Get to know our community
Jan Johnson, Volunteer
“After retiring and moving to Maine, I wanted to volunteer for food security in my new community. Finding Growing to Give and working alongside the farmers here has given me so much more than I’ve contributed. My weekly shift at the farm fills me with fresh air and time outdoors, tons of knowledge about organic vegetable gardening, and a welcoming community of growers who, like me, love getting their hands in dirt and working as a team to provide fresh vegetables to those in need in our community.”
David Baecher, Food Bank Manager at MCHPP
“In the realm of gleaning and produce donations, impact stories are too often told in terms of total weight alone when measures of quality, consistency and variety are just as (if not more) important when it comes to feeding our community. Growing to Give checks these boxes for MCHPP with predictable, twice weekly donations of market-quality crops, grown and packed with our specific needs in mind. They come through for us with a consistency that belies all the uncertainty and imprecision of agriculture and their partnership is essential to the work we do.”
Carol Brown, Volunteer Group Leader with Work Opportunities Unlimited
“We learn as much as we give from the friendly staff. Watching the process from dirt, watering, seedlings, to veggies, to harvesting the veggies is so educational and fun to watch. Volunteering for this great nonprofit garden that helps people in the community receive fresh, amazing, healthy veggies, warms my heart.”
Zev Ritter, age 14, student at the Maine Coast Waldorf School
“I feel good about the work I do when I volunteer at Growing to Give. I like being outside, using my hands and learning about plants and farming. I enjoy meeting other volunteers and hearing their stories.”
