Opportunity Details
Help to end hunger and save the environment by volunteering! (age 8+) Referral
We love our volunteers and we invite you to join us in ending hunger in our community. Now is the time to make a real difference to alleviate hunger and enjoy the beauty and peace of working in our garden. We are open 7 days a week and you are welcome to join us by calling, texting or emailing in advance. Your help is needed now more than ever because we are growing food year round. We need help assembling a high tunnel greenhouse, building compost bins with free pallets, weeding and spreading compost.
This is the perfect time for cuttings of elderberry and fig so if you want to grow your own we will give you starts and show you how to grow them! You are welcome to come help for one hour or several hours...you help is needed and is greatly appreciated. We have gloves and tools, please bring a mask in case we are working close to each other and cannot social distance!
This is a great experience for families and no gardening experience is necessary. Hands on learning is part of the fun of working in the garden and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are helping to store carbon in the soil while combating climate change. If you have already volunteered with us, thank you and if you are new, we'd love to have you join us in the garden,.
COVID 19 has resulted in more illness, hunger and suffering in our community and it has resulted in unanticipated and added operating expenses for our program Seeds of Hope. In order to alleviate hunger and meet the critical need for fresh, healthy produce, we are increasing the size of our fruit and vegetable garden to reduce food insecurity in our community. Expanding the amount of produce we grow to donate involves the added expense of construction materials for more raised beds, the purchase of compost and organic fertilizer and of course increased water use to grow the food.
In order to increase the eggs being produced we are enlarging our chicken coop and purchasing new chickens and chicken feed. We are purchasing more vegetable seeds and seedlings to increase food production. By adding 20 new chickens to our flock we will be able to donate over 8,000 eggs over the coming year. All of these critically needed supplies and materials has increased our new for funding to alleviate hunger and suffering, increase health and well-being and build a stronger and more resilient community. COVID 19 is putting thousands more people in our community at risk for hunger making them vulnerable to malnutrition and serious illness. We are dedicated to increasing the production of thousands of pounds of farm fresh, healthy produce and thousands of eggs that in turn will help alleviate hunger and provide greater safety and security for our most vulnerable population.
We recently received our second truck load of 26,000 pounds of compost! We need volunteer help with preparing new beds and spreading compost. Another project is setting up an irrigation system for the vegetable garden. We would appreciate help with weeding and maintaining the garden. As summer progresses we will need help in harvesting the fruit and vegetables.
Volunteers will gain hands on experience on how to grow healthy organic fruit and vegetables, the importance of mulching and how to compost. How to care for a flock of chickens and the importance of fermenting food for chickens! We are certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat so volunteers can also learn about the over 100 varieties of native trees and shrubs the youth have planted on the property. We support beneficial bees, butterflies and insects through our plantings and our mason bee houses! It is easy to practise social distancing here at Sunflower Farm as we are situated on an acre of land. Volunteers are encouraged to bring garden gloves and a mask in case some work requires working closer than 6 feet. We provide all garden tools and we have some gloves in various sizes.
With store shelves running empty and thousands of people newly unemployed the need for fresh produce has never been greater. As a result of COVID 19, hunger in our community has drastically increased for homeless youth, seniors, families and the recently unemployed making them even more vulnerable to fall ill during this pandemic. Although Focus on Youth programs have had to temporarily suspend teaching large classes of homeless youth here at the farm, our work of growing fresh, organic produce is continuing 7 days a week. Due to the suffering and hunger caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, our goal is to dramatically increase the amount of produce and farm fresh eggs to be delivered directly to the homeless shelters and Neighborhood House Food Pantry. We know that the closure of restaurants has reduced all food donations to shelters and Food Pantries exactly when the need for food donations has increased. We are helping fill the need for food by growing more fresh produce and donating it to help alleviate hunger in our community. By practicing social distancing, our all-volunteer organization is able to continue the hands-on labor of constructing a new larger chicken coop and chicken run, building new garden beds, preparing the beds, planting, weeding, watering and harvesting the fresh produce. Due to even greater food insecurity as a result of COVID 19, we are working harder than ever to support the health and well-being of our most vulnerable population, in addition to those in our community who are being impacted by the virus and unemployment.
Opportunity Requirements:
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Volunteers must be 8 years of age or older to participate in this opportunity; any volunteer under age 16 must attend with a parent or adult chaperone.
Click on "Express Interest" below if you are interested in helping out!
**This is a Referral Opportunity, which means it is run directly by one of our nonprofit partners. Once you express interest, someone from the partner organization should follow up with you shortly to discuss confirming you as a volunteer for this opportunity.
**Please note, your hours may not be recorded in your Hands On Greater Portland account since this is a partner-managed opportunity.
Age Minimum (with Adult): 8+, Minimum Age:10+
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