Opportunities From: Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado

Where You’ll Be:

Bordered by the State Capitol, the City and County Building, and the Denver Art Museum, Civic Center Park is the centerpiece of Denver's green space. And with 25,000 square feet of blooming flower beds each summer, there are ample opportunities to help keep downtown Denver beautiful!

What You’ll Do:

This is a fun and rewarding way to get outside and give back to your community. Volunteers ages 8+ will join the Civic Center Park Conservancy's staff in maintaining the park's flower beds. Volunteer activities may include planting, weeding, pruning, pest and disease control, and more!

Why It Matters:

As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in maintaining Civic Center Park's cleanliness and beauty, ensuring it remains an inviting and enjoyable space for the entire community. Preserving the park's natural beauty enhances the overall well-being of residents and visitors alike. This project is held in partnership with Civic Center Conservancy (CCC) as a way to support a local nonprofit while providing volunteers with more weekday volunteer projects in Denver! These projects will be led on-site by Civic Center Conservancy staff.

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

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!

Where You’ll Be: 

Bordered by the State Capitol, the City and County Building, and the Denver Art Museum, Civic Center Park is the centerpiece of Denver's green space. The park blooms with 25,000 square feet of flower beds each summer and serves as a popular event site. 

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 clearing the beds of remaining plant debris to winterize the beds.  

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 over/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!

Where You’ll Be: 

Located in the south Denver neighborhood of Platt Park, Harvard Gulch Park spans multiple blocks and is popular with residents for running and volleyball. The park is also home to the Harvard Gulch Recreation Center, which includes an outdoor pool and 9-hole golf course. 

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 Harvard Gulch 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.

Physical Considerations: Specific tasks include bending over/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!

Other Notes: Please park on the east side of the park, along S Emerson St. The garden plot (and where we will meet for the project) will be in the northeastern corner of Harvard Gulch Park.

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.

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 is available within a 5-10 minute walk to the project site. This project is accessible via RTD public transit or bike! 

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: 

The Colorado Governor's Mansion, located in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood, is a member of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Originally built as a private residence in 1908, it was given to the State of Colorado as an executive residence in 1959. In 2011, Governor Hickenlooper donated the plants that would become the First Family's Giving Garden, planted by Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado with Grow Local Colorado. 

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 prepping it for winter at the Governor's Mansion. 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.  

**Background checks will be required for all volunteers and staff in attendance. The checks will need to be completed about two weeks in advance of the event date, and they must be hand-signed with black pen and then emailed to the VOC Project Manager. No electronic signatures will be accepted.**

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 is available within a 5-10 minute walk to the 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!