Volunteering with Reiman Gardens

Activity Description

Each week, Grow & Give volunteers will set up in the Reiman Gardens parking lot to accept produce donations from local growers. Volunteers will record the types of produce, weight of each donation, and the person who donated the produce into the records. Produce will be sorted evenly between all food pantries. Volunteers will also put over-ripe or broken produce into crates to be donated to local zoos and shelters. Once weighing and sorting is complete, volunteers will take each portion to designated food pantry.

Activity Instructions

Hours will be automatically logged by the system. Volunteers do not need to log their hours manually.

Set-up:

• Upon arrival, set up tables outside of the Maintenance Building for local growers to drop off their produce (in case of bad weather, set up tables inside the Maintenance Building).
• One table should be set up with a scale and computer for recording weights.
• All the supplies are in the Maintenance break room on the wire shelves along the south wall. The carts in the cooler will need to be brought down to the Maintenance Building for weighing; if they are not already there, one or two volunteers will need to bring them over from the Head House.
• Set up sanitized crates on the tables and create areas for each of the five food banks to be sorted into. Be sure to keep sanitized crates off of the ground!
• Reserve some sanitized crates to give to growers who would like to use them for collecting produce for next week.
• Put the Grow & Give sign out in front of the Maintenance door to signal to home gardeners where to come for drop off.

1. Recording produce:
   • Assign one volunteer to be in charge of recording all weights into the spreadsheet provided.
   • Weigh each of the full produce crates using the provided scale (remember to subtract the weight of the crate from each total).
   • Record who contributed each amount. Weigh each type of produce separately.
2. Sorting produce:
   • The rest of the volunteers can greet donors and help them carry produce to be weighed.
   • After weighing, sort out produce which has already been weighed.
   • Divide the produce equally to distribute to the different food pantries. 
3. Delivery of produce:
   • Volunteers will work together to determine who will deliver to which food pantries. Any food pantries that cannot be covered, Reiman Gardens staff will handle.
   • Use your own vehicle to load up the produce going the food bank(s) you are assigned. Deliver items as instructed.
   • Return the empty crates to Reiman Gardens by noon. Drive up the Service Drive next to the Maintenance Building and enter through the back gate entrance. Drive through the open gate and continue around by the greenhouse until you come a door facing you. Enter through the door and leave the crates along the wall out of the way of traffic. If you are not sure where to put the crates, you can also leave them in the headhouse.

Requirements

• Onsite volunteer
• Produce Donation Program & Food Safety Training
• Volunteers will use their personal vehicles to transport produce to local food pantries.
• All volunteers wishing to use a University vehicle must successfully pass a Motor Vehicle Record check through the University’s Office of Risk Management.
• Volunteers should be able to lift 25+ pounds

Staff Leaders