Thanks To All Our Volunteers!
For National Volunteer Week, this issue of our e-bulletin is dedicated to our volunteers and the many ways that they make Seeds of Diversity's programs possible.
To all of you who grow and share seeds, who promote seed diversity at Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays, our youth volunteers, our excellent board of directors, and everyone in communities across Canada who help friends and neighbours learn more about food sustainability, seed biodiversity, and local seed sharing -- thank you for making our programs come alive for so many people!
Volunteers at Seedy Saturdays and Seedy Sundays
Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday events have, for decades, been important venues for gathering, swapping, exchanging, and buying seeds, getting exciting varieties that other seed savers are sharing (as well as the stories that come with them), attending workshops and talks, and meeting vendors of all kinds. Anyone who has attended a Seedy event knows what we’re talking about - they’re fun, lively hubs of connection and sharing!
All of this means that we like being there, too! They are a wonderful chance to inform thousands of gardeners about our own seedy story, and share information about the importance of preserving our seed heritage.
So, this National Volunteer Week, we would like to highlight and thank our dedicated Seedy Saturday and Seedy Sunday volunteers. As you might be able to imagine, our staff team of six (mostly part-time) individuals does not have the capacity to attend dozens of events every year. We rely heavily on volunteers to represent us by staffing display tables at events from coast to coast. Our volunteers ensure that we are able to have a presence at many of the 150+ events that occur across the country. Our volunteers are responsible for staffing a Seeds of Diversity table, offering information to visitors about who we are, what we do, and where to go for more information.
Jessica (left) in Caledon ON, alongside Seedy Saturday Co., Albion Hills Community Farms, the Toronto & Area Conservation Authority, and ecoCaledon
Rebecca, current Board member, in Guelph (ON)
Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and bring a range of skills and expertise to these events. Some are experienced gardeners and seed savers who can offer valuable advice and insights to fellow gardeners, while others are simply eager to be a friendly face in sharing information about what we do. All are welcome and invited!
Lauren in Penticton (BC)
At 2025 Seedy Saturdays & Sundays, we were incredibly fortunate to have volunteers at more than 25 events across four provinces, as well as nearly 40 event organizers who offered to set up displays on our behalf across all ten provinces. We are so grateful! Those who dedicated their time and efforts to representing us include:
Anne - Sicamous BC
Annie - New Glasgow NS
Claudia - Edmonton AB
Duncan - Shuswap BC
Elaine - Calgary AB
Elaine - Keremeos BC
Frances - London ON
Gord, Maria, and the rest of the team - several GTA events (including Mississauga, Toronto)
Greta - Ottawa ON, Cornwall ON and several other events in eastern Ontario and Quebec
Jane - Peterborough ON
Jessica - Stratford ON and Caledon ON
Joan - Caledonia ON
Kathie and Joy - Qualicum Beach BC
Ken - Langford BC
Lauren - Penticton BC
Rebecca - Guelph ON
Wilma - Mississauga ON and Brampton ON
… and others!
Does this sound like something you’d like to take part in next year? We would love to hear from you! Get in touch with us at seedysaturdays@seeds.ca and we’ll add you to our volunteer list for 2026 Seedy events. They’ll be here before we know it!
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Gerry and Ralph in London ON. Photos courtesy of Frances, long time member and volunteer
Celebrating Youth this National Volunteer Week
This article has been updated from last year’s article of the same name, celebrating National Volunteer Week. One year later, our celebrations of youth leadership and community service continue.. Anecdotes, stats, and project work information has been updated - enjoy!
My time with this YFS has been full of learning. As a blog writer and editor, I've had the opportunity to contribute to discussions about agriculture and share insights on its impact in our community. Through my work, I've gained a deeper appreciation for sustainable farming and the dedication of young people striving to make a difference. YFS has expanded my knowledge and connected me with passionate individuals who have love for agriculture and innovation.
- Jana, Blog team member
“[..] The markets are an amazing experience for the youth market leaders. Through these markets, we get to connect with like-minded individuals who care about positively contributing to the community, and we are able to develop transferable skills such as interpersonal communication, customer service, salesmanship, problem-solving, and collaboration in a realistic and unique setting.”
- Nihal and Benson, 2024 Market Leaders
“In the beginning of my high school years, I was searching for an opportunity that was different and allowed me to discover different aspects of our society. Volunteering at Seeds of Diversity [of which Youth in Food Systems is a program] has taught me how to use my social and communication skills, while also exploring food systems. I had not explored this field in depth before, only partaking in a gardening club in elementary school. By becoming a volunteer, I learned how food systems are one of the biggest parts of our daily lives, and thoroughly enjoyed the supportive and creative community I was surrounded by.”
- Gabrielle, Interviewer
As of this month, it has been four years since the beginning of Youth in Food Systems (YFS), the hybrid youth program that began as a way to encourage high school students to gain volunteer hours contributing to food systems learning and knowledge sharing in fun, accessible, and safe ways. When YFS began, we didn’t necessarily have a long-term vision for the program, beyond the immediate needs that emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns. We did know that it was an opportunity to bring youth into the conversations and into the action after decades of being an organization with an almost exclusively older demographic.
Now, here we are after another year and with a program that continues to shine as a deeply meaningful and worthwhile endeavour. And at the heart of it all… you guessed it: the youth.
Our youth volunteers (a.k.a. “participants”) are what make this program what it is. They are everything: the primary beneficiaries - learning and building skills and exploring careers in food and agriculture - but also the individuals who make the work possible in the first place.
This National Volunteer Week, we are delighted and grateful to have a chance to 1) reflect on the immense accomplishments of our youth volunteers/participants and 2) highlight here for all of you some of the super awesome things they have created over the last 12 months!
Our youth volunteers not only contribute their energy and time but also their fresh, unique, and innovative ideas day after day. Individually and collectively, they have made a significant impact in sharing knowledge about food systems with their creativity, enthusiasm, and drive, and their efforts have paved the way for a program centered around youth leadership and confidence as the next generation of sustainable food professionals and enthusiasts. From leading the Youth Food Market and the Food Leader Interview Series to creating a plethora of content for the blog and social media, to spearheading the (new!) inter-school seed library as Seed Stewards, our youth volunteers have been essential to our mission.
Here’s a snapshot of the last year of YFS - from immediately following our last NVW article (April 15, 2024) to the time of writing this on April 26, 2025:
🌱 More than 140 high school students joined the program
🌱 Our blog team wrote, edited, designed, and published 61 posts about food systems and sustainability
🌱Our social media team researched and designed 39 posts on our Instagram page
🌱 Season 4 of the Food Leader Interview Series brought with it 4 new video and audio episodes and (soon to come!) 4 career profiles
🌱 10 Market Leaders led the planning and execution of 11 Youth Food Markets in Waterloo Region, selling and donating over 925 lbs of produce to over 140 individuals and families during summer 2024
🌱Seed Stewards co-designed and launched the inter-school seed library in Waterloo Region, sourcing, packaging, and distributing more than 750 packets of seeds
…. But what would any of this mean without some visuals?! Here are a few that we thought paint a bright and representative mosaic of the last year of YFS (and there’s plenty more where this came from on our Instagram page!)
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