Volunteer

Description

Administrative volunteers assist Mission Garden staff with clerical, organizational, and development tasks. 

Schedule

There are limited volunteer opportunities. Staff will reach out as needed. 

Key Responsibilities (examples of projects)

• Filing, shredding, organizing materials

• Stuffing envelopes and creating labels

• Entering data from harvest logs and mailing lists

• Compiling learning resources for public programs

• Creating volunteer and staff name tags

Requirements

• Attention to details

• Comfort with computers, typing, and printers

Description

Building & Construction volunteers support the Facilities Manager with maintenance projects.

Schedule

There are limited volunteer opportunities. Staff will reach out as projects come up.

Key Responsibilities

• Repairing and building structures, fences, and irrigation systems

• Taking inventory, organizing, and maintaining tools and supplies

Physical Requirements

• Ability to bend, crouch, and lift objects 

• Work in indoor and outdoor settings

Description

The Curator of Collections is currently seeking one Seed Collections Specialist.

The Curatorial Assistant / Seed Collection Specialist works under the guidance and supervision of the Curator of Collections to maintain and expand records of the seed collections of Mission Garden.

Schedule

Approximately 4 hours per week. Preferably Wednesdays.

Key Responsibilities

• Gathering, recording, and maintaining information related to the Seed Collection

• Updating seed information in database

• Assisting in seed cleaning workshops and projects with volunteers.

Preferred Qualifications

Organizational skills, attention to detail, knowledge of seeds and seed-saving.

Description

Docents represent Mission Garden as the public face of the organization and interpret history and agriculture to visitors through the activities listed below. Mission Garden requests an annual fee for Docents to cover the cost of trainings. New docents begin their training in the new year (typically the end of January).

Schedule

125-hour commitment per year (average of 3 hours per week). 

Key Responsibilities

• Greeting the public at the front entrance

• Describing the mission, vision, values, and structure of Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace

• Describing the history, cultures, and crops represented in the garden

• Describing attributes of the garden’s individual plots

• Promoting upcoming public programs and special garden resources 

• Assisting with public programming, such as Tasting History

• Giving tours to interested groups

• Specializing in and interpreting a cultural garden, crop, period of history, or other aspect of the garden and potentially doing special programs or information tables about it
  

Qualifications

• Willingness to learn

• Attendance at docent trainings, additional reading and research

• Basic familiarity with Tucson’s history, ecology, crops, climate, cultural diversity (but you’ll learn much more through docent training and continuing education opportunities at the garden)

• Upbeat attitude 

• Interest in visitors

• Knowledge of Tucson’s agricultural history and/or knowledge of other fields relevant to the garden, such as linguistics, hydrology, food systems, botany, etc.

Experience Desired but not Required

• Gardening or agricultural experience

• Archaeological or ethnohistorical experience

• Familiarity or background in one of the cultural groups in Tucson historically

• Understanding of the history of the Tucson area

• Bilingual or multilingual

Benefits

• Gains a well-rounded knowledge of Tucson’s history, ecology, historic agriculture, and other areas

• Has access to experts in many fields during docent training and at other events and opportunities at the Garden

• Opportunity to specialize in one of the subject areas relevant to the garden

• Satisfaction of helping visitors to the garden learn about the garden and topics they are interested in.

Description

Assists with growing, harvesting, and tending to the 4-acre garden, which includes heritage fruit trees, annual crops, Native plants, and medicinal, perennial plants. 

Schedule

Wednesdays and Saturdays

7:30am-11:30am April - September 

8am-12pm October - March
*Other dates and times as needed

Key Responsibilities

• Planting, seeding, composting, watering, mulching, shading, digging, mulching, raking, and weed control 

• Plant propagation and seed saving 

• Routine crop harvesting of diverse plants

• Chicken care

Requirements

• Ability to follow directions from garden team

• Interest in heritage fruits and crops and willingness to learn

• Knowledge of common weeds or willingness to learn

Physical Requirements

• Bending, squatting, lifting, operating hand tools 

• Working in extreme weather and encountering wildlife, such as snakes and wasps

Description

Kitchen Volunteers support the efforts of Mission Garden through the preparation and sharing of produce and harvest through sampling, recipes, storytelling, and jam & marmalade production to foster a better understanding and appreciation of local agriculture through a connection with growing, harvesting, and sustaining heritage crops.

Schedule

Tuesday - Saturday between the hours of 8am-2pm. Typical hours are Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, 8-1pm. Kitchen Volunteers may also be invited to help with special events that sometimes occur outside of these normal operating hours.

Key Responsibilities

• Cook dishes and process foods for Mission Garden public-facing events, such as Tasting History or festivals. 

• Engage the public with educational opportunities to learn about Mission Garden’s crops and the dishes connected to them. This may include tabling at existing events or pop-up interpretation around what the kitchen is making.

• Support in the production of jam, marmalades, baking mixes and other products for sale at the Mission Garden store

• Maintain kitchen cleanliness and orderliness, per operating standards 

• Follow operating standards to keep consumers of our products healthy and keep the garden in compliance with Pima County Health Dept. 

• Optional: Taking inventory of paper goods and other consumables

Qualifications

• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with members of the public and fellow volunteers.

• Successful Kitchen Volunteers are friendly, adaptable and comfortable interacting with diverse groups of people.

• This position is best suited to those who are comfortable with kitchen and culinary procedures, or have a desire to develop their culinary and kitchen skills, and for those who are interested in learning–and sharing what they learn–about history, ethnobotany, gardening, and cooking.

• Volunteers in this position must be able to secure a Pima County ServSafe Certification within two weeks of being accepted as a kitchen volunteer, and prior to being permitted to participate in certain activities and tasks. Volunteers who make jams and jellies must also be trained in these procedures, done internally with Mission Garden staff and lead volunteers.

Benefits

• Learning about the rich culinary traditions of Tucson. Kitchen Volunteers make dishes with roots in many different communities that the garden serves and represents. 

• Kitchen Volunteers save produce that would otherwise have been wasted/gone bad and turn it into products that Mission Garden sells in its store. This provides valuable income and an educational opportunity to share heritage crops with the Tucson community. 

• A supportive community of creative, hard working people. Kitchen Volunteers bring a variety of skills and experience, from cooking to project management to education, and have a culture of mutual respect and learning from one another. 

Physical Requirements

Volunteer Applicants should be aware that Mission Garden contains approximately four acres of outdoor garden with uneven paths, insects, reptiles, etc. 

Must be able to lift approx. 10 pounds.

Description

Volunteer librarians help document and organize incoming books. 

Schedule

No volunteer positions at this time. If you apply, we’ll add you to the waitlist.

Key Responsibilities

• Attend weekly library sessions 

• Work under the supervision of the curator

• Enter data on new books in the Library Things program

• Keep track of borrowed and returned items

• Shelf returned and new entries

• Contribute suggestions and help implement improvement of the library system

• Be familiar with the collection and provide assistance for staff and volunteer researchers

• Be mindful that the library is located in a common workspace and make an effort not to disturb others

Qualifications

Knowledge of library systems, computer and internet proficiency, knowledge of content relevant to Mission Garden, interest in books, attention to detail, and discretion.

Description

Outreach volunteers represent Mission Garden and interact with the public offsite and at Mission Garden’s public programs.

Schedule

There are no regular hours. Staff will reach out as needed. 

Key Responsibilities

• Table at local events to share about Mission Garden with partner organizations and those who might be interested in learning more

• Table onsite at Mission Garden’s public programs to interact with and answer questions of visitors

• Attend meetings or provide presentations offsite to share about Mission Garden
  

Qualifications

• Familiarity with Mission Garden, heritage foods, and the cultural groups who have influenced Tucson’s agriculture. 

• Ability to interact with a wide diversity of public audiences to share information about the Garden

• Experience with racially, culturally, and generationally diverse audiences

• Access to a personal vehicle or transportation to bring materials offsite

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift boxes with display materials, and set up a table and chairs

Description

Public Programs Volunteers support the efforts of Mission Garden to help people of all ages to learn about the history, culture, plants, and agricultural activities represented in the garden. This offers a rewarding opportunity to engage with the Tucson community in an outdoor educational setting.

Schedule

Public programs tend to occur during Mission Garden’s open hours of 8-12pm, Wed-Sat., in the summer (April-Sept) and 8-2pm, Wed-Sat., in the cooler months (Oct-March). However, programs will occasionally occur later in the day. Shifts are 2-3 hours long.

Key Responsibilities

• Particular activities will vary based on your responsibility and expertise. Different roles include:

  • Facilitating educational activities for visitors, such as serving dishes and providing information about their cultural context or offering information on how best to grow a particular crop. This is especially needed in Tasting History events.

  • Welcoming and greeting visitors and providing them with general information about the garden. (These volunteers should have experience in another volunteer role at the garden so they are familiar with the garden and information).

  • Assisting with physical setup of the garden for an event, including tables and chairs.

  • Seeing to the physical wellbeing of visitors at public programs. This may include distributing water or working at a cooling tent. (Those with healthcare experience are encouraged to volunteer in this capacity.)

• In all roles, volunteers will need to:

  • Foster a welcoming and safe environment for diverse visitors.

  • Remain calm while working at events with large groups of people.

  • Communicate clearly with Mission Garden staff and volunteers, both before and during the events.

 Requirements

• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with staff, diverse members of the public, and fellow volunteers.

• Flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing needs and circumstances.

• Must pass a background check

Physical Requirements

Volunteer Applicants should be aware that Mission Garden contains approximately four acres of outdoor garden with uneven paths, insects, reptiles, etc.

Must be able to lift approx. 25 pounds.

Benefits

• Valuable hands-on experience in environmental education and interpretation.

• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of students and inspire a love for nature and learning.

• Training and support provided by experienced staff and educators.

Description

Volunteer seed-savers help harvest, clean, sort, label, package and store seeds grown at Mission Garden.

Schedule

Wednesday 1-3 pm. Other days are possible for large groups. 

Key Responsibilities

• Follow instructions of the Curator of Collections 

• Observation, attention to detail, and patience 

• Interest in learning about seeds and their stories

• Help clean up before departing

Description

Shop volunteers staff the Garden Shop at the main entrance of Mission Garden. They act as representatives, interacting with the public and answering questions about the garden, local businesses, and the stories and contexts behind retail items. 

Schedule

Regularly sign up for 2-3 hour shifts each week Tuesday - Saturday. 

Key Responsibilities

• Performs retail sales

• Informs shoppers about what items are available in the shop, where they come from, and what they represent

• Helps set up the outdoor part of the shop in the morning or put shop items away at closing time

• Helps track inventory

• Sometimes may be asked to sell things at different locations in the garden (like Tasting History programs in the Placita) or represent the garden offsite

Requirements

• Comfortable executing cash and card transactions

• Use of the Square app on an iPad

• Good attitude and willingness to help visitors and shoppers

• Retail experience or willingness to learn

• Familiarity with Mission Garden and local organizations and businesses or willingness to learn

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit or stand outside under a shaded structure

• Ability to lift up to 10 lbs

Description

Youth Education Volunteers support the efforts of Mission Garden to help young people learn about the history, culture, plants, and agricultural activities represented in the garden. This includes providing support as an educator at preK-12 field trips to the garden and facilitating youth activities at special events. This offers a rewarding opportunity to engage with students in an outdoor educational setting and facilitate hands-on learning experiences.

Schedule

Field trip groups come during Mission Garden’s open hours of 8-12 pm, Wed-Sat., in the summer (April-Sept) and 8-2pm, Wed-Sat., in the cooler months (Oct-March). We especially encourage school groups to come on Thursdays and Fridays. We ask volunteers to arrive approx. 1 hour before the school group and to stay for debrief and cleanup, which also takes approx. 1 hour. Combined, this can mean a 3-4hr commitment.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate educational activities for preK-12 groups visiting Mission Garden on field trips.

• Respond promptly to scheduling emails and communicate clearly with Mission Garden staff while planning field trips. Collaborate with staff and fellow volunteers to coordinate logistics of activities. 

• Foster a positive and inclusive learning environment that encourages curiosity and inquiry. 

• Manage group dynamics, and ensure the safety of all participants. Adapt teaching strategies to meet the needs and interests of diverse student populations.

Qualifications

• Passion for the work of Mission Garden and helping young people learn about the place they live.

• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with students, teachers, and fellow volunteers.

• Enthusiasm for working with diverse groups of children.

• Flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing needs and circumstances during field trip activities.

• Must pass a background check

• Prior experience in education, interpretation, or environmental outreach is preferred but not required.

Physical Requirements

• Volunteer Applicants should be aware that Mission Garden contains approximately four acres of outdoor garden with uneven paths, insects, reptiles, etc.

• Must be able to lift approx. 25 pounds. Must be able to stand or walk during school group visits (approx. 2 hours) with limited breaks. 

Benefits

• Valuable hands-on experience in environmental education and interpretation.

• Opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of students and inspire a love for nature and learning.

• Training and support provided by experienced staff and educators.