WILTON – Dawn Girardin is no fan of food stamps.

Though as volunteer coordinator for Western Maine Community Action it’s her job to find ways to feed Franklin County’s many needy families, the food stamp program isn’t a tool she favors.

Her main gripe? No restrictions on spending them on junk food.

But in this vast, rural county larger than Rhode Island, getting groceries can be hard, even with food stamps. The closest large grocery stores are more than an hour away, and local convenience shops are expensive and offer little selection.

So five years ago, Girardin thought of a better way – give people seeds and teach them how to feed themselves.

“I’m a gardener and it’s just common sense,” she said recently. “Everyone used to do this before food stamps, but then food stamps came in. People forgot the responsibility to take care of their own families.”

Since its start with a small state grant in the basement of an old school building, the Seeds of Life program has grown from a handful of participants to helping to feed more than 1,200 people a year.

In addition to getting free seeds and young plants, participants also can attend workshops on everything from composting to canning and planting to pruning. Girardin said they are encouraged to freeze and can to make their harvest last longer.

All that, and the entire program costs less than $500 a year. That’s thanks to Girardin’s talent at getting people to pitch in – local greenhouses and seed companies donate most of the supplies, and local gardeners teach the classes.

Even the participants pitch in to help others. Many grow extra produce to donate to their area food pantries, she said.

“Not everyone wants to go through the work of having a garden,” Girardin said. “But the people who do get good food. It’s rewarding. It builds self-esteem because they are doing something with their own hands and making something. And they’re teaching their children how to make and eat good, nutritious food.”