Volunteer with NCOF
The work you do as a volunteer with NCOF enables our nonprofit farm to thrive—from seeding, harvesting, and animal care to running our special events. Volunteers collaborate with other community members and learn the principles of organic farming, all while contributing to a worthy cause.
Who You Are—and What You Can Do
Individuals 18+
Farm Work
Volunteer work on the Farm is primarily chore-based, takes place outdoors, and changes with the seasons. Tasks may include seeding, transplanting, sap collection and boiling, light carpentry work, mucking animal stalls, harvesting, weeding, and mulching. Volunteers should be able to bend, lift moderately heavy items, use small hand tools, and follow multistep instructions.
Event Work
We depend on volunteers to help run our special events, such as Maple Magic, Farm Fest, and the Harvest Dinner. Tasks may include helping with admissions, selling raffle tickets, setting up and clearing up an event, and parking support.
Corporate, Religious, and Community Groups
A volunteer day or outing on the Farm is a great way to fulfill your organization’s commitment to social responsibility while improving rapport and teamwork within your group. Experiences can be tailored to your organization’s needs, such as skill-building activities or a field day to learn more about our work.
Group size is limited to 15, and a small fee is required to offset the cost of staff planning, preparation, and coordination of time, tools, materials, and maintenance. This fee can be a company contribution or fundraised by your volunteer team.
School Groups
(Middle and High School)
Our school-group volunteers connect classroom learning to agricultural science and nature; learn about healthy eating, organic food, and sustainability; and support plant and livestock production through tasks such as mulching, weeding, harvesting, and animal care.
Teens
(Ages 12-18)
Join us on select Saturdays through the school year for a Teen Volunteering opportunity! Help us wake up and feed the animals then work on large projects around the Farm. Past sessions have included spreading compost, weeding in the fields, and harvesting vegetables. Hours and dates will vary, check out our volunteer website for details.
Our Leader in Training (LIT) program is a summer volunteer opportunity for 14-to-16-year-olds interested in farming and education. Teen volunteers work alongside our summer staff as we teach children (ages 3-11) about the environment, sustainability, and growing and harvesting nutritious food.