Seed libraries help communities grow food in a pandemic

The specter of empty shelves at the store and restrained household budgets have spurred Ocean Beach Public Library members in San Diego to flock to an online seed exchange.  

What began as a community project by library assistant Destiny Rivera in 2019 with 150 active members has recently tripled and has a following throughout the county. The library has seeds for leafy greens and root vegetables, by request via Facebook.

Twice a week, Rivera ships dozens of seed packages from a makeshift office surrounded by jars of seeds donated and purchased in bulk before the pandemic. With seed companies around the U.S. no longer taking orders, the library has been busy since April. “We posted we had seeds available which has had a ripple effect throughout our social media network,” Rivera said.

As word has spread, so has the scope of the group.  Rivera said members are taking the initiative by sharing resources and their gardening expertise with their neighbors.

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