Sardis Secondary School’s popular plant sale fundraiser has returned, and this year it’s both in-person and online.
Folks can pre-order hanging baskets and planters online, or they can come to the school during the Mother’s Day Plant Sale which runs May 4 to May 7.
“The goal is we give the kids an experience, they get to grow, and they get to sell. And then with that money we get to give another group an experience,” said teacher Tania Toth.
Money from the annual event goes to the Sardis Agricultural Program where funds are distributed to things like scholarships, and to help support their farm located at a property on Richardson Avenue northwest of the school.
Toth admits it was difficult to raise funds from the plant sale during the two years of the pandemic.
In both 2020 and 2021, the event switched to online only which meant those who don’t have internet or aren’t comfortable making online purchases were left out. Additionally, students couldn’t help out with the sale in 2020, and then in 2021 they weren’t allowed to plant due to pandemic restrictions.
Sales from their Mother’s Day Plant Sale dropped by about 50 per cent each of those two years.
“This is going to be the year that we’re back,” Toth said.
But things are a bit different this year. They were already well into another online sale for this year’s event when restrictions were lifted.
“(Online) isn’t the best for sales, however, we started this way and it was hard to predict how this part of the year would turn out,” she said.
So they quickly switched to a hybrid sale for this year.
They’re only able to offer hanging baskets and planters, but everyone gets a four-inch pot of Spanish lavender with their purchase thanks to a donation of more than 1,000 plants from Qualitree.
They got so much lavender that the students will get to take some home, plus they’re able to give some to a teacher who helps out at the farm and they will plant a lavender field for bees at the farm.
The Mother’s Day Plant Sale sale has been around for about 35 years.
“It started years ago and people just know, they know about the Mother’s Day sale. They look forward to coming to our parking lot on Saturday and buying our plants,” Toth said. “It’s all a really nice way to sponsor education.”
Next year, the plan is to have it back to a regular in-person sale.
Sardis Secondary’s annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale runs May 4 to 7. Hours (for online pickup and the in-person sale) are 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 4 to 6, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 at the school at 45460 Stevenson Rd.
Hanging baskets are $30 and planters are $40. Those who are not ordering/paying online can pay in-person by cash, credit card, debit or cheque.
To order online and to see what plants are available, go to sss.sd33.bc.ca/announcement/mothers-day-plant-sale-click-here.
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