Farm-to-Food Relief Volunteer Interest

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the Marion Institute’s newest program, Frogfoot Farm – Neighbors Feeding Neighbors. As we enter our second full season, we’re excited to offer new ways to engage in our work of strengthening local food systems and addressing nutrition insecurity by providing fresh produce to neighbors in need.

This year, the farm will expand upon several important initiatives that are core to the program’s mission and require volunteer support:

• Food Production: Help us create 45 new 100′ production beds and grow 25 crops. We’ve set a goal of donating 10,000 lbs. to local food pantries this season. Sessions: Wednesdays & Fridays, 9am – 11am/12pm.
• Ecology: Assist us in planting and maintaining native hedgerows that support biodiversity. Our goal is to fully plant the berms in Frogfoot’s south field. Sessions: Thursdays, 9am – 11am/12pm.
• Soil Health: Learn and apply strategies to enhance soil quality by boosting organic matter and microbial activity in the fields. Our goal is to document significant increases in many soil health indicators in response to our ongoing soil building practices.
• Gleaning: Begin training volunteers to become certified gleaners that travel to regional farms to harvest crops that would otherwise go to waste in the field. Our goal is to certify 10-20 volunteers as gleaners this season.

Both the farming and gleaning programs are developed on the Marion Institute’s foundational tenets of education, food as medicine, and equitable access to nutritious food. Farming volunteer opportunities will continue through mid-November.

Sign up below to stay in the know about upcoming opportunities and training. Once you sign up you will receive an email that will provide you with a link to schedule your availability.