Volunteer with Grow Portland!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Grow Portland! Your support helps us continue our mission to support schools and communities by facilitating hands-on garden experiences that foster connections to food, nature and each other. Read below to see our volunteer opportunities.
Join us for a Garden Work Party:
Work parties take place in our partner school gardens and generally last about 2 hours.
Our schools have at least one work party each spring and fall so there are many opportunities to join in! Come work with us and get to know your local school garden and our fun and knowledgeable team! See a map of our gardens here. There is no need to RSVP - you can just show up ready to go.
Common work party tasks include:
Weeding
Spreading mulch in pathways
Adding soil to garden beds
Watering
We will provide all necessary tools and gloves, though you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer! We work in uncovered gardens, so please dress for the weather, and bring adequate sun and rain protection. And please bring your own water no matter the weather!
Please fill out this form if you're interested in being added to our work party volunteer list! During the growing season, you can expect to receive a few emails a month (at most) with details about upcoming work parties. Thank you so much for your interest!
Work Party Volunteer Interest Form
Be a Classroom Volunteer:
Join us during Garden School and get to work directly with students and our staff by becoming a Classroom Volunteer! We teach hands-on garden education focused on environmental science, connecting to Nature, and growing food together. Grow Portland is partnered with 17 schools (PreK-middle school), working with 6,500 students in their school gardens. Students receive monthly, 45-minute lessons led by Grow Portland’s Garden Educators in partnership with classroom teachers. Lessons are themed each month and include topics like Soil Health, Plant Life Cycles, Local Birds, Pollination and much more!
What to expect as a Classroom Volunteer:
BACKGROUND CHECKS: All classroom volunteers should complete volunteer background checks before joining Garden Class.
WEATHER: We go outside rain or shine but will communicate alternate lesson plans if the weather is especially cold or wet. Please dress appropriately!
YOUR PARTICIPATION: We appreciate your full presence and participation to support activity stations led by the Garden Educator- check with them on how you can help set-up/clean-up/transition groups or lead simple activities. You can model curiosity and active learning by getting to know the students, asking open-ended questions about the activities, and tasting plants along with students.
HELP CLEAN-UP/RESET SUPPLIES: Garden Educators teach up to 5 lessons a day with quick transitions- your help resetting supplies between classes can be a huge support to them. Depending on the season, helping with any basic garden work is also a bonus!