SEEDS OF PARADISE – FOR SOUTH FLORIDA AND HAITI!

As you may know, Hurricane Matthew caused massive devastation in SW Haiti. 
Crops are virtually a total loss, and people are subsisting on aid shipments. 

Conditions were already terrible in Haiti – our hemisphere’s most impoverished nation – before Matthew and before other hurricanes and the earthquake.
Now, famine is imminent. Children and adults are already suffering malnutrition, which also weakens their resistance to cholera and other diseases. Things will get much worse very quickly according to UPG Partners who are on the ground there.  

It is essential that they re-establish their gardens and farms for long-term food security. 
UPG’s Seeds of Paradise program is designed to provide Heirloom Vegetable Seeds.  

UPG and partners have begun to package Heirloom Vegetable Seeds for people in Haiti. Each family or group will receive a set of seed necessary for a balanced diet, including beans, greens, grains, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, etc. 

How many families we serve will be determined by the resources available. 
Donations will have maximum impact.  All donors will be acknowledged on our website. Major donations will be announced through social media (5,000+ followers), e-mail and press releases. 
Any support helps save lives. 
 
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for further info. 

We have begun to grow a Veggie Seed Crop,
and provide Veggie seeds to our members
here in South Florida, and to Partners in Haiti.
______________________________
Please visit
http://www.urban-paradise.org/UPG_Centers
for info about 2 new Urban Paradise Centers with 5.5 acres!
______________________________

VOLUNTEER:
Your work in MIAMI can help SAVE LIVES in HAITI!

Can you help?
Thanks for GIVING LIFE.

Though many in South Florida are poor, we have a wealth of unique resources that Haiti needs desperately.

Many plants are native to both Haiti and South Florida. There are also many with roots in Haiti who have personal reasons to help their homeland, and direct links there. Plenty of non-Haitians are also working to help Haiti heal itself.

We have expanded these operations. Now, we collect more than we need, and have placed a priority on both native and non-native fruit-trees and food plants.

UPG collects native plant seeds for to use in habitat restoration around South Florida, both in Parks and Back Yards.

UPG has been providing Seeds for use in Haiti since October 2008, with kilos of Seeds from eatable Natives and Cacao for economic development.

What started out as a trickle is becoming a RIVER of LIFE in 2010.

These seeds have already been sent to the island. Partners such as Operation Greenleaves Haiti (OGLHaiti.com) work with “grass roots” community organizations, assuring their training so that when we send a “Forest in a Box” it won’t be wasted.

Some seeds will replace the habitat that deforestation has stolen. Others will provide food for people, and teach the value of trees as resources that must be protected.

We already teach restoration techniques. Kreyol-speaking members will be encouraged to join, and to communicate what they learn to Haiti, in person or through their contacts there.

We’re beginning to collect tools, pots and planting supplies that they need. Other materials may also be collected.

Together, these resources are our Seeds of Change for Haiti.

Seed Use:
Seeds will be evaluated for suitability for Haiti and Miami-Dade. Many will go to Haiti.

Many will be used in Native Community Nurseries, where they will be used to teach nursery-work to volunteers (including Haitian-Americans). Plants and trees will be available to the seed-gatherers and other volunteers, and will also be used in Urban Paradise Guild projects and in Parks and Neighborhoods around Miami-Dade. By giving something back to our local ecosystems and people, we make sure they grow stronger (not weaker) while we assist our friends in Haiti.
________________________________________

Roles YOU can play:

Gather Team Coordinators: Recruit friends, family & congregations to gather seeds. We tell you where and train you. You & your team work a routine day, once or twice every month.

Seed Seekers: Apply your naturalist skills to identify native seeds, and report where they are and when they should be ready to pick. Identify Invasive Exotic Threats. We’ll coordinate a Gather Team to come and get them, and we may remove invasives at the same time.

Seed Processors: Clean, de-pulp and dry seeds for storage and shipment to Haiti.

Drivers: Make pickups and deliveries once or twice per month. You and your cars, hatch-backs, pickups and vans will deliver Seeds of Change.

Regional Staff: Coordinate and support Gather Teams. Various Volunteer Staff Positions. Some are administrative, others work in the field.

Stewards: Keep Invasives from taking over Native Habitat. Learn UPG’s Organic Techniques! Protect the food supply for wildlife and the Seed supply in order to create even more habitat, both here and in Haiti.

Mechanics: Keep us rolling – we need help! Your know-how and tools will help us save lives.