Seeds for Jamaica? After hurricane Melissa

General Discussions
1

I got this request yesterday for seeds to send to Jamaica. Does anyone have seeds they’d like to contribute to Hurricane Melissa recovery efforts? I’m happy to take on collecting and sending to the org.

“Seeds Needed: Varieties that are fast-growing, climate-resilient, and culturally relevant to Jamaica (e.g., specific varieties of legumes, squash, callaloo/greens, etc.).”

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full message:
My name is V. Steve Russell, and I serve with CARICON, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting cultural heritage across the Caribbean islands.

We are actively involved in the long-term recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. While our primary focus is cultural preservation, we recognize that true recovery depends on community resilience and food security. The storm has critically compromised local farming, and we are working to provide foundational agricultural resources.

We are reaching out to your organization because of your commendable expertise in sustainable agriculture. Your potential partnership would allow us to extend our community-building work into the vital area of livelihood restoration.

Our specific and urgent need is for a donation of: resilient, culturally appropriate seeds and basic farming supplies.

  • Seeds Needed: Varieties that are fast-growing, climate-resilient, and culturally relevant to Jamaica (e.g., specific varieties of legumes, squash, callaloo/greens, etc.).

  • Supplies Needed: Essential hand tools (e.g., trowels, rakes, shovels), and simple materials for soil amendment or starting seeds.

A contribution from your organization would be a crucial investment in sustainable recovery, enabling Jamaican families to move past emergency aid and rebuild their self-sufficiency. This effort aligns perfectly with the cultural imperative of maintaining local food traditions.

Could you please advise if your organization has the capacity to assist with this specific need, or if you could introduce us to a contact in your network who specializes in providing agricultural supplies for international relief efforts?

Thank you for your time and for considering this urgent partnership request.

Sincerely,

V. Steve Russell

Executive Director

CARICON Inc. (A Nonprofit Organization)

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2

I don’t know if it is culturally relevant enough, but I’m in east tennessee, aka hot and wet summers, I can contribute seeds from my moschata squash mix if you want to send those on to them. I’ve only been growing GTS mixes for one year, but I have seeds saved I can donate if you think they could use them. I grew several landraces of moschata including the GTS one, and a bunch of single varietal moschata and all of those are mixed into the seeds I saved this year. Some of the single varietals of moschata I grew were from Puerto Rico and those are all mixed together. Everything was planted within pollinating distance of the others.

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