Volunteer Orientation – Kids Can Grow
at Erickson Fields Preserve, Rockport
Kids Can Grow session, Erickson Fields (Photo: Liz Stanley)
Volunteers needed!
Got a green thumb? What to share your love of growing things? Volunteer for Kids Can Grow!
Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the staff at MCHT’s Erickson Fields Preserve are seeking volunteers for Kids Can Grow, the six-month comprehensive gardening program that teaches kids, ages 7-12, how to grow nutritious vegetables, herbs, and flowers in their own 3 x 5 foot raised-bed gardens at home, using intensive square-foot gardening techniques.
Those interested in volunteering are invited to attend a free Volunteer Orientation on Thursday, April 13, from 4:00 to 5:00 pm at Erickson Fields Preserve, 164 West Street in Rockport. In the event of rain, the location will move to Aldermere Farm, 20 Russell Avenue, Rockport.
Volunteers may participate in a variety of ways, including mentoring the program participants and helping prepare supplies for gardening.
About the Program
Since 2009, MCHT, in partnership with the Knox/Lincoln County Extension Office, has run a Kids Can Grow program at Erickson Fields Preserve.
Children participate in a series of “hands on” gardening classes from May through October and repeat what they learn at home using materials supplied by the program and guidance from a volunteer mentor.
“Kids Can Grow is a feel-good experience for the volunteers who help out and the participants,” says MCHT volunteer Marina Schauffler. “In our last session, one parent spoke of how much their diet had changed—and how incorporating more fresh vegetables had already dramatically improved their health.
In a single growing season, people can learn skills and habits that serve them well for life. It’s gratifying to be part of that process.”
For More Information
For more information, visit aldermere.org/kids-can-grow, call 207-236-2739, or email .
Volunteer Application
Anyone interested is invited to fill out the Volunteer application, however it’s not required in order to attend the orientation on April 13.
To fill out the application, visit aldermere.org/volunteering.
This event takes place at Erickson Fields, Rockport
This former Rockport dairy farm features a 1.8-mile trail and gardens where young people grow food for the community.
There's now a campaign underway to make Erickson Fields and nearby Aldermere Farm safer, more efficient, and more inclusive for the decades to come! | Learn more