Volunteering with Reiman Gardens

Activity Description

Each week, a Grow & Give volunteer will pick up donated produce from vendors at the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market. Volunteers bring donations to Reiman Gardens to place in the cooler for weighing and distribution to local food pantries the following week.

Activity Instructions

Hours will be automatically logged each week by the system. If you are signed up, you will be automatically recorded as volunteering for 1.5 hours. If you work more or much less than that, please email the Manager of Volunteer Engagement with corrections.

1. Pick up the wagon, crates, and other farmer’s market supplies from Reiman Gardens.
   • The wagon and supplies will be available for pick up between 2-5 p.m. on Friday afternoon or between 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday morning.
   • The supplies are stored in the back hallway of Reiman Gardens. (See map below.)
   • Use the service drive and pull into the parking lot by the greenhouses for easy loading/unloading.
2. Arrive at the Farmer’s Market with all supplies around 12 p.m. on Saturdays.
   • Free parking is available in the parking lots south of Main Street (behind the shops).
   • Collapsible crates should fit easily in the wagon for easy transportation to/through the market.
   • Load weight limit for wagon is 200 pounds.
3. Use the clipboard to identify the vendors that may be willing to donate produce each week. They will be in different spots each week, so you will need to locate each one.
   • Introduce yourself as the Grow and Give volunteer from Reiman Gardens.
   • Ask if they have any produce donations this week for local food pantries.
   • If they do, produce can be loaded into a crate.
     • Please do not overload crates. Ideally, you will be able to stack crates on top of each other.
     • Use a notecard to identify which bags/crates of produce are from which vendor. Include notes (for example, if something is spicy or hard to identify produce).
   • Mark on the vendor spreadsheet which types of produce were donated.
   • Ask if they want a receipt for their donations. They will need to fill out the form and include an email address if they wish to receive a copy. Forms will be turned in to The Foundation.
   • Thank all vendors, even if they have no produce to donate this week.
4. Once all vendors have been met, load the crates of produce and supplies back into your vehicle. Return to Reiman Gardens by 2 p.m.
5. Unload produce and deliver to the coolers in the headhouse.
   • Pull through the service drive and into the lot by the greenhouses again.
   • Use the back door to deliver all crates of produce to the coolers in the headhouse.
   • Tomatoes should all be left on the table—they should not go into coolers. Please identify which tomatoes are from which vendors.
6. Shut the headhouse doors behind you and turn off the lights when you leave. Leave wagon in the back hallway.

Requirements

• Onsite volunteer
• Produce Donation Program & Food Safety Training
• Volunteers will use their personal vehicles to transport themselves to and from the Farmer's Market.

Staff Leaders

Location