With a total donation of $225,000, the Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group is holding the third iteration of its highly successful “SEEDit” program, which will give away $50 garden centre vouchers to 4500 individuals across Ontario to help them get their home gardens growing. The program has been going since 2021 and has been a great success every year, even crashing The Commonwell’s website with how popular it was. Many green thumbs tried to sign up online the second the giveaway opened at midnight.
“With food prices and food insecurity rising in Ontario, we’re thrilled to announce that 2023 will have a record number of voucher giveaways,” said Tim Shauf, President and CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. “We decided to increase the program this year to 4500, $50 garden centre vouchers and strongly encourage families to share their bounty of produce with local foodbanks and neighbours.”
There is a SEEDit program Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/798694074394163 where veteran and aspiring gardeners gather to seek help, share practical and personal advice, and show off what they’ve grown. There are currently over 2,400 members and counting.
The SEEDit program giveaway opens on May 1 at noon. Participants must register at www.thecommonwell.ca/seedit while voucher supplies last and choose which garden centre to redeem their voucher at. Participating garden centres include Denise & Sylvain Garden Centre at 767 Notre-Dame Street in Embrun, and Les Serres Quenneville at 5690 County Road 17 in Plantagenet.