The Seward Co-op SEED program is a way in which we reach our Ends. The SEED program is a simple yet powerful community giving opportunity that allows customers to “round-up” their grocery bill for recipient organizations that share our commitment to a healthy community. All funds donated at the register are given directly to the recipient organization at the end of each month, often totaling over $20,000 per month and over $250,000 annually. A Seward Co-op staff led committee chose eight of the twelve SEED recipients from a pool of applicants. Seward Co-op owners and customers are invited to select four of twelve 2020 SEED recipients.
2020 SEED Recipients
January 8, 2020
2020 SEED Recipients:
| January | Nawayee Center School | Funds from the Seward Co-op SEED program will help us to improve the health of our community by educating Native youth about healthy life choices through an indigenous lens by focusing on nutritious food, regular exercise, and maintaining our school garden. Students plan, plant, and harvest the garden and learn indigenous agricultural practices, uses of plants for medicines, and Ojibwe and Dakota names for plants. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Support Community Members Impacted by Devastating Fires | From Monday, Jan. 6 – Friday, Jan. 10 SEED funds will support community members impacted by devastating fires at the Cedar High Apartments and Drake Hotel. On Dec. 25 another fire broke out at Minneapolis’ Francis Drake Hotel displacing more than 200 residents. These families lost their housing and all of their belongings. A portion of SEED funds will go to a fund managed by the Minneapolis Foundation to support the individuals and families impacted by the fire at the Francis Drake Hotel. |
|||||||||||||||||||
| February | Better Futures Minnesota | Better Futures Minnesota is a second-chance organization that provides housing, job training, health care, and mentorship to men who are recently released from prison. They have a ReUse Warehouse in South Minneapolis where the men work and support a healthier environment through deconstructions and re-use services. | ||||||||||||||||||
| March | St. Stephen’s Human Services (Community Choice) |
St. Stephen’s Human Services operates two shelters in Minneapolis for adults of all genders experiencing homelessness. SEED Funds will be used to infuse the nearly 300 meals served daily with more nutritious, local, and environmentally-conscious options. | ||||||||||||||||||
| April | Mobile Outreach Outdoor Drop-In | For at least the first two weeks of April, we will round-up for Mobile Outreach Outdoor Drop-In (MOODI), a collaboration between Cultural Wellness Center and Southside Harm Reduction, along with community volunteers, health, and homeless outreach workers. Mobile Outreach Outdoor Drop-In offers hospitality, community care, nursing and outreach services daily between 1–3 p.m. at Peavey Park, near Franklin and Chicago Avenues. Recipients are individuals and families experiencing homelessness and/or insecure housing during this time of crisis and “stay at home.” Read more about this effort and donate online here. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Seward Co-op Staff Solidarity Fund | From April 16–30, we will round-up for a Seward Co-op Staff “Solidarity Fund.” The decision is in response to comments from Seward Co-op owners and customers who have expressed a desire to support our staff in a tangible way. Funds raised during the second two weeks of April will go to our PTO donation pool. This fund supports staff who need to take additional time off–outside of the paid time off we already provide–as a result of health-related concerns during COVID-19 crisis. | |||||||||||||||||||
| May | Isuroon | Isuroon is dedicated to building support for Somali women and families through social connectedness and self-sufficiency to lead healthier and more productive lives. SEED funding will be used for a culturally-specific food shelf to all in need. | ||||||||||||||||||
| June | Hope Community Inc. (Community Choice) |
Hope does housing and community work at Franklin and Portland Avenues – they’re working with community people to create urban agriculture gardens in Peavey Park on Franklin. | ||||||||||||||||||
| July | Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) | The Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA) works to advance the economic prosperity of Hmong farming families in Minnesota by addressing racial and economic disparities while also making fresh, locally grown produce available to Twin Cities residents. | ||||||||||||||||||
| August | Sabathani Community Center | Sabathani is the largest food shelf in South Minneapolis. They provide food to over 160 people a day. | ||||||||||||||||||
| September | Cornerstone Advocacy Service (Cornerstone) (Community Choice) |
Cornerstone serves victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking and general crime. Funds will help ensure victims and their children have access to immediate safety and holistic services designed to achieve long-term stabilization. | ||||||||||||||||||
| October | Centro de Trabajadores en la Lucha (CTUL) | Like co-op members, groups fighting for social justice are stronger together. So CTUL is bringing together POC-led grassroots organizations in the Twin Cities to work together for racial equity. | ||||||||||||||||||
| November | Dream of Wild Health | Dream of Wild Health is a Native-led organization working to restore health in our community through recovering knowledge of and access to Indigenous foods and medicines. These funds will support our work to serve high-risk, Native youth year-round. | ||||||||||||||||||
| December | Full Cycle (Community Choice) | Full Cycle is a youth-staffed, nonprofit bike shop that helps homeless youth gain independence through free bike appointments, paid internships, and food access programs. SEED funding supports FC’s food deliveries and pop-up meals at local shelters. |