Volunteers Keep Kids Growing

Volunteers help our programs thrive! Individual volunteers are needed for in-school programs, event planning and outreach, and various support tasks. Businesses and community groups are encouraged to plan ‘day of service’ events to assist with routine garden maintenance throughout the year. Explore opportunities to get involved below.

Volunteer Educators

Volunteer Educators learn to assist and lead science based garden education sessions at local schools. During education sessions, we bring out one class of (28-42) students into the garden for a science based education session which also promotes basic gardening skills and serves as an introduction to healthy eating. Volunteers lead small group of students (8-12) through an activity which supports the science concept for the day which could include; garden tasks, educational games, science & inquiry activities, and tasting garden crops. Volunteers work with one school during the same day/time on a weekly basis.

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Internships

This position will help Interns to prepare for working with students in primary school through providing hands on experience in outdoor education. Internships generally consist of a commitment to supporting staff at a minimum of two schools during the same day/time on a weekly basis. Depending on interest, interns can also help with garden maintenance, work parties, media outreach, curriculum development and editing, nonprofit development, and other related tasks.

Interns learn to assist and lead science based garden education sessions at local schools. During education sessions, we bring out one class of (28-42) students into the garden for an education session which also promotes basic gardening skills and serves as an introduction to healthy eating. Interns are responsible for leading a small group of students (8-12) through an activity which supports the science concept for the day which could include, garden tasks, educational games, inquiry activities and tasting garden crops. Over the past 5 years, dozens of UO Alumni have gained employment post college with references from our program.

Volunteer Phoebe and kids are so excited to eat salad!

Group Events

Looking for a way to get your Business or Organization out and active in the community? School Garden Project offers opportunities for small and large teams to dig in and give back through our work party program. School Garden Project will connect volunteer teams with the schools in our community where help is needed most. We always have a staff member onsite to help lead your team through projects and will work to accommodate the needs of your team in the planning process. Work parties can be one time or annual events and usually last anywhere from 2-6 hours.

Business Partnerships

Looking to forge a strong community partnership for your business? School Garden Project works with businesses across Lane County to provide opportunities for employee teams and individuals to work with our programs through multiple avenues of volunteerism including in-school education, work parties, annual spring celebrations, and larger community events. Are you interested in sponsoring a school or adopting a garden for your team? We’d love to hear from you!

Nate Taylor, Volunteer Educator, leads a group of students through a leaf observation as a part of our “Science in the Garden” program.

Contribute to a Thriving Community

“I’ve been a volunteer at School Garden Project since 2015 and I can honestly say it’s the most rewarding way to give back to the community and next generation. I wish they had this amazing program when I was an elementary school student. I certainly wouldn’t have taken so long to start eating healthy (and consumed a lot less ramen in college)!”

-Nate Taylor

Can’t volunteer right now? How about a donation to help support our work? Your contribution creates positive results: improved science knowledge, new gardening skills, and a love for fresh vegetables. Please consider making a tax deductible donation today and help to keep Lane County students growing! (P.S. Our garden volunteers are often our most important donors, too. So you don’t have to choose one or the other!)

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