I started my career in the plant industry with a flower bucket stand in downtown San Diego. Now I’m heading toward my 40th anniversary in business at warp speed. It’s crazy! It took a lot of hard work, but it also took a little luck and lots of help along the way. I’m grateful for where it’s taken me.

When you have the gratitude attitude, two things happen. First, you feel great. Second, you want to pass it on, and that feels great, too.

In 2016, a presentation by Alpha Project Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau opened my eyes to the growing scope of homelessness in San Diego. It energized me to offer pro bono Plantscaping services to beautify the Alpha Project’s offices. The response encouraged me to take the next step and donate plants to its residents. I was overwhelmed with the happiness and enthusiasm by the participants. It motivated me to figure out some small way for Good Earth Plant Company to help improve the lives of San Diegans through plants, gardening and nature.

I wrote about the experience in our blog, and your response was as enthusiastic and supportive as our Alpha Project recipients. Thanks to them and to you, I couldn’t wait to repeat this experience again.

Like all seeds, if you give them the right nurturing, they will thrive. Good Earth Plant’s new “Plants With Purpose” donation program is up and running. We hope you will once again be as enthusiastic as we are about it.

Here’s how it works. Good Earth Plant Company often has dozens of healthy, happy plants that don’t meet our ridiculously high standards for our Plantscaping clients. But these plants would be welcome and brighten nearly any interior space by many other people.

So we’re putting our well-loved plants up for adoption. Good Earth Plant Company’s new “Plants With Purpose” program will donate 10 to 50 to 200 plants to a San Diego County nonprofit organization who can put the power of flowers to good use for its clients, employees, or volunteers.

Any interested nonprofit organization can make a request by filling out our online application. Once we verify your nonprofit status and ensure you will use the plants in a positive way, we will add you to our donation roster and contact you when plants become available.

We hope to make a donation once per quarter, and more often as long as we have enough plants to fulfill requests. We can’t wait to get started! Please share this with nonprofit organizations in the San Diego region you know and support who might have an interest.

All of us are motivated to see what Good Earth Plant Company can do in our small way to use plants and our biophilic connection to nature to improve the health and wellbeing of people who could benefit. Using horticultural therapy to teach people to care for a living thing has real benefits that can be measured.

I’m under no illusion about this small effort swooping in to save the world with our Superhero plants. But why not make a small gesture that might be the seed of hope someone needs in their life? Or let someone know there is a stranger who cares about what happens to them in this small way? Just having something to care for can lift one’s spirits. There are enough reasons around us to feel down and we don’t need to add to them, exactly the opposite.

So please spread the word, share this blog page on your social media, tell people you know to do the same, and let’s put a little Good Earth Plant Company plant power to work.