Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Warmer weather brings many new activities and opportunities to be involved at CORE El Centro!
Summer is a special time at CORE El Centro when we can take full advantage of our rooftop garden and patio! The kids aren’t in school, so we can spend extra time together in enriching activities. And the veggies are growing at the nearby farm, bringing CSA boxes to our doorstep.
Each year volunteers make an enormous contribution to CORE El Centro’s programs! We really couldn’t do what we do without the generous folks who share their time and talents to the community.
Whether you have volunteered before or are looking for a new experience in a caring and positive atmosphere, one or more of these volunteering opportunities may be right for you:
CSA Box Distribution
Bi-weekly CSA Box Distribution Volunteer
This is a chance to help our Gardening, Herbalism, and Nutrition Coordinator to hand out CSA boxes in the Bruce Street lobby. CSA members pre-order their boxes and pick them up every other Thursday (3:00-4:30pm) between June 17th and November 18th (following COVID safety protocols). You could help with some or all these pick-up dates. The coordinator may need some help getting set up and contacting CSA members. You may do a little light lifting (moving small boxes of produce). Sometimes there are CSA boxes left over that can be donated to volunteers! This is a great chance to brighten someone’s day and meet new people!
Children’s Wellness Programming
Children’s Wellness Kids Camp Promotion Volunteer
We are seeking a volunteer who can help with promoting our Kids camp! Work with Children’s Wellness Program manager on getting the word out in a variety of ways about this wonderful opportunity for kids. This volunteer role is virtual and flexible.
Children’s Wellness Garden Volunteer
This is an opportunity to assist staff with open garden time and in presenting a garden lesson for families on Saturdays, June 5th, June 19th, July 24th, Sept 25th
Shift time - 11:45 to 2:30
This can be a one-time volunteer opportunity, or a volunteer is welcome to volunteer for all 4 of these special events!
Children’s Wellness Kids Camp Volunteer Leaders/Instructors
If you have some special skills in gardening and/or cooking, this is a chance to share them in a couple of 2-hour lessons for our Kids in the Kitchen and Kids Gardening camps (see times and ages below). Since we are in the planning stages, all ideas are welcome, and this is a great time to connect with us to be part of planning these exciting camps!
Children’s Wellness Kids Camp Volunteer Assistants
This is an opportunity to support instructors and participants in all our Kids’ Camps. Volunteers can commit to one or more days of volunteering for camp, ideally for a shift from 10am to noon or 1 to 3pm. Volunteer assistants would help in a variety of ways including working directly with participants, helping participants remain socially distant, set up, and clean up and more.
Children’s Wellness Kids Camp Broadcast Volunteer
Assist with helping make camp accessible to as many kids as possible by helping to live stream the in-person camp for the virtual participants. Volunteer for one or more days for this opportunity.
The intention is to have these camps in-person, primarily on the rooftop and partially in the Movement space. Virtual instructors and participants are also welcome, and these camps can all easily move to the virtual format if COVID protocols need to change.
READ MORE ABOUT KIDS CAMPS (dates, hours, themes, etc)
Gardening for Grown-ups
Rooftop Garden Watering and Weeding Volunteer
This is a chance to spend some time caring for the plants in the rooftop garden on Mondays for the months of June, July and August. This shift can be done solo. It takes about one hour per week and timing is flexible between 9 and 2.
Rooftop Garden Weeding and Special Project Volunteer
If you like to get your hands in some dirt, volunteers are needed for occasional weeding, work shifts, and special projects in the garden through the season. For these projects, you will be with a staff member, so no experience is necessary. It’s a great opportunity to learn about gardening or lend your expertise if you have some! We do not have shift times planned yet. Please reach out if you are interested, and we will coordinate further.
Fundraising
Golf-Outing Fundraiser Planning Volunteer
Our staff are looking for community members with fresh ideas and marketing skills to help plan and execute our late-summer Whole-in-One Golf Outing. Volunteers will participate in regular committee meetings via Zoom and take on small tasks as needed to help create a great event and spread the word.
You can learn more about how we organize volunteering on our website. Please contact Jillian Holy-Skaja at jillianh@core-elcentro.org if you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities.