2021-Weekday Evening: Community Food Gardening @ The Governor's Mansion

Start Date-End Date: 05/24/2021-05/24/2021 Land Manager Office: Land Manager Contact: Barbara Masoner Funding Partner: Programmatic Partner: Grow Local Colorado Summary: Plant vegetable gardens with Grow Local Colorado! For volunteers 8+. Description: Project photo by Jerry Severns 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: You may only register yourself.Every volunteer must sign our digital COVID-specific forms ahead of time to be able to attend. You must provide your own food.VOC will not be providing meals at this time. You must bring a face mask and work gloves.Pleaseclick herefor our full packing list of required and recommended items. 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 emailoutreach@voc.orgas 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: 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 were to become the First Family's Giving Garden, planted by Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado in conjunction with Grow Local Colorado. What You'll Do: VOC is excited to team up with our long-term partner, Grow Local Colorado, to plant vegetable gardens whose purpose is to 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 preparing the garden beds, weeding, working the soil, and planting vegetable seeds and seedlings. Please Note: These evening gardening projects are very popular and have limited space. We ask that you please give others the chance to participate by signing up for just one gardening project this Spring. Thank you! Why It Matters: The vegetables that volunteers plant will be harvested in the fall and donated to local food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. This partnership with Grow Local Colorado creates a more connected community; demonstrates the beauty and efficacy of edible gardens; inspires residents to plant their own vegetable gardens; and contributes to a more sustainable food chain by reducing our carbon footprint. 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: 39.728751, -104.981988 Additional Information: Please bring a well-fitted face mask and work gloves. Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 8 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 5 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 5 Total Unique Volunteers: 5 Total Volunteer Hours: 10 Staff Hours: 3.5 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Monday May 24th, a group from Salesforce came out for the Governor's Mansion planting with VOC and Grow Local Colorado to help plant seeds and starter plants for the growing season. 5 Salesforce folks showed up and Grow Local had 4 folks there total. The volunteers spent the time planting a variety of veggies including but not limited to eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, onions, basil, oregano, squash and okra that will be donated to MetroCaring. We got everything planted. Successes and Challenges: Salesforce was supposed to have a group of 8 for the planting. One person cancelled day of and 2 people no showed. We still got everything done but should keep this in mind for the fall tear down. Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: