Every week more than 200 volunteers welcome guests to our Free Market, prepare ingredients for the 300 crockpot kits that go out every Sunday, feed and care for our barnyard family, support our garden, help with building projects, bake goodies to offer hospitality to visitors and guests, and more. Without volunteers Tikkun Farm’s work in the world would cease.

When COVID shut down the world, many of us felt the need to “do something”. Tikkun Farm became a place where neighbor served neighbor, and together we remembered the healing power of meaningful work.

Some of our Core Beliefs around VOLUNTEERING include:

• Each of us gives and receives.
It’s a blurry line between giver and receiver at Tikkun Farm. There are not those who give support and those who receive it. We believe the truest expression of the human experience is when we do both.

Most of our volunteers first found the farm in search of support. They shopped at our Free Market, and then asked, “How can I help?”. They received a crockpot meal kit every week, and then offered to deliver to other families. They took a cooking class, and then offered to chop veggies for our crockpot kits.

Others showed up for a Volunteer Day, and discovered time outside chased the blues away. They asked to come back every week to work in the garden. Many volunteers receive credit for community service hours while offering unique gifts in support of our mission.

• Everyone has something to contribute.
Elders with walkers prepare spice kits, single parents chop veggies at home with their kids, folks with social anxiety organize supplies, non-English speakers keep produce bins stocked during Free Market, children foster baby chicks at home. We are committed to offering everyone a way to contribute.

• Meaningful Work heals us.
So much of what ails us is rooted in disconnection. Tikkun Farm Volunteers discover the healing power of being connected to something larger than themselves, and belonging to a community rooted in acceptance and support. We remind ourselves all the time that our real mission is not feeding people, growing food, job training, cooking classes, tending the animals or composting. These are means to an end… the universal longing for Love, Belonging and Connection.

To support our connection with one another, we gather once a quarter for to share food and stories about our experiences on the Farm.

• Little Things add up
You don’t have to do a lot to make a difference. Most of our volunteer opportunities are 2-3 hours. You can sign up once a month, once a week, once a quarter, whenever you have a few hours to offer. You can volunteer on the farm, or work from home. When everyone gives a little, we end up with more than enough.

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**Although we have two AmeriCorp Members to coordinate the big picture of our two largest programs, and one full-time paid leader to manage communications, systems development and volunteer opportunities, the bulk of Tikkun Farm’s work in the world is offered by volunteers, neighbor helping neighbor.

Volunteers share about their experience on the Farm.