2024 Internship Program

Application deadlines and instructions at the end of this page!

About Growing to Give

Growing to Give is an organic, non-profit farm in Brunswick, Maine. At Growing to Give we see hunger, environmental degradation, declining human health, and climate change as systemic issues that are deeply connected. Our mission is to address these problems by working with volunteers to grow vegetables for donation to local people experiencing food insecurity while modeling, teaching, and advocating for regenerative farming practices.

Our focus on soil carbon sequestration, building biodiversity, and increasing farm resilience to climate change and has led us to adopt practices such as no-till bed preparation, companion crop planting, diverse cover cropping, deep mulching, integration of native plant hedgerows, planting pollinator-supporting flowering annuals, creating a native wildflower meadow swale, and using biochar as a soil amendment. We grow a diverse selection of crops that reflects the cultural diversity of our recipients, with an additional focus on planting and preserving heirloom varieties through seed-saving.

Job Description

The primary focus of the internship is building an understanding of the methods and philosophy behind climate-friendly, ecologically-based farming. Interns play an active role in the day-to-day work involved in growing organic food. As part of our team, interns will also work regularly with volunteers and interface with a vibrant cross-section of people and organizations addressing food insecurity and food systems issues in Maine, including gleaning groups that come to the farm to assist with harvest and food distribution.

In addition to carrying out daily farm work, interns will have the opportunity to develop independent projects that support our evolving farm program and also align with their unique interests and skills. Interns will receive support from the Farm Director to design and carry out their individual projects over the course of the internship. Interns can propose their own ideas for projects, or build off of one of our areas of growth for 2024, which include:

1. Continue to develop a database of information about each recipient site in order to better inform the type/amount of vegetables offered, including diversifying our offerings to include more culturally appropriate foods.
2. Conduct interviews with volunteers with the aim of determining about how we can continue to attract and retain active volunteers
3. Help us diversify our seed stock with an emphasis on finding local sources of new heirloom seed varieties and regionally traditional foods for us to grow on the farm.
4. Research and implement leading practices in regenerative agriculture, with possible emphasis on incorporating biodynamic and/or indigenous practices
5. Assist in the development and delivery of our on-farm education programming for youth groups.
6. Gather data as part of our ongoing research on the effect of carbon-sequestering biochar as a soil amendment on plant health and vegetable yield
7. Assist in amplifying Growing to Give’s social media presence

In 2024, we’re offering:

• Full-time summer internship positions with work hours totaling between 350 and 400 hours over 10 to 16 weeks (earliest start date is May 15). Work hours are primarily from 8am – 2pm (with a half-hour spent eating lunch), Monday – Saturday (with Sunday and one weekday off), with some flexibility based on weather and production plan. Interns are expected to devote 3 – 5 additional hours per week on their independent projects either in the fields after hours or off the farm (doing research, visiting other sites, etc.). Interns rotate coming to the farm briefly on Sundays to irrigate the crops.
• Part-time internships are available during the spring (March, April, May) and fall (September, October, November) semesters, and can be negotiated to meet student schedules.

Responsibilities

After participating in a morning meeting to orient everyone to the day’s tasks, interns are expected to participate in a range of necessary day-to-day farm tasks alongside other staff and volunteers. Interns will be properly and thoroughly trained for any new task, and once proficient may also be asked to guide volunteers through a task. Interns rotate taking the lead role of directing gleaners and weighing and packing vegetables into boxes for distribution during harvest days, which occur 3x/week.

Farm work that interns will participate in includes the following:

• Seedling propagation using soil blocks, trays, and pots
• Growing in greenhouses and tunnels
• No-till bed preparation
• Use if living and non-living mulches
• Soil amending (with fertilizers, inoculants, organic matter, etc.)
• Direct seeding and transplanting
• Disease management, pest control, and irrigation
• Harvesting and preparing food for delivery
• Crop planning and rotation
• Cover cropping
• Interplanting/companion planting
• Perennial and annual flower planting/management
• Independent research and activities pertaining to their personal project

Educational benefits

Farming is a highly cross-disciplinary field. To farm sustainably is to operate in a system vastly more complex than what we’ve come to expect from industrial agriculture. An organic farmer replaces chemicals with intimate knowledge of what is happening within the soil: how a single input might affect the entire ecology of the farm, how each crop responds to changes in climate, and the natural rhythms of pest cycles. We incorporate a range of permaculture and organic farming practices that work in concert with nature, rather than against it. Our approach is ever-evolving based on cumulative years of trial and error, the design of natural ecosystems, scientific research, community-level initiatives, cultural knowledge, relationships with other local businesses and nonprofits, and the wisdom of our Growing to Give community members. While we function as a non-profit, the techniques and approach that we use are translatable to small-scale market farming.

Requirements

This hands-on opportunity is geared towards students with a demonstrated passion towards regenerative farming, food sovereignty, community-building, and doing work outdoors. Farm work is often strenuous; interns must feel physically capable of and enthusiastic about doing rigorous outdoor work in all types of weather, including heat. Good communication skills and the ability to take initiative and work collaboratively are vital for a successful internship with Growing to Give.

To Apply:

Please send a resume and a cover letter to carrie@growingtogive.farm no later than April 15, 2024 that highlights the following:

1. Your major (or projected major) and relevant coursework
2. Prior work and/or extracurricular experiences that would
3. Why you feel you would be a good fit for our program
4. Personal areas of interest and that align with the internship experience and several possible projects you would like to undertake
5. What you would hope to gain from this internship experience

Please note: Given the small size of our organization, our internships are currently unpaid and participants are responsible for finding their own housing. Student applicants who are seeking assistance from their school are responsible for checking with their institution regarding requirements to receive funding and/or academic credit before they accept a position.