work for fresh vegetables

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

See the message from Clagett Farm below.

It's a wonderful place to do some volunteering in exchange for

some vegetables.

Check out my images from the farm.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/globalmosaics/sets/734060/

Take care

Roshani

 

 

Happy Spring!

We are getting ready for the first

harvest, set for Tuesday, May 12 or Tuesday, May 19. We’ll have to update

folks over the next week as we see how the crops are growing.

It’s a great time of year to get

outside and do some outdoor work. Until our first harvest, people who want to

work 4 hours in exchange for vegetables will have to bank their hours and pick

up vegetables later in the season. But even before harvesting there is a lot of

work, so we appreciate those who are willing to come out and work even when the

food is still growing!

We are currently accepting volunteers and

worksharers Tuesday – Saturday. Please call 301-537-3038 to schedule a

time to come out. Use this same number to find us when you arrive to find us in

the field. We ask weekday worksharers and volunteers to arrive between 8am and

11am in order to have time to complete your four hours of work. Please remember

that we work in all kinds of weather. Check the forecast and come prepared.

SEASONAL WORK for VOLUNTEERS and WORKSHARERS

Every week, we need lots of help with our

harvest on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.

You do not need to commit to working every week.

In addition, we are currently recruiting

individuals who are able to make an ongoing commitment to work with us on a

weekly or bi-weekly basis throughout the season to take on specific tasks as

worksharers. Our main requirements are reliable, hardworking, good

communication skills, consistent, trustworthy, and an interest in learning

about what we do is helpful.

 

This year, we need special help from a

few individuals on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

1. At the farm on Tuesdays, work from

3:30 – 7:30 (be at the share pick up and work with staff person during

that time, help with clean up)

2. At Dupont Circle on Tuesdays, work

from 4:30 – 7:30 (arrive in time to help set up tables and vegetables,

float between helping farm staff sign in members and fill up baskets, help

answer questions of members and passersby, help load van at end of pick up)

3. At the farm on some Saturdays, work

from 12:30 – 4:30 (be at the share pick up and work with staff person

during that time, help with clean up)

4. At the farm every Saturday, work from 8:30

– 12:30 (help coordinate harvest and washing)

5. Delivery person on Tuesdays, arrive at

farm between 3 and 4 (help box up shares for Bread for the City and deliver to

the Anacostia location)

Do you have other special skills we

might need? For example, we are also looking for a carpenter to build a bike

shed. Please contact us if you would like to know more about our special needs

workshare exchanges.

 

Working on a SATURDAY

a. Due

to staffing and produce constraints, we sometimes limit the number of

worksharers we take on a Saturday. In order to manage this, we require that you call

ahead to sign up for Saturdays. Sign up is by phone between 8am and 4pm on the

Thursday or Friday before the Saturday you would like to come to

the farm. You will know by the end of the day on Friday if we have enough space

to accommodate you as a worksharer. If you come to the farm without

scheduling ahead of time, we might not be able to offer you a share. * Please note - if you reserve a slot we are

depending on you to come that Saturday. Your reservation means other people may

have been turned away. We need our volunteers and worksharers to be reliable:

Please let us know if your plans change. Please understand that holding a spot

and not showing will result in the likelihood that you will not be invited back

to volunteer.

b. In

order to utilize your help most effectively, please arrive by 8:15am, ready to

work by 8:30am. On Saturdays you will work with us through the end of the

harvest, usually around 12:30 or 1pm.

c. If

we did not have space for you as a worksharer, we may have space for you to

volunteer on Saturday or we may encourage you to come back on another day.

VOLUNTEER GROUPS

We are in the process of scheduling

volunteer groups for the 2009 season. We generally don’t take more than 1

group a day (unless there are 2 small groups). We need and welcome volunteers

so please call us to schedule.

Volunteer groups (of no more than 30

people, including adult chaperones) usually arrive between 9:30 and 10 am. You

will get a short introduction to the work we do here at the farm and a

description of what we’ll be doing that day. Please be flexible as

it’s hard to plan in advance, especially not knowing what the weather

will bring. Groups usually opt to work in the morning, take a lunch break, and

continue in the afternoon until about 2 or 3 pm. All groups bring their own

lunch and water bottles. We do not have trash pick up here at the farm so we

encourage folks to plan ahead to collect their trash and recycling and take it

with them when they leave.

Groups of young folks coming to

volunteer:

We recommend at least one adult chaperone for every 10 high school age

kids. Chaperones should model working with enthusiasm, and keep the kids

focused on the project at hand.

We request one adult for every 5

middle-school-age children.

We do not take volunteers younger than

middle school.

All kids AND chaperones should be dressed

and ready to work hard and get dirty.

Other reminders:

*Everyone needs a bottle of water.

*Dress for the weather, including rain if

its in the forecast.

*Hat, sunscreen.

*If Tuesday or Saturday, long pants for

harvesting itchy things.

*Any rugged shoes are fine, including

sandals.

*Take trash with you when you leave.

*Allergic to bees? Be prepared

(epi-pen, benedryl)