Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering with Angelic Organics Learning Center is a practical and meaningful way to make a difference in your community. Volunteers play a vital role in our efforts to build healthy local food systems.
Are you interested in...
- Volunteering to help build a local food system?
- Performing volunteer work with others who share a love of food and the land?
- Contributing your time and skills to an organization that you believe in?
- Broadening your resume and/or life experiences?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, please check out the volunteer opportunities below. If you don’t see something that matches your skills or interests, please contact us at 815.389.8455 or learn@learngrowconnect.org.
Animal Crew Volunteer
Come out to the farm and help with regular morning or evening chores, barn constructing, fence repair, compost pile building, mucking the barns, putting up hay, milking goats, and more.
Contact: learn@learngrowconnect.org or 815.389.8455
Chicago Urban Agriculture Volunteer
Move mountains of compost! Beautify vacant city land! Get your hands dirty with youth and adult gardeners, cook with refugee and immigrant farmers, help kids paint signs, build or tend homes for livestock (worms, bees), or lend a hand behind the scenes with research or technical assistance.
Contact: Martha Boyd, Program Director, chicago@learngrowconnect.org or 773.288.5462.
Communications Volunteer
We're looking for volunteers with communications, media, and design experience to join our Communications Committee, help with media and community relations, design templates for new communications materials, and do layout of publications. Help us get the word out to your community!
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
Communications/Storytelling Trainer
We’re looking for a volunteer with communications/writing experience to provide training for our staff and board in storytelling and/or using "plain language.” Help us make our written and verbal communications more compelling and accessible to people of different backgrounds.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
Copywriting Volunteer
Want to help us bring our work to life in print and online? We're looking for a strong writer with a knack for telling compelling stories and the time to get to know our work and conduct interviews with our staff and program participants. Help with our newsletter, website, annual report, and other publications.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
Good Food Gathering Host
Looking for a fun way to support the Learning Center? Make your next dinner party, cocktail party, or picnic a Good Food Gathering that connects your friends with local food and farms. As the host, you commit to raise $500 by asking guests to donate what they would pay for a similar night out. You invite your friends, family, and colleagues and provide the food and the venue so that 100% of proceeds benefit the Learning Center’s work to build local food systems. We provide a sample email invitation and informational materials, and can send a representative to your event to share more about our educational programs.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, at 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
Farm Office Volunteer
Enjoy "indoor" work surrounded by the great outdoors? We need help quarterly with file management, tabulating program data, and occasional mailing preparations. Be a regular part of the team or call us when you have time!
Contact: Candie Rink, Office Manager, 815.389.8455 or learn@learngrowconnect.org
Farm Garden Volunteer
Come regularly to the farm to help tend the Learning Center's garden that we use with visiting groups. Finish up weeding, help plant, and help maintain paths.
Contact: Deb Crockett, Program Director, 815.389.8455 or deb@learngrowconnect.org.
Handyperson
Do you have handyperson skills? We need a regular volunteer to work on small projects around the farm. There are trim boards to put on the cabinets, a leaky sink to fix, and an electrical outlet to replace. There is a path to lay, a gate to hang, and some fencing to repair. The list goes on.
Contact: Tom Spaulding, Executive Director, 815.389.8455
Image Library Volunteer
We're looking for a volunteer to help us organize our photo library. We have a few thousand electronic image files that need to be sorted and cataloged. If you're self motivated, detail oriented, and well organized, we would love your help researching online image storage options, making recommendations to staff, transferring images to a new storage solution, and labeling/categorizing images. We're looking for someone who can complete the project in 2-4 months. Work in our Chicago office, our main farm office, or from home.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org
Mailing Volunteer
Help us behind the scenes with periodic mailings to our friends and supporters. If you're detail-oriented and available during the business day, we'd love to have you work with us on a regular or one-time basis. Our biggest mailings are in early January, late April/early May, and late October/early November.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
On-Farm Education Volunteer
Would you enjoy volunteering with groups that come to the farm to learn about sustainable agriculture? Activities include leading work projects, experimenting with soils, cooking with ingredients from the farm, teaching animal care, or leading food systems activities. We provide training, and welcome the skills that you bring.
Contact: Deb Crockett, Program Director, 815.389.8455 or deb@learngrowconnect.org.
Resource Development Volunteer
Do you have experience planning special events? Have you helped raise funds for a cause you believe in? We’re looking for experienced volunteers to join our Resource Development Committee. Help plan special events, advise on development strategy, and reach out to potential supporters while making an important contribution to our mission.
Contact: Francine Ferrara, Associate Director for Resource Development, 773.288.5462 or donate@learngrowconnect.org.
Roots & Wings Program Volunteer (Rockford)
Volunteer in one of our Roots & Wings youth gardens in Northwest Rockford. Work weekly with youth in gardens. Help with arts projects, cooking and nutrition education, and small business development (value-added products and farmer’s market sales).
Contact: Deb Crockett, Program Director, 815.389.8455 or deb@learngrowconnect.org
Technology Volunteer
Help our staff keep the office side of things running! We are looking for geeks who can help our staff set up new hardware, troubleshoot minor emergencies, and work on networking projects.
Contact: Tara Lamb, IS Manager, computer@learngrowconnect.org or 815.389.8455
Vegetable Crew Volunteer
From June to October
Get down and get dirty! Angelic Organics CSA shareholders are encouraged to come to the farm to walk a day in your farmer’s shoes (or muddy boots!) and to work alongside the field crew. At least one week’s notice is needed. Field volunteering guidelines will be provided.
Contact: learn@learngrowconnect.org or 815.389.8455
Check out our Wish List for additional volunteer opportunities.