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Growing Center Volunteer Opportunities - Take Your Pick!

 

The Growing Center offers many flexible and relaxing opportunities to volunteer time and skills, both outdoors and indoors, even if your schedule is unpredictable! Some are ongoing and open to everyone, and others are best suited for volunteers who have attended one of our volunteer orientations. To read more about our Teams approach to volunteering, we encourage you to visit and read the Volunteer Teams page of our website.

We use our newsletter to announce general, all-inclusive volunteer opportunities, as well as upcoming free programming events, and volunteer orientations.

 

Volunteer Orientations are held second Saturday and fourth Monday of the month at the Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave, Somerville. To sign up, follow this link. You can also bookmark this page for the latest opportunities! Here is the 2024 Schedule:

Monday, March 25 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, April 13 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, April 22 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, May 11 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, May 27 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, June 8 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, June 24 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, July 13 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, July 22 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, August 10 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, August 26 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, September 14 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, September 23 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, October 12 - 9:30-11:00 am
Monday, October 28 - 6:00-7:30 pm
Saturday, November 9 - 9:30-11:00 am

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Current Opportunities:

Tabling at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market

Saturday, March 30, 8:30 am - 1:30 pm

Volunteers needed for set up, greeting shoppers, run an educational table, and clean-up! We will have a community information table for the duration of the market, which is held at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Email Lisa: lisa@thegrowingcenter.org

Needed! Volunteers for the Maple Syrup Project 
Tasks range from preparing the Center before the event, and day of hands-on assistance and educational activity support for both the Educational Boil (March 1, open to our educational partners) and the Public Boil (March 2) . Check out the Maple Project on our website. Fill out this form or contact Connor at crohwer@hds.harvard.edu to sign up.

Chopping Wood for Maple Boil 
We have donated wood from a local felled tree that needs to be chopped up so it can season until next year. Please contact paula@thegrowingcenter.org if you can help!

Programming Committee OR 30th Celebration Opportunities
If interested in helping with coordination of educational and cultural activities, contact Maddie at maddie@thegrowingcenter.org. For 30th festivities, Lisa at lisa@thegrowingcenter.org.

Write for the Friends! Join the Writing Team!
Interested in flexing your writing skills? The Writing Team (part of the Communications Committee) is always looking for new members to help write blog posts, sections of the website, and newsletter blurbs. This is a great opportunity for aspiring writers to get their work out there, or to just volunteer on your own time! Interested volunteers can reach out to Rachael Brady, rachael@thegrowingcenter.org

 

Wintertime ~ Ongoing Opportunities:

Winter is a great time to get involved with the Growing Center behind-the-scenes, whether it be to help plan programming for the 2023 season, assist with blog writing, or join the Strategic Planning Team. Hop on board with one of our committees! For more info on this, read more about all the options available on our Teams Page

Snow Team

Snow is coming! Want to help keep the center open, safe and accessible through the snowy months? We need folks to be on our snow team! A WhatsApp group is in the works. Contact volunteer@thegrowingcenter.org for more information.

Help Us Organize Our Photo Library!

The Friends of the Community Growing Center has hundreds of (fairly well organized) digital photos in our shared drive, but we are looking for a creative and organized individual to help us build out our "mini database" of photos organized by theme, which we rely on heavily for putting together monthly newsletters, our annual report, updating the website, and posting to Facebook and Instagram. We are also always in need of good photos for grant applications, as they are a huge part of telling our story. If you love to organize stuff and are interested in some volunteer work from the comfort of your home computer, this would fit the bill! Email Betsy: betsy@thegrowingcenter.org.

Calling All Writers to Join Our Blog Writing Team

Winter is a busy time for our Writing & Communications Team, as we get together over Zoom a few times, make an outreach plan for the year, schedule and assign blog posts, brainstorm newsletter ideas and divvy up graphics/design work. We are always looking for new writers to attend events and write about them, and help articulate our programs and projects for the website and our blog! If you're interested in getting involved, email Betsy: betsy@thegrowingcenter.org.

Join the Programming Committee!

Do you have interest in helping to curate a robust season of cultural and educational offerings at the Center in 2024? Wondering how you can support the creation of a wide array of programs, specifically those focused on highlighting the diversity of our community, promoting equity and inclusion, and offering access to all? If interested, please contact Lisa at lisa@thegrowingcenter.org

Strategic Planning Team

Have any background in organizational or non-profit planning? Just interested in participating as a stakeholder in how we (re)envision the next 3-5 years? Participation commitments can vary; outreach, weekly to monthly meetings. We’d love your help, knowledge and experience! This important team’s background work towards development of a strategic plan will produce significant outcomes, leading the Center into the next decade, with shared commitment to the organization’s renewed mission, vision, values, capacities and potential. Contact Lisa at lisa@thegrowingcenter.org.

Team Leads for 30th Anniversary Planning 

Work with the board and volunteers to celebrate the 30 years of the Growing Center, hopefully starting off in Fall 2023 and continuing over the next 6-12 months of festivities. Contact lisa@thegrowingcenter.org.

General Ongoing Opportunities:

CINI projects at the Garden / Community Herb Project 
*Support adding weekly nature based play provocations to the play area 
*Want to make some herbal products for community? Or help harvest/dry herbs? 

>>> For all the above opportunities, contact paula@thegrowingcenter.org!

Access and Inclusion Signage Team

Want to help create more welcoming and informative signage in the garden in English, Spanish and other languages? Contact, paula@thegrowingcenter.org

 

Developing Spanish-language Volunteer Orientation

Are you already a volunteer who has taken the volunteer orientation and speak Spanish and English, or are interested? Work with a board member/staff member to provide a monthly volunteer orientation in Spanish and English. Contact paula@thegrowingcenter.org

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