Partners with West Coast Seeds, SoKap to raise funds, create ambassadors
Natalie Hamilton

Alisha Mann is digging a new opportunity poised to generate funds and ambassadors for Can You Dig It, posAbilities’ community garden initiative.

Can You Dig It is partnering with West Coast Seeds and is selling seeds through the SoKap website.

The initiative will receive 40 per cent of the proceeds from seeds purchased.

Alisha says the benefits of the partnership with West Coast Seeds and SoKap are two-fold.

“It does come down to generating funds but what’s equally important is creating brand ambassadors for community gardens,” Alisha says.

Can You Dig It has traditionally relied on donations to support itself. While it is still accepting them, “we wanted to provide an innovative funding model,” Alisha explains. “We wanted to incorporate a social enterprise element.”

Individuals, non-profits, groups and small businesses can purchase the seeds at the regular retail price through the SoKap website and have them shipped anywhere in Canada.

People can also purchase the seeds to raise funds for their own initiatives and Can You Dig It will reap some of the benefits of that transaction too.

For instance, there is already a school and a soccer club taking advantage of the fund-raising opportunity.

By promoting and buying the seeds, people receive a referral fee of 20 per cent of the price of the item.

Stakeholders can also sponsor educational opportunities in schools related to inclusion and gardening, sponsor community gardens and/or sponsor give-back kits.

Through a variety of fund-raising methods, Can You Dig It is hoping to raise $75,000 this year.

“Our goal is to build five new gardens with a total of 200 garden beds that support 400 new community gardeners,” Alisha says.

She’s hopeful about $10,000 will be raised through the SoKap initiative.

Click here to promote Can You Dig It and purchase the seeds.  

Can You Dig It was launched in 2009. It was seen as a way to create opportunities for people who have a developmental disability to experience social and economic inclusion through produce gardening. Supported individuals soon became involved with building and co-ordinating the gardens.

For more information about Can You Dig It, visit its Facebook page.

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