Longboat Key church's seed packers hit milestone

There was an air of celebration as the faithful volunteers at Christ Church of Longboat Key filled their 103,561st seed packet for Hope Seeds. 

The tiny bag was a big milestone for the volunteers and the organization, which is a charitable ministry that aims to improve nutrition in communities suffering from hunger. Volunteers fill tiny bags with scoops of seeds to grow foods such as eggplant, kale, cabbage and squash. 

Before the pandemic, a group of Christ Church of Longboat Key volunteers would gather twice a year to do a marathon seed-packing event. Tiny bags were filled, gospel messages were assembled and newsletters were folded to be sent out and as of March 2020 they had packed 52,561 seed packets since beginning in 2016, said member Ann Quackenbush. 

Since the pandemic, a group of over 50 volunteers have gathered 10 at a time once a week in the fellowship hall, masked and distanced, to enjoy each others' company — even celebrating birthdays and anniversaries together throughout the summer — and do some charity work. They pack a couple thousand seed packets every time and as of Oct. 5, had zipped up their 51,000th bag since the pandemic. 

"This week their seed packets are being sent to Zimbabwe, Sudan, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic," Quackenbush said.

In the past, seeds have gone to the Emmanuel Children's Home in Bombard, Haiti, where children are growing seeds for food for the orphanage and school. The Christ Church-packed seeds account for about 1% of the over 10 million packets Hope Seeds has sent out since it began in 1999. 

Locally, Hope Seeds is working with Mission Peniel in Immokalee, by donating seed packets to migrant workers. The Ward Temple A.M.E. Church in downtown Bradenton is also the recipient of donated seed packets.  Ward Temple works with several Community Supported Agriculture programs, youth programs in at-risk communities of Bradenton, and other programs through the Manatee County School District.