Building a healthier local food system is a tall order. It takes commitment, reflection, planning, partnerships, money… and a ton of volunteer work by people throughout our community.  We are grateful to have had the support and hands of thousands of volunteers from our inception and are able to continue offering our programs and services because of our Volunteer Program.

There are many ways to contribute as a volunteer, depending on your interest, experience, skills, and availability. Keep ready to learn about all the different ways below! 

If you are interested in volunteering with Petaluma Bounty, please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form. 

If you are under 18 years old, you’ll need to print off a volunteer waiver, have a parent or guardian sign it, and bring it with you the first time you volunteer with us.

Si usted o su hijo va a hacer trabajo voluntario con Bounty y prefiere llenar el formulario en español, por favor haga click aqui.

Corporate Service Days:

Organize a community service day for your business or place of work! We organize hands-on service days at Bounty Farm for groups up to 30 people. Farm activities can include planting, weeding, organizing, harvesting, etc., or other larger project of need on the farm at the time. We charge a fee for organizing these days, please contact education@petalumabounty.org if you are interested.

Service Learning Opportunities:

We welcome groups of students or community members who wish to engage in service learning opportunities at the farm. Typically, service learning groups are high school-aged and above and are motivated to complete service hours. Service learning projects usually involve supporting farm production at Bounty Farm, and are available on a seasonal and project-by-project basis. If your group is over 5 participants, we ask that you contact education@petalumabounty.org to coordinate the schedule and tasks. If you have a group of 4 or fewer, you are welcome to join regular BountyCommunity Farm hours. See below for additional information.

1) Petaluma Bounty Community Farm 

Our current volunteer hour are Wednesdays from 9am – 12pm and 2-5pm and Saturdays from 9am-12pm. 

To sign up, go to our Calendly.

The volunteer season ends mid-December and begins again on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on the third Monday in January. Check Facebook for most recent updates and call or email with questions, (707) 364-4866 or education@petalumabounty.org.

2) Chicken Tender Program:

You can also volunteer to be a chicken tender! This includes either letting the hens out in the morning or putting them to bed at night. Each shift is ~30 minutes long. We ask all volunteers to complete a training before taking on a shift. Check our Facebook page or Weekly email (you can sign up on our home page) for upcoming trainings or email education@petalumabounty.org to schedule your own!

 

3) Bounty Hunters Program:

Bounty Hunters gleaning and food recovery activities happen year-round. We’re looking for volunteers (to help harvest fresh fruit and vegetables from local orchards and farms) and drivers (to help drive donated food to local distribution sites). Read up on the program, roles and needs here. And when you’re ready to volunteer, simply fill out our online Volunteer Form or email bountyhunters@petalumabounty.org.

4) Community Gardens

As of Fall 2023, La Tercera Community Garden is being rebuilt. Volunteers with the Petaluma Bounty can come and volunteer at pre-planned work days to prepare the site for construction starting June 2024. There will be volunteer opportunities posted via Petaluma Bounty Newsletters. You can also contact communitygardens@petalumabounty.org for more information on volunteering with Community Gardens in Petaluma. 

5) Education Volunteers 

These are volunteers who help out with field trips at the farm. We try to contact you 2-4 weeks in advance for field trips with dates, activities, and age groups. The Education Coordinator will plan all activities; you will be there to help facilitate and manage some of these! If you are interested in curriculum development, please reach out to education@petalumabounty.org to share your ideas! 

6) Farmers Market Volunteers 

As part of a USDA Grant, we complete data collection at 18 markets throughout Sonoma and Marin County. It is ideal to have two data collectors for each day. We are looking for volunteers to help out with this! Access to a smartphone is necessary for this. If you care about and enjoy shopping at your local market, this could be a great opportunity for you!  To learn more please email fmlife@petalumabounty.org. 

7) Sales Outlet Volunteers

Having extra hands at our farmers market and farm stand can make a huge help! These sales outlets typically run from May to November. The farmers market is on Saturdays from 2-5 pm and the farm stand is on Wednesdays from 3-6 pm. We ask volunteers to meet at the farm at 1 pm to help with set up. If you are interested in helping out with sales outlets, please email education@petalumabounty.org.

8) Social Media/Graphic Design 

If you prefer being behind a computer and all things graphic design, we are always looking for help with flier creation, social media content, picture organization, and more! Email education@petalumabounty.org to learn about some of our current projects!