and permanent housing to women and children. The Garden at Our Place is the first public space at which we are scaling the Soulful Seeds model.

Over the past five years, we have been successful identifying distribution channels to underserved neighbors (e.g., homebound seniors, veterans). In 2021, we grew approximately 6,250 pounds of produce on 3,000 square feet and estimate we served 750 Washoe County residents through produce distribution at small area food pantries. When the 2.6-acre campus garden is complete, we expect to produce a minimum of 250,000 pounds of food annually to provide fresh produce to every neighbor on campus.

The goal of our direct service programs is to make healthy food accessible to everyone while promoting food justice, health equity, and building community. We accomplish this by developing neighborhood gardens in the center of high-need communities, educating residents so they can build the skills to garden and prepare healthy food when they secure independent housing, and by hosting a Seed Library, which distributes seeds and any basic garden supplies low-income neighbors may need to carry out the healthy lifestyle choices they would like to pursue.

Our programs have immediate and long-term impacts on the community. In the short-term, we provide neighbors with fresh, organic, nutrient dense foods (i.e., we give them immediate access to food) from green spaces located in the center of their neighborhood. Longer-term, we empower neighbors to live a healthier life and develop economic stability by providing a space to learn new skills (e.g., gardening, nutrition, food preparation, executive functioning, problem solving, professional skills), be physically active, and build community. Over a lifetime, our programs positively influence the social determinants of health (e.g., physical activity, poverty, nutrition, positive community) that affect physical and mental wellbeing.

Soulful Seeds addresses a critical gap in our community’s food security response by reducing barriers to accessing fresh food. All of our programs are located in the neighborhood, are free, ongoing, and do not require a person to qualify for access to food or services. There are other agencies addressing food security. They include food banks that distribute food as well as agencies working to improve the abilities of our local food producers to support low-income residents. However, at present, there are no agencies situated in the center of vulnerable communities that grow and distribute food, teach people to grow food, provide free education, do not impose a service qualifier (e.g., income level, SNAP participation), and build pathways to employment.

A summary of our programs is below.

Share the Harvest
Share the Harvest is our food distribution program. Through this program, we grow food at the Gardens at St. Mary’s and Our Place. Food is harvested throughout the year and distributed directly to campus residents. We own a large cargo van and maintain a partnership with Desert Farming Initiative. We help distribute the Desert Farming Initiative’s produce and they provide cold storage for produce that is not immediately distributed. Excess food that is not used at the time of campus delivery is then brought to small food pantries operated by churches in Sparks and Reno that have limited access to fresh food. These food banks prioritize services to seniors and veterans.

Seed Library
Soulful Seeds operates Northern Nevada’s only seed library. We provide seeds and garden materials to low-income community members to ensure they have the resources to use their gardening skills after leaving the Our Place Campus. Seeds are grown and preserved by the Soulful Seeds team. Gardening materials are donated by community members. Seeds and basic gardening supplies are then distributed upon request.

Education Classes
We provide educational workshops so people know how to use what they have grown and harvested. Workshop topics include gardening, nutrition, cooking, and preserving. We work with community experts who volunteer their time to share their expertise with community members in need. Gardening workshops are conducted at both garden sites and are open to the public; however, priority is given to campus residents. Nutrition and cooking workshops are provided on the Our Place Campus and are currently only available to campus residents.