Description
Start Date-End Date: 10/07/2021-10/07/2021
Land Manager Office: Grow Local Colorado
Land Manager Contact: Barbara Masoner
Funding Partner:
Programmatic Partner:
Summary: Participate in the final harvest of vegetables planted by VOC volunteers in this morning week-day project.
Description: Read Before You Register! Need-to-Know Details:
We greatly appreciate you volunteering your time and energy to care for Colorado's outdoor places during COVID-19. To help provide a fun and safe experience for all, there are a few temporary changes to be prepared for:
Minors under 16must be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older.
If you are fully vaccinated, you may work without a mask. If you are not yet fully vaccinated or if you prefer to wear a mask for any reason, please continue to wear a mask on VOC projects. We will have spare masks available if needed.
Cancellation & Waitlists: Due to limited spots on this year's projects, we expect projects to fill quickly with waitlists. If you need to cancel, please email outreach@voc.org as soon as possible so we can free your spot for another volunteer and have a full workforce. If you are waitlisted for multiple projects, please call us at 303-715-1010 ext. 116 and we can help you find an open project, if available.
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. Civic Center Park also hosts two Grow Local Colorado gardens, both of which are maintained primarily by Return Peace Corps Volunteers. All harvest from these two gardens supports The Gathering Place, a drop-in center for women, children and transgender individuals experiencing poverty or homelessness.
What You'll Do:
VOC is excited to team up with our long-term partner, Grow Local Colorado, to harvest vegetable gardens that demonstrate the beauty of edible gardens, engage community participation, and inspire Denver residents to grow their own vegetable gardens. Volunteer work will be fun, easy, and child-friendly. Tasks will involve harvesting vegetables, weeding, and raking the soil. Dinner provided by Chipotle.
Why It Matters:
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.
About Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC)
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) is the state's oldest, largest, and leading outdoor stewardship nonprofit organization. Founded in 1984 to motivate and enable people to become active stewards of Colorado's natural resources, VOC has engaged nearly 126,000 people in more than 1,000 volunteer projects for a donated labor value of $25 million. Through award-winning youth and volunteer programs, leadership training, capacity-building programs, and collaborative efforts with nonprofits and land management agencies, VOC is an invaluable resource in Colorado, especially as our outdoor stewardship needs are approaching near-crisis levels. For more information, visit www.voc.org or call 303-715-1010.
Latitude/Longitude: 39.739240, -104.988833
Additional Information:
Camping Available: No
Physical Difficulty: Easy
High Altitude Project: No
Desired Number of Volunteers: 8
Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 8
Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0
Total Volunteer Days: 8
Total Unique Volunteers: 8
Total Volunteer Hours: 21
Staff Hours: 0
Stipend Hours: 0
Project Summary: Seven volunteers completed the final harvest on the last two garden beds (500 sq feet) and harvest a whopping total of 152 lbs. of fresh produce! The harvest went toMetro Caring, one of Denver's frontline anti-hunger organizations, and straight into their Fresh Food Market. This market can be accessed by those in need at no-cost, providing them with a week's supply of groceries, including fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein.
Successes and Challenges: The park being gated off made it hard for some people to get in.
Lessons Learned: These projects can fill successfully at whatever time of day we would like!
Special Notes:
Stewardship Education:
Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers:
Description of Accidents/Incidents:
Description of Work Completed:
Details
| 6 and older |
