Seeds of hope: How Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is changing lives

Jere and Emilee Gettle have a beautiful life together. They have two little girls with bright smiles and big eyes. They have a thriving seed business, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, with locations on both coasts of the U.S. and loyal customers around the world.

But they also have hearts for hurting people.

It’s impossible to talk to Jere without immediately hearing his compassion for people in need. And it’s not just talk. His family’s company has donated generously to help those affected by disasters. Most recently, Baker Creek gave a large matching gift to help others multiply their own donations for hurricane victims in places such as Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Jere first connected with World Help because of the generosity of his older daughter, Sasha.

When Sasha heard about an earthquake in Nepal, she wanted to help. So channeling her parents’ entrepreneurial spirit, she started selling lemonade to raise money. Her lemonade fundraiser was a success, and soon Sasha was asking Jere to help her find a good place to donate to those affected by the earthquake.

They found World Help … and Jere decided to get his own business involved, too.

Jere and Emilee believe giving is a powerful experience for the whole family. “It gets us more connected with other people and cultures,” Jere explained. “It makes us feel more a part of what’s happening.”

Jere likes to get his customers involved in giving, as well. He believes that anyone can help, regardless of how much they can give, and he wants to inspire others to make a difference.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has primarily donated to help people affected by disasters, which is one reason he believes his customers and friends have been so willing to get on board. He said people seem to be more invested in a cause when it’s current, and he uses his business to give them a way to help.

Jere sees giving as a partnership between him and his customers. “People really enjoy helping with the fundraisers we do,” he said. “It also educates people — we try to get people thinking about not just purchasing seeds, but hopefully working with nonprofit causes or even local things they can help out in their area.”

Jere is glad he’s been able to use Baker Creek to make a difference, and he encourages his fellow business owners to use their own companies to help others.

“Give it a try, especially with fundraisers,” Jere suggested. His business will sometimes donate its profits from a week of sales, a model he encourages others to use. “Our customers tend to order more that week. It gets people really excited to help out. It becomes more than just you donating; it becomes a community effort trying to raise funds for projects.”

As Jere and Emilee look forward to another year of making a difference with Baker Creek, they also have personal matters on their minds. Soon, they’ll be adding two more smiling faces to their family through adoption. For them, adoption is another way they can help improve the lives of people in need.

That’s what Jere and Emilee are all about. That’s what Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is all about — changing the world, one person at a time.