Volunteer sessions are typically scheduled to last between an hour and a half to two hours. We find this a just-right amount of time for most volunteers. It is important to show up at the scheduled start time for you session to meet your group and get safety and site orientation.
Occasionally, we will request volunteer assistance with miscellaneous tasks. The length of those volunteer sessions can vary and will be noted in the session info.
You can generally assume we will keep our plans to garden or glean in light rain. However, if there is a forecast that is definitive for heavy rain or thunderstorms during garden or gleaning hours, we will NOT be in the fields. Our policy is that if you can hear thunder, no matter how distant, we will not garden or glean. We also will not go into the fields within an hour of the last heard thunder after a storm has passed. Garden & Gleaning Coordinators will do their best to send an email at least an hour and a half before the session’s start time to cancel if that decision is made. Please monitor your inbox if it’s looking “iffy.”
Even if we have not sent a cancellation note and you have any hesitation about your safety in the weather, please use your best judgement and stay home if that’s best for you. Further, if forecasts are for extreme heat, please don’t hesitate to sit out a session – just send us an email to let us know you won’t make it. Health and safety are the priority for all!
Email our Gleaning Coordinators at gleaning@willinghands.org.
Email our Garden Coordinators at garden@willinghands.org.
All other inquiries can be sent to volunteer@willinghands.org.
We are always happy to help!
If you are changing contact information like your email address or phone number, follow these steps. If you have any questions, please write to volunteer@willinghands.org.
Gardening tasks vary depending on the time of year and the needs of the particular garden at that moment. You may be planting, weeding, mulching, harvesting crops, or anything in between. While the tasks vary, we do our best to give you as much information as we can upfront so you can be prepared. You can expect to be mostly outdoors or working in a greenhouse and we will provide tools and give specific instructions at the beginning of your session.
Willing Hands partners with many local farms and orchards with varying crops available to glean. Whatever the crop, you’ll be gathering it. This could be picking berries or apples, digging potatoes, cutting cabbage, or something else. While the tasks vary, we do our best to give you as much information as we can upfront so you can be prepared. We’ll bring along tools appropriate for the task. It is important to know that some crops require gleaning knives to harvest. The session leaders will educate you on how to use tools safely at the beginning of your session and provide specific instructions for the task at hand. You can expect to be mostly outdoors or in a greenhouse.
Gleaning is the act of collecting the extra harvest farms won’t be able to sell or use so it doesn’t go to waste.
Farmers contact Willing Hands when they have surplus crops for gleaning. The number of volunteers needed is determined by the amount of produce available and the time required to harvest. Some of our farm partners schedule weekly gleans at regular times, but we may have to cancel if it turns out there won’t be enough crops remaining for our volunteer gleaners to harvest. Sometimes, there are more crops available than what volunteers can gather during the scheduled sessions and we may plan a “pop-up” session.
There are many factors that contribute to surplus produce being available for Willing Hands. The unpredictable weather that affects produce production, the opportune harvest time of a particular crop, the fluctuating market for local produce, and the demands of the staff at each farm all play a role in crop management.
Willing Hands is a charitable organization and our volunteers have elected to serve our mission of recovering food to increase equitable food access and reduce waste. Our farm donors are donating their food to support this mission. If you are in need of nutritious food and lack the means to purchase it, please contact us directly and we would be happy to help.