SEEDS OF GRACE
Dream Big Ask Bold
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
a. Food deserts, STEM education, and sustainability i. Food Deserts: In less affluent communities, there are no sources of fresh produce within the means of the residents of these communities. The stores that are close tend to stock minimal choices of produce that is on the verge of over-ripeness. Additionally, many in these neighborhoods rely on public transportation to get to and from grocery shopping, therefore tend to purchase lighter, and thereby less nutritional options for their families. ii. STEM Education: Introducing children to activities which incorporate STEM principals as they apply to their lives in relevant ways, increases their desire to learn about these principals iii. Sustainability: encouraging sustainable practices through different methods of growing/gathering food will empower children to make better choices with regard to their personal diet and how they impact their community and the world.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Global Gardens
Seeds of Grace builds gardens globally, currently 4 in Mexico, which include agriculture, aguaculture and aguaponics - all of the food harvested benefits the feeding centers of Amistad Familiar de Sinaloa
Local Gardens
Our local gardens are built in city parks, local schools, at senior centers, at youth centers and on church land so far.
Our local gardens have thus far produced nearly 3,000 pounds since we began. We now have 10 local gardens in 3 counties in Washington. Our volunteers have clocked about 6,000 volunteer hours since we began.
In schools, the gardens are being used as curriculum by so many different classes. From Shop to Culinary Arts; from Biology to the Special Needs Class. Students are all getting an opportunity to participate in some aspect of growing fresh produce for the hungry in their school and surrounding community. The harvested food from the schools goes into student's backpacks, and any leftover is delivered to local food banks. The local park gardens benefit local food banks - as well as any homeless who respectfully graze on the fodder. The Senior center garden boasts taller raised beds, easily accessible by those confined to wheelchairs. The church garden blesses a local soup kitchen. And the gardens in the youth centers benefit the students and the families of the center.
Aguaponics Apprenticeship Program
Students work together to design and build an aguaponics system that will be installed at the Seeds of Grace HQ. The produce from this system will be used to feed the guests who attend the New Day Ministry Thursday Evening Meal.
The students will be doing all the work themselves with little input and direction, but under the supervision of the director; however, they will receive encouragement to seek out alternatives and solve problems by thinking outside the box, trial and error and developing their resources.
The students will be encouraged to seek the advice of each other. They will learn to mentor each other. They will learn to solve interpersonal conflict as well as celebrate each other’s successes and achievements.
They will be encouraged to look at their project as a big picture, with many facets – more like a business that they will run, as they will operate within the constraints of a budget while also developing ways to help sustain it – creating an income source.
They will learn about these systems through research which could include the internet, personal interviews and/or tours of existing or similar systems.
Students will have access to a computer and printer, programs and a few experts who will come and chat with them.
Time Commitment
Students will only be accepted if they can commit to at least one full year of meeting every other week for about 2 – ½ hours. As it is important that a camaraderie is developed for this team, they must not miss more than 3 meetings. Exceptions will be made for emergencies, however because of the small size of the team and the expediency required for the project’s completion, the team will be expected to schedule other events around these meetings. Please do not apply if you cannot commit to the time requirements.
Each team member will be an integral cog in the wheel of this project, which necessitates the dedication and commitment to the time requirements.
The team will, in its normal course of business establish their meeting schedule, and reevaluate that quarterly, accommodating the changing schedules of students in school or who play sports.
Students must maintain parent-acceptable grades in their scholastic studies.
Applications will be accepted only yearly, to replace those students who are opting out after they fulfill their obligation, or ageing out of the program.
Growing Garden Gnomes - A summer day-camp
We’re Growing Garden Gnomes—
Yep! Growing Garden Gnomes!
A day-camp for school-aged kids where they will learn all about gardening and SO MUCH MORE!
Daily modules encompassing themes include:
¨ Growing Organically
¨ Sustainability
¨ Alternative Growing Methods
¨ Foraging and Gleaning
¨ Personal Wellness
Each module will be packed with activities presented through the lens of indigenous peoples’ symbiotic partnership with the earth.
Veggie kids.png
We’re Growing Garden Gnomes—
Yep! Growing Garden Gnomes!
A day-camp for school-aged kids where they will learn all about gardening and SO MUCH MORE!
Daily modules encompassing themes include:
¨ Growing Organically
¨ Sustainability
¨ Alternative Growing Methods
¨ Foraging and Gleaning
¨ Personal Wellness
Each module will be packed with activities presented through the lens of indigenous peoples’ symbiotic partnership with the earth.
Kids holding hands.png
Want to help us make a difference in our community? Are you interested in helping us build something really cool???? Check it out!
The camp is in the summer, but we will be having gatherings and informational sessions every other week or so. Please come and see what nugget you can share - OR come help us as part of the support team.
Lichen Hollow Building Renovation Fund
As the founder and Executive Director of Seeds of Grace, a local non-profit organization which builds sustainable, organic gardens in impoverished neighborhoods around the world to feed God’s Sheep while planting seeds to educate future generations, I humbly seek your assistance to help us complete the renovation on Lichen Hollow.
Seeds of Grace was recently given a building on acreage. Our gift – a truly amazing blessing in and of itself – is not without it’s drawbacks. It needs work. A LOT of work. BUT it was FREE! So who would pass up THAT opportunity, right?
Among some of the projects we will be doing are:
-Replacing the roof (30 or so year old, double layer shingles with rotted underlayment)
-Replacing the heating system (an ancient oil behemoth that scares the crap out of me when I have to go to the basement)
-Removing a dying 180 year old Douglas Fir (but we are salvaging any lumber we can from it)
-Building in office space (so that we have a secure place to work and store Seeds of Grace office equipment and files)
-Building a new deck, porch and rebuilding an existing deck (safety first!)
-Install solar panels and storage batteries (to become more sustainable as a community example)
-Remove old flooring
-Repaint inside and out
-Insulate the uninsulated walls, and revitalize and increase the insulation in the attic
-Refurbish the kitchen with energy efficient appliances
From where I stand, the simple fact that we now have a major asset, is reason enough to count our lucky stars. But there is lots to do! (Did I mention that it needs a LOT of work?)
And that work will cost a lot of money. We have talked about a capital campaign, and we will likely get something like that rolling in the near future, but some of these things need to be done now! Like the Insulation, the roof and the heat.
We have been diligently procuring in kind donations from our local friends who have generously blessed us with a LOT of materials that we can put to use, ultimately reducing the overall cost of the whole project. These donations are piecemeal at best, meaning that I can use some of the lumber for framing the deck, but I have no treated deck wood. I have a case of new grounded outlets, but we have to have an electrician rewire the electrical panel and install new wiring for the office and throughout the greatroom. I have some roofing nails, and 4 squares of the 55 squares we will need total of 3-tab shingles. I have a brand new stove, but no capacity for a hood vent, and a refrigerator that thinks it is a freezer.
We have a LOT of volunteers who will offer their work, but many of the tasks require journey-level contractors who rarely volunteer their time.
Let me tell you why this building means so much to Seeds of Grace. You see, when we first began, we worked out of the home of one of our directors. We outgrew that capacity after the second year and moved into one place that was offered for free – and even that space was not enough. We then rented (for a pretty good discount) two suites in the Kitsap Business Center and burst out of that after a year. Our programs have all grown substantially and so has our volunteer space.
This new building is a perfect place for us to conduct our operations. Some of the things wedo, besides using it as our headquarters:
-Garden Gnome Digest an onsite, experiential education for gardening know-how. This is a monthly gardening class for those who have never gardened, but want to.
-Growing Garden Gnomes - A summer day-camp where kids will learn all about aguaponics, permaculture, sustainability, composting, nutrition and many other subjects, all STEM based. We hope to turn that into an after-school program that kids will WANT to attend because of how fun we make the learning!
Not only will we be using the space, but we are able to offer it to the community to use when we are not – it is an excellent meeting hall! Other NPOs will be offered use for free; i.e. 4-H, Scouts, Lion’s Club, etc. We have been approached by local mortgage brokers and realtors to see if they can use the space to offer the community classes. We have also already rented out the space as a birthday party, baby shower and wedding venue. This has the potential to pay for itself in so many ways.
The point of this long-winded letter is, I am sure, obvious by now – Seeds of Grace needs your help. We would like to ask Bremerton Central Lions Charitable Foundation for a grant of $30,000 so that we can get a couple of the higher priority items done right away. The roof, office and heating systems are at the top of our list, and we would love to see all three taken care of before the end of summer.
We count on the blessing and partnership of our community to help us achieve our goals - While we thank you for your trust!
Where we work
Awards
Most Sustainable Business 2016
Silverdale Chamber of Commerce
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of paid participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Global Gardens
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We have taken a little break from our Global Gardens as the Team Leaders; instead we have taken the back seat, supporting other organizations with their trips to build gardens and aguaponic systems.
Total number of acres of area indirectly controlled under cultivation
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The size and number of beds as well as the style of beds vary from location to location and country to country. Each garden can be seen at our website
Number of accolades/recognition received from third-party organizations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We are honored to receive: the Most Sustainable Business Award the Best Non-Profit in Bremerton, Best Non-Profit in Central Kitsap for twice, Best Volunteer twice
Number of students showing interest in topics related to STEM
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Aguaponics Apprenticeship Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our curriculum programs are growing, and the span of subjects using the gardens has expanded from Shop to Special Education - from Culinary Arts to Biology. Our Aguaponics program has added to this.
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Because we are removed from most of the recipients of our produce by a level of service, ie. food banks, who need to follow HIPPA rules, we don't always receive the information for this metric.
Total pounds of target crop harvested
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of administrators and staff who plan and experience professional development activities together
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We are growing our organization, and learning how to better and more effectively build our projects and operate as a team, whole learning best practices. Always seeking those who want to plant seeds.
Number of multi-year contracts received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The growth in our multi year projects has steadily spread through our county and will continue to grow.
Number of participants attending course/session/workshop
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Team leads and board members as well as the executive director are seeking out more learning opportunities
Number of children who have knowledge of quantitative concepts, spatial relationships, and sequencing. Children show interest and the ability to apply measuring, categorizing, and sequencing in real-life situations.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Since the start of the AAP, our students are encouraged to seek out more innovative ways of accomplishing the tasks at hand. We anticipate substantial growth with the Growing Garden Gnomes program.
Number of multi-year grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
With the growth of our capacity, comes a decrease of time - our challenge is to find a way to balance our work so that growth is supported.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Local Gardens
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of new grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of press articles published
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of groups brought together in a coalition/alliance/partnership
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Growing Garden Gnomes - A summer day-camp
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Seeds of Grace operates under the premise that when more organizations work together, less of the needy fall through the cracks. We build partnership with many diverse organizations.
Number of demonstration project or pilot sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Growing Garden Gnomes - A summer day-camp
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
From our innovative Global and Local Garden Team Leads to the AAP, GGG and Lichen Hollow projects, we are creating new ways of growing vegetables that tend to be much more efficient.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Growing Garden Gnomes camp will introduce participants to the concept of growing food sustainably through mentoring, hands-on activities, while utilizing STEM principals. Presented from the perspective of biodiversity and symbiotic relations as indigenous cultures set the example it is 5 days with 6 hours of activities and lunch each day at Lichen Hollow. Adult facilitators and curriculum specialists will guide campers in elements designed for interaction and cooperative learning as they are divided into two groups: Mentors (aged 12 – 18) and Garden Gnomes (aged 6 – 11) in a ratio of approximately 1:3 respectively.
Elements include:
Gardening methods: Seeds, starts, growing methods, composting, vermiculture, aguaponics, permaculture
Foraging and Gleaning: Edible species identification, mycology, woods crafting, when to harvest, symbiosis
Sustainability: Water conservation and harvesting, composting, carbon capture, alternative energy, recycling
Nutrition: Macronutrients and micronutrients, plant biology, healthy options, preparation and preservation, consequences of unhealthy choices
Self Care: Body, mind and spirit; yoga, creative activities (art. textiles, etc.), community service, herbs for health; journaling; non-edibles, meditation
Each camper will be given tools and materials necessary for each activity and a take-home craft representative of each day’s theme. They’ll receive a journal for their daily notes and thoughts. Plans and instructions for full-sized home projects, for example an easily built, compact aguaponic system, will be included. They'll be offered recipes from the day’s snacks and lunch, some will be prepared themselves.
Author and Director of Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Program, Valerie Segrest asks, “How can we live like our teachers, the plants and foods around us? How can we learn to grow and thrive in diversity and be big medicine in the world?”
Outcomes include:
1) The Campers, both the Garden Gnomes and their Mentors will gain a clearer understanding of the impact they can make in the world, not to mention in their own homes with regard to growing food organically, and sustainably.
2) They will be able to articulate their understanding of stewardship from an indigenous people’s perspective.
3) They will have will have created tangible reminders, including their journal, miniature aguaponics systems, aprons, personal planting boxes, miniature vermiculture/ mycology systems, and other projects all of which the Campers will bring home.
4) Further, Mentors will have a greater understanding of their impact on those around them, specifically the example they set for campers, the younger ones in our community and their family as well as the potential they have as leaders for change.
We will use the GGG camp as a way to encourage and excite our community about changing our diet, our perspective and changing our habits.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We will measure the outcomes of our program initially by providing the campers and their parents with a simple survey to measure their basic understanding of concepts before and after their experience, as well as ideological perceptions and behavioral changes (food choices, etc.). We believe that parents will see these changes in their children with regard to the awareness they bring home about sustainability and good food. There will be separate surveys for the separate participants; Garden Gnomes, Mentors and parents. We will include the results of these surveys in the reporting phase of the grant, and maintain these records for comparison for repeat future campers and their parents. We will provide a video of camp highlights, which will document the activities, meals, and interactions occurring during the camp. Campers will have an opportunity to offer their own testimony on film.
We believe that the results of all surveys, as well as the individual testimonies, will reflect an increase in understanding of the concepts presented, by all three groups of participants.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have grown in our capacity by the receipt of Lichen Hollow, and by increasing the experience and knowledge of our board members, making them more effective. We have built program strategies, and are in the process of revisiting our organizational strategic plan. We are confident of the partners we have in our community, while we continue to grow our awareness. All of this will support ongoing growth in our fiscal strength.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have built 18 local and 4 global gardens.
We have harvested nearly 14300 pounds of produce
We have fed hundreds of people fresh fruits and vegetables
We have partnerships with 18 host organizations
We have partnerships with 11 distribution organizations
We have been successful putting together an annual auction and concert.
We have been successful building a new program that teaches local kids about aguaponics.
We have not been successful in volunteer recruitment and retention
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
SEEDS OF GRACE
Board of directorsas of 07/23/2019
Mr. Adam Simmons
Regan Weigel
Seeds of Grace
Tami Kelly
Liberty Tax Service
Adam Simmons
Seeds of Grace
Emily Wright
Seeds of Grace
Aaron Logue
Seeds of Grace
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes