For years, Vlada’s Seeds of Life has been providing free seeds to libraries and community partners throughout the City of Los Angeles, helping residents discover the joy of gardening and experience the simple but powerful act of growing their own food and flowers.
This year, we are excited to take the next step by expanding our seed outreach throughout Los Angeles County.
Why Los Angeles County Matters
Los Angeles County is one of the most diverse places in the country—not only culturally, but also economically.
Within the same county are communities with vastly different household incomes, access to resources, living environments, and quality of life. For some families, gardening may be an established tradition. For others, access to fresh produce, gardening supplies, or even a place to grow something may be much more limited.
That is why this project is so important to us.
A packet of seeds may be small, but the opportunity it represents can be enormous.
Seeds can become vegetables for a family’s table, flowers that brighten a home, an educational experience for a child, or the beginning of a new hobby.
By placing free seeds in libraries and community organizations, we are bringing the opportunity to grow directly into neighborhoods.
The Power of Libraries
Libraries are uniquely positioned to help make this possible.
They are trusted community spaces where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to learn, discover, and access resources. By making seeds available through libraries, we can reach people who may never otherwise encounter a gardening program.
We are grateful to the libraries and community partners that welcomed this project and helped us expand our reach.
Los Angeles County Libraries
Our expanded seed outreach has reached the following locations:
- Hawthorne Library
- Quartz Hill Library
- Old Town Newhall Library
- Norwalk Library
- Montebello Library
- Manhattan Beach Library
- La Cañada Flintridge Library
- Huntington Park Library
- Gardena Mayme Dear Library
- El Monte Library
- Downey City Library
- Cudahy Library
- Compton Library
- Chet Holifield Library
- Charter Oak Library
- Center Street School Branch Library
- Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library
- Anthony Quinn Library
- Angelo M. Iacoboni Library
- Alondra Library
- Agoura Hills Library
- A.C. Bilbrew Library
- Library of the Canyons
Schools
We are also grateful for the opportunity to reach young people through:
- Richmond Street Elementary School Library
Community Organizations
Our outreach also includes:
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
From the City to the County
We are proud that our free seed program has served the City of Los Angeles for many years, and we are especially excited that this year’s outreach has allowed us to expand into communities throughout Los Angeles County.
The positive response from libraries, schools, and community organizations has been incredibly encouraging.
It confirms something we have believed from the beginning: people want opportunities to grow.
Sometimes, all they need is someone to make the first step a little easier.
We hope these seeds will find their way into windowsills, balconies, backyards, school gardens, community gardens, and family homes throughout Los Angeles County.
And we hope that those first plants will lead to more gardens, more healthy food, more time outdoors, more conversations between generations, and more young people discovering the joy of growing something with their own hands..
Vlada’s Seeds of Life is grateful to every library, school, organization, volunteer, and community member who helps us get these seeds into the hands of people who can grow them.