Volunteer

Thank you for your support this season! We look forward to seeing you in 2024. Help grow, tend, and harvest fruits and vegetables for our neighbors experiencing hunger. Your efforts impact the lives of many in our community who do not have access to proper nutritional resources. Gather family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and groups you participate in, to spend a morning in the fresh air and get your hands in the dirt.

In Grafton we welcome volunteers Monday through Saturday , May through October from 9:00 am to Noon (excluding holidays) at the Grafton farm.

As a Points of Light certified Service Enterprise you can be assured your team will have a great volunteer experience. To request a group volunteer visit please fill out and submit this form.

We are a working farm! All activities take place outside. Wear seasonally appropriate clothing that you won’t mind getting dirty, closed toe shoes, and a hat. Wear sunscreen and carry a refillable water bottle.

Please read the location specific Frequently Asked Questions document prior to your volunteer shift. You’ll be glad you did. 🙂

The Grafton Farm hosts groups up to 100, May through October Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to noon. Volunteers under 16.5 must be accompanied by an adult.

Review our Corporate Giving page prior to requesting a volunteer visit, as we have new required donations for corporate groups.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER A GROUP →

During the season, individual volunteers help whenever they are able without needing to schedule a visit. Open Monday through Friday from 9 am to noon (excluding holidays) for Drop In volunteering May 6th through Mid October. All ages are welcome, volunteers under the age of 16.5 must be accompanied by an adult.

We are a working farm! All activities take place outside. Wear seasonally appropriate clothing that you won’t mind getting dirty, closed toe shoes, and a hat. Wear sunscreen and carry a refillable water bottle.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AS A DROP IN VOLUNTEER →

1. What will I do on the farm when I volunteer?
Depending upon the season you could be planting, weeding, harvesting, tending, picking, packing, washing fruits and vegetables. You might make boxes, label and weigh produce – whatever the needs of the farm are on that day.

2. What should I wear?
Comfortable clothing that protects you from sun, wind, rain or whatever the current conditions are that day. Clothing that allows you to bend stretch lift, and that you are OK with if it gets dirty, muddy, or wet. Sturdy closed toed shoes are a must. Work boots, if you have them, can be better than sneakers in the fields. We will provide work gloves, but feel free to bring your own.

3. How long is each volunteer shift?
In general, each shift runs from 9:00 am to noon. There are exceptions to this as in rare cases we have shortened shifts due to inclement weather (thunder / lightning) and heat advisories, but plan to be busy for approximately 3 hours.

4. What happens if it rains?
Plan to get wet. 🙂 Wear gear to protect you from the elements. If there is thunder or lightning, we take shelter and would likely cancel any remaining time of the shift.

5. How do I know what to do and how to do it?
We have a host of wonderful Team Leaders that bring each group to their farm task. Team Leaders explain what needs to be done and how best to do the task. Ask them any questions about CHP, our mission, and the foods we grow – they are informative and engaging.

6. What if I forget to bring something I need?
We can help but it’s best to remember to wear sunscreen and to bring your own refillable water bottle. You can refill your water bottle inside the barn. (Please do not bring single use plastic water bottles if possible.)

7. Are there bathrooms onsite?
Yes. There are restrooms inside the barn and additional portable toilets on the property.

8. Is there free parking onsite?
Yes. If your group is especially large, we ask that you please encourage your team to carpool. There is free parking at the Mass Pike commuter lot (exit #96) and at the Stop and Shop at the bottom of Wheeler Road (100 Worcester Street in Grafton) where you can park and then carpool up the hill. If using the Stop and Shop lot, please park at the back, away from the shop entrance.

9. I have a group that would like to volunteer together – how do I set that up?
Click on this link and fill out the form with your preferred dates and we will contact you with confirmation.

10. I really liked volunteering! How do I find out about all the possible volunteer opportunities?
There are many ways you can help. These include becoming a team leader, drop in volunteering, bringing a group and more which can ll be found on this page.

We also need specialty crews -Greenhouse, pruning, mowers, Tuesday crew, etc. Contact Wayne McAuliffe to find out if one of these crews is right for you at 774-551-6544

11. What do you grow at Community Harvest Project?
Much of what we grow depends on what our farmer has planned for the season. Most seasons we grow tomatoes, zucchini, soft and hard squashes, lettuces of all types, eggplants, okra, onions, kale, chard, apples, flowers, sweet potatoes, and blueberries.

12. How does Community Harvest Project grow so much food?
With your help! Thousands of dedicated volunteers come each season to pick, pack, weed, tend, harvest, and prepare our fruits and vegetables for distribution to our partners. Volunteers come as individuals, families, and groups. The CHP team includes our Farmers, Team Leaders, Interns, office support staff who plan and prepare our fields and orchard for the growing season, as well as handle volunteer efforts, fundraising and community outreach.

13. What’s up with the soap on sticks?
We use Irish Spring soap as a deer deterrent as the deer don’t like the smell.

14. How can I donate?
Thank you for asking! Please click here to donate online. Or, mail a check made out to Community Harvest Project to: CHP 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton, MA 01536

15. How do you get the food you grow out to people who need it?
We partner with food banks, and food pantries, like the Worcester County Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes, Community Servings and others to help distribute food to those in need in Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

16. Can I get Community Service hours volunteering with CHP?
Yes. Make sure to pre-register (1st visit) and subsequently sign in each time you volunteer, so you get credit for your visit.

17.How can I become an intern for a season?
For information about our intern program please send your inquiry to Wayne McAuliffe at wayne@community-harvest.org

Thank you for your support this season! Help grow, tend, and harvest fruits and vegetables for our neighbors experiencing hunger. Your efforts impact the lives of many in our community who do not have access to proper nutritional resources. Gather family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and groups you participate in, to spend a morning in the fresh air and get your hands in the dirt.

In Harvard we welcome volunteers (high school age and above) from August 30 to October 18 – Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to Noon.

As a Points of Light certified Service Enterprise you can be assured your team will have a great volunteer experience.

We are a working farm! All activities take place outside. Wear seasonally appropriate clothing that you won’t mind getting dirty, closed toe shoes, and a hat. Wear sunscreen and carry a refillable water bottle.

Please read the location specific Frequently Asked Questions document prior to your volunteer shift. You’ll be glad you did. 🙂

The Harvard Orchard hosts groups of volunteers (high school age and above) from the end of August through mid October, from 9am to noon – Monday through Friday.

Review our Corporate Giving page prior to requesting a volunteer visit, as we have new required donations for corporate groups.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER A GROUP →

We can occasionally support small groups for special projects outside of the harvest season. Please contact us at volunteer@community-harvest.org for more information.

1. What will I do at the orchard when I volunteer?
Usually you will spend time picking, sorting, bagging, and boxing apples. In general, tasks will be whatever the needs of the orchard are on that day and depend upon the time of year you visit the orchard.

2. What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothing that protects you from the current conditions that day. Clothing that allows you to bend stretch lift, and that you are OK with if it gets dirty, muddy, or wet. Sturdy closed shoes toed are a must. Work boots, if you have them, are helpful. We will provide work gloves, but feel free to bring your own.

3. How long is each volunteer shift?
In general, each shift runs from 9:00 am to noon. There are exceptions to this as in rare cases we have shortened shifts due to inclement weather (thunder / lightning) and heat advisories, but plan to be busy for approximately 3 hours.

4. What happens if it rains?
Plan to get wet. 🙂 If we hear thunder or see lightning, we take shelter and any remaining time left in the shift would likely be canceled.

5. How do I know what to do and how to do it?
We have a host of wonderful Team Leaders that will explain what needs to be done and how best to do it. Ask them any questions about CHP, our mission, and the varieties we grow – they are informative and engaging.

6. What if I forget to bring something I need?
We can help but it’s best to remember to wear sunscreen and to bring your own refillable water bottle. You can refill your water bottle in the barn. (Please do not bring single use plastic water bottles if possible.) We will provide all tools needed for the work you will do.

7. Are there bathrooms onsite?
Yes. There are two restrooms inside the barn at the orchard.

8. I have a group that would like to volunteer together, how do I set that up?
Click on this link and fill out the form and we will contact you with confirmation.

9. I really liked volunteering! How do I find out about all the possible volunteer opportunities?
There are many ways you can help. These include bringing a group to volunteer, becoming a Team Leader, assisting with pruning trees, Tuesday Crew, etc. If one of these opportunities is right for you please contact us at volunteer@community-harvest.org.

10. What do you grow at Community Harvest Project?
We grow fruits and vegetables. Much of what we grow depends on what our orchardist at our Harvard location has planned for the season. At the orchard we grow a dozen varieties of apples, peaches, and we even have a field of asparagus! At the farm, most seasons we grow tomatoes, zucchini, soft and hard squashes, lettuces of all types, eggplants, okra, onions, kale, chard, flowers, and blueberries.

11. How does Community Harvest Project grow so much food?
With your help! Thousands of dedicated volunteers come each season to pick, pack, weed, tend, harvest, and prepare our fruits and vegetables for distribution to our partners. Volunteers come as individuals, families, and groups. The CHP team includes our Farmers, Team Leaders, Interns, office support staff who plan and prepare our fields and orchards for the growing season, as well as handle volunteer efforts, fundraising and community outreach.

12. What’s up with the soap on sticks?
We use Irish Spring soap as a deer deterrent as the deer don’t like the smell.

13. How can I donate?
Thank you for asking! Please click here to donate online. Or, mail a check made out to Community Harvest Project to: CHP 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton, MA 01536

14. How do you get the food you grow out to people who need it?
We partner with food banks, and food pantries, like the Worcester County Food Bank, Loaves and Fishes, Community Servings and others to help distribute food to those in need in Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

15. Can I get Community Service hours volunteering with CHP?
Yes. Make sure to pre-register (1st visit) and sign in each time you volunteer, to get credit for your visit.

16.How can I become an intern for a season?
For information about our intern program please send your inquiry to Wayne McAuliffe at wayne@community-harvest.org