Opportunities From: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

Where You’ll Be:

Centennial Gardens is a thoughtfully designed urban garden space near downtown Denver that blends horticulture, history, and community use. With a mix of garden beds and open space, it offers a welcoming and engaging environment for volunteers.

What You’ll Do:

This opportunity is in partnership with Civic Center Conservancy  (CCC) and their volunteer program, SPARKLES, which continues volunteerism efforts during Civic Center Park renovations with horticulture support for Denver Parks & Recreation in various parks around downtown.

Volunteers ages 12+ will help with horticulture tasks like planting flowers, mulching, debris clean up, native and annual bed care, and weeding!

Why It Matters:

As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in maintaining Denver’s urban green spaces, making them more beautiful, welcoming, and ecologically healthy. Regular care supports plant health, improves habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and ensures these spaces remain enjoyable for the many people who use them.

Eligibility Requirements: 

Ages 12+   

Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.

Project Difficulty:

This project is considered easy, please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.

Physical Considerations: Volunteers can expect to be bending down and kneeling. There is significant sun exposure in this location. 

Access Factors: 

Vehicle Access: No vehicle restrictions - 2WD accessible

Other Notes: This project will be led on-site by Civic Center Conservancy staff.

If you like to volunteer on weekdays, you can view similar projects here.

Where You’ll Be: 

Observatory Park is a small yet spacious park near the University of Denver (DU) campus. Home to DU's historic Chamberlin Observatory, the park also boasts century-old trees, an extensive playground area, and vast open fields perfect for picnicking or a pickup game of frisbee. 

What You’ll Do: 

Through our long-standing partnership with Grow Local Colorado, volunteers ages 8+ will spend the evening harvesting a vegetable garden and preparing it for winter at Observatory Park. Tasks will include gathering ripe produce, weeding, and clearing plant debris to help maintain the garden for the next growing season.

Participants may have the opportunity to take home extra seeds (while supplies last) and even hand-deliver fresh produce to local food banks and community aid organizations, ensuring these nutritious harvests reach those in need.

Why It Matters: 

The produce that VOC volunteers planted in the spring is now mature and ready to be donated to local organizations including food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. By growing food locally, we reduce our carbon footprint by reducing the distance food must travel, minimizing water use, decreasing soil erosion, and helping develop a sustainable community. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

Ages 8+   

Youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.   

Project Difficulty: 

This project is considered easy, please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.

Specific tasks include bending down/kneeling to harvest and using loppers or pruning shears to cut plant debris.  

Access Factors: 

Vehicle Access: Public street parking is available within a 5-10 minute walk to the project site. This project is accessible via RTD public transit or bike! 

Other Notes: Please park on the west side of the park, along S Fillmore St. The garden plot (and where we will meet for the project) will be in the northwestern corner of Observatory Park.

Where you'll be:

Community Ministry is a social service organization, food/clothing pantry, and community resource that has been meeting the basic needs of individuals experiencing economic hardships and related problems in the Ruby Hill neighborhood since the 1960s. Grow Local Colorado and Community Ministry have been partnering since 2012 to ensure low-income residents in southwest Denver have access to healthy food choices.

What you'll do:

Through our long-standing partnership with Grow Local Colorado, volunteers ages 6+ will spend the morning harvesting a vegetable garden and prepping it for winter at Community Ministry. Tasks will involve harvesting vegetables, weeding, and raking the soil.

Why it's important:

The produce that VOC volunteers planted in the spring are now mature and ready to be donated to local organizations including food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. By growing food locally, we reduce our carbon footprint by reducing the distance food has to travel, minimize water use, decrease soil erosion, and help develop a sustainable community. 

Eligibility Requirements:

Ages 8+

All youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older.

Project Difficulty:

This project is considered easy, please check our difficulty rating criteria, here, for more details.

Specific tasks include bending down/kneeling to harvest and using loppers or pruning shears to cut plant debris.

Access Factors:

Vehicle Access: Public street parking available within a 5-10 minute walk to project site. This project is accessible via RTD public transit or bike!

Where You’ll Be: 

Christ the King Lutheran Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has a proud history in the Harvey Park neighborhood of Southwest Denver dating back to its founding in 1956. The congregation was originally rooted in the rapid growth of the neighborhood in the late 1950's. They have partnered with Grow Local Colorado since 2018 and their plot is a wonderful example of how productive sheet mulch gardening can be. 

What You’ll Do: 

Through our long-standing partnership with Grow Local Colorado, volunteers ages 8+ will spend the morning harvesting a vegetable garden and prepping it for winter. Tasks will involve harvesting vegetables, weeding, and removing harvested plants to winterize the beds.  

Volunteers may also have the opportunity to hand deliver some of the fresh produce to local area food banks and community aid organizations. 

Why It Matters: 

The produce that VOC volunteers planted in the spring is now mature and ready to be donated to local organizations including food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. By growing food locally, we reduce our carbon footprint by reducing the distance food must travel, minimizing water use, decreasing soil erosion, and helping develop a sustainable community. 

Eligibility Requirements: 

Ages 8+   

Youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult aged 21 or older.   

Project Difficulty: 

This project is considered easy, please check our difficulty rating criteria here for more details.

Physical Considerations: Specific tasks include bending down/kneeling to harvest and using loppers or pruning shears to cut plant debris.

Access Factors: 

Vehicle Access: Public street parking available within a 5-10 minute walk to project site. This project is accessible via RTD public transit or bike!