Bring a private group of teammates or colleagues out to do meaningful work while learning about local agriculture and food security.
Boston Area Gleaners works with partner farms across Eastern Massachusetts to harvest, sort, and pack produce for distribution to food-insecure families. Join us for a group service workday and engage in a team-oriented, impactful project to support a more equitable food system!
Your service workday includes:
A three-hour volunteer experience at a local farm, either harvesting or packing fresh produce for hunger relief.
Education from trained staff about seasonal crops, harvesting techniques, and the greater context of this work in supporting food access in our state.
The opportunity for an in-depth virtual presentation about the Gleaners' programs and the issues of food insecurity, food waste, and the local food system in Eastern Massachusetts—scheduled either before or after your outing. Please specify in your application if you are interested in a presentation/discussion.
Details and Scheduling
As we enter the offseason, group opportunities will be limited to packing food boxes at Stonefield Farm in Acton on Wednesdays. The project works best with a group of 8-12 volunteers.If you are interested in coming out as a group, please fill out an application and we will follow-up with your team regarding opportunities & scheduling.
Group trips generally take place at the height of the harvest season, on Fridays and Saturdays from late August through October. Mid-week opportunities are available for small teams of 12 or fewer.
Seasonal weather and crop availability are unpredictable! This means that, for most workdays, we will reserve a date for your group in advance, but hold off on determining the specific location and project until the week prior to the event. This determination will be made based on local farmers' crop supply and needs—we may be harvesting at a partner farm or orchard, or picking or packing produce at the Gleaners' headquarters at Stonefield Farm in Acton.
Farmers work rain or shine! In the case of extreme weather conditions, however, we will be in contact to re-schedule.
All participants must follow the Gleaners' COVID-19 protocols (subject to change) to ensure that trips run safely and smoothly.
