Homes4Monarchs

Hello fellow nature lover,

Help me "spread the seeds of change" across the Midwest with Homes4Monarchs!

Have you noticed that recently, there seems to be fewer and fewer monarch butterflies flitting about during the summer? Unbeknown to many, this beautiful insect's population is rapidly plummeting towards extinction. In just twenty years, the monarch butterfly population nationwide has declined by approximately 90%. In twenty more years, this national icon could be gone forever.

The main reason for the monarch's rapid decline has been the increase in stronger pesticides on Midwestern farms since the early 1990s. Not only do these harmful chemicals kill butterflies directly, but they have also lead to a sharp reduction in a native prairie plant known as the common milkweed, that used to coexist on farms by growing  on the property borders and between the rows of corn, wheat and soybean. Oftentimes, farmers will intentionally kill this plant due to their assumption of it being a worthless weed.

You might be asking yourself, What does this have to do with the monarch butterfly?


The female monarch ONLY lays her eggs on the milkweed plant. Once the eggs hatch, the resulting caterpillars (pictured above) will ONLY eat the milkweed leaves until they transform into adult butterflies. Monarchs serve as essential pollinator of home gardens and industrial farms alike.

Finally, they have become an iconic symbol of our country’s diverse wildlife, and are the official insect of six states. Losing the monarch butterfly to extinction would be comparable to exterminating the American bison, the bald eagle, or the cardinal.

Does this news, upset or frustrate you? Do you want to help save this beautiful butterfly before it's too late? Then come join me in supporting my nonprofit, Homes4Monarchs! In its first year, my organization has collected, packaged, and distributed 1,200 free packets of common milkweed seeds (Asclepias syriaca) to schools, local businesses, and community centers all throughout Chicagoland, in hopes that people will plant them in their gardens.  Last season, I nearly quadrupled my output to 4,500 packets. 

Now, for the 2018-2019 season, with the help of nearly 500 volunteers, we have created and are currently distributing over 15,000 packets!! With whole communities growing this essential plant, we will help create a suitable habitat for weary monarchs mothers to lay the next generation of caterpillars, and hopefully rebound the population of this remarkable insect.



All expenses of my organization have been entirely self-funded by me and my family. In order to beat my record of 15,000 packets distributed in one season,  I will need to find another means to help finance my organization.

This is where you can help me make a difference! 

Your generosity in donating to my program would allow me to create and give away many more seed packets than before, as well as further expand my organization to cover the entire Chicagoland area. Since all the work done in Homes4Monarchs is strictly volunteer, you can be guaranteed that every dollar of your donation will go to the cost of the supplies to create the packets, the fuel costs needed to distribute them, and the materials to hold free community events to raise even more awareness about the monarch-milkweed connection.

Most importantly, your donation ensures that my milkweed packets are, and will continue to, remain absolutely FREE for anyone to plant. There is no set amount or set date by which you have to contribute, but keep in mind that the sooner you make your donation, the sooner I can use it to carry out my organization's mission to save the monarch butterfly from extinction. 

Time is running out for the monarch butterfly, but it is still not too late to save this national icon. With your support of Homes4Monarchs, we can continue to raise awareness about the milkweed-monarch connection, get more milkweed seeds distributed to more people, and ensure that everyone around the country will have the chance to see these extraordinary creatures for generations to come.

If you have any questions about my organization and its mission, please contact me at [email redacted] You can also follow @homes4monarchs on Twitter and Instagram and check out my new posts on Facebook (search for "Peter Gordan")

Finally, you can also check out the official Homes4Monarchs website. Click on the link here!

Thank you so much for supporting the monarch butterfly and our community as a whole!

Sincerely,
Peter J. Gordan
Founder and Executive Director of Homes4Monarchs

"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not."
--Dr. Seuss