With rows of crops visible from Birmingham’s interstate system and Teaching Farms nestled on school campuses across the city, Jones Valley Teaching Farm is a beacon for individuals who are passionate about food, education, and community.
Explore our volunteer opportunities below:
WEEKDAY OPPORTUNITIES | APRIL – OCTOBER
WEEKEND OPPORTUNITIES | APRIL – OCTOBER
We are inviting individuals and families to join us on select weekends to practice farm skills including cultivating, mulching, planting, weeding, trellising, and more!
*SUMMER PROTOCOL: Mornings only (7-12). If there is a heat advisory, NO VOLUNTEERS.
This weekday volunteer program has a special focus on food safety and harvest technique.
Group volunteer events are planned on a case-by-case basis according to our programming and production schedules. These opportunities are available to college affiliates, corporations, civic groups, and more!
Do you have a skill you would like to volunteer? We frequently need people with the following skills: plumbing, electrical, beekeeping, carpentry, physical therapy, culinary arts, agriculture, landscaping, mechanics, etc. If you have a skill you would like to offer, fill out the form below.
We need volunteers to assist with Camp Grow to help with before-care and after-care, and offer an extra set of hands to our Instructors through the morning and afternoon.
We ask that volunteers come prepared with:
All volunteers must submit a signed waiver in order to participate. If you are a volunteer under the age of 18, you will need your guardian to fill out a Minor Waiver.
We expect all volunteers, staff, and visitors who enter the farm space to be respectful and aware of themselves, others, and the land. No smoking or vaping allowed. Weapons of any kind are prohibited. In order to ensure a safe environment, we reserve the right to dismiss volunteers if deemed necessary.
Accessibility
We strive to make our volunteer opportunities accessible to as many people as possible. Some farming activities may include long periods of sitting, standing, bending, twisting, squatting, lifting, etc. All restrooms and building entrances are ADA accessible; the farm fields are not.
If you aren’t sure if these activities are accessible to you, please let us know. Our farmers will work with you to identify different techniques and tools or assign alternate tasks. We hope to offer adapted farm tools soon and welcome your feedback to help us continue improving our volunteer activities.
Your health is more important than any farm task– listen to your body and let us know if you need to take a break or make an adaptation at any point.