Salvation Farms Volunteers
During the pilot year at Pete’s Greens, Sterling College
was the main source for volunteer gleaners. Students involved
with a summer agriculture semester were available through a
rotational schedule their instructor incorporated into their
course work. Without this initial arrangement of gleaners, Salvation
Farms may not have had such a smooth beginning. Thanks Tina
Ray, the Sterling Agriculture Department, and all of the Sterling
College community.
In the late winter of 2005, Salvation Farms began seeking sources
for its volunteers. In addition to Sterling College, we wanted
to have many people engaging in the experience of gleaning.
We targeted community members by hanging recruitment flyers
at general stores and common gathering places. We asked local
papers to publish press releases and local school newsletters
to include articles. These are steps we will continue to take.
Looking forward, in constant refinement, Salvation Farms eagerly
seeks to involve donation recipients with local gleaning. We
are currently developing ways to best recruit recipients.
When working with volunteers, project leaders must treat these
people as friends and family. Most often they are already, or
soon will be, close and valuable friends. Non-profit projects
depend as heavily on volunteer help as they do on funding. Salvation
Farms is immeasurably thankful to everyone who has upheld this
vision since its start. Without their own passionate connection
to the project it would not be able to make the impact on the
greater community that Salvation Farms strives for. Our best
advice for working with volunteers is to always let them know
how appreciated they are, show them all the patience you have,
and equip them with all the tools and encouragement they need
to perform the best they personally can.
Do You Want to Volunteer?
The best way to help is to find the time to be a gleaner. If
you’re unable to help with harvests there are still plenty
of options. Do you commute to work? You could lighten the transportation
load by making donation deliveries. Do you have free time during
the day? You could make follow-up fundraising phone calls. Do
you enjoy research and have access to the internet? You could
research endless amounts of information pertaining to any angle
of this project. Do you have accounting or grant writing skills?
You could help guide and raise financial support for this community-based,
not for profit project. You could help with planning one of
our large fundraising events. Please contact us if you have
time you’d like to share with Salvations Farms. We would
do our best to assign tasks that are appropriate to your interests,
skills, and availability.
To Quote Our Volunteers
“I gratefully remain committed to your work and will
actively promote your mission in whatever capacity is necessary.
Thank you for the opportunity to participate. Happy Holidays.”
- Mary Elfer, 4th grade teacher, Bishop Marshall School, Morrisville,
November 2005
“I think this project… is a fantastic use of resources:
it helps hungry Vermonters get nutritious fresh vegetables…
this great idea has become a great reality… I hope this
letter expresses my opinion (as a regular volunteer for Salvation
Farms) that this organization is beautifully meeting a community
need…”
-Julia Shipley, Farmer, Literature Instructor, Sterling College,
Craftsbury Common, September 2005
“I have truly enjoyed being a volunteer harvester for
Salvation Farms. Every Monday morning I began my week harvesting
surplus produce at Pete's Greens, one of the participating farms
in the program. Upon arriving in the fields Theresa and Jen
would enthusiastically welcome me. Theresa would leave her work
immediately to get the supplies and directions I needed, including
what our goals were for the morning. Theresa and Jen would periodically
check-in to see how I was doing as well as sharing time updates,
being very in tune with the fact that volunteers only have a
certain amount of time and make it very comfortable that when
you need to go you can go regardless of how full, or empty,
your bucket is. Theresa and Jen are very organized and really
plan out how to best use volunteers as well as what produce
will go where, with the least impact. The mission and goals
of the organization are simple and I can not help but think
this concept of working with local farmers to harvest surplus
is going to catch on and more Vermonters are going to be eating
healthy locally grown food. Yahoo!!!”
-Jennifer Payne, Career Resource Center, Sterling College, Craftsbury
Common, August 2005
“What I took away from my experience harvesting for the
Vermont Foodbank is that volunteering is much more than just
giving up time and working without pay… With just a few
hours each week, I was able to provide fresh, local, organic
produce to people who are usually unable to afford organic produce.
No amount of monetary compensation could have replaced the feelings
associated with this knowledge. I was not only helping to feed
someone, but I was providing them with fresh, nutritious produce
which, without my volunteer help, would not have been utilized.
It was a win-win situation all around, for everyone involved
benefited.”
-Jen O’Donnell, Sterling College student, and Salvation
Farms Assistant Director December 2004
“Farmers are usually unable to devote the labor and resources
necessary for projects that don’t bring in some sort of
income, such as this salvage and donation of surplus produce.
With just a few hours of volunteer labor each week, many pounds
of fresh, organic greens and vegetables were picked. Sterling
College students tend to be very environmentally and socially
conscious, and here was the perfect opportunity for them to
apply the ideals they believe in.”
-Tina Ray, Sterling College Farm Manager for 2004 summer agriculture
semester
Thanks Volunteers – Everywhere!
. 
