Volunteer with Roots
Volunteer at the Farm!
Saturdays, 2pm to 5pm*
Wednesdays, 3pm to 5pm
We are working hard to build our farm: laying out the various farming and teaching areas, tilling the soil and getting things ready for a major fall planting.
If you like working in the soil, please join us! There's no need to ask or apply, just show up ready to get in the dirt. Bring work gloves and wear sturdy shoes, long pants, sunscreen and hat. If you've got them, bring your own tools too: shovels, steel rakes, digging forks, long-handled manual weed cutters. A few wheel barrows would be nice too.
*Third Saturdays we work from 9am to noon so we can go to the La Milpa Open House.
Location: Click here for a map.
CAUTION: Do not use MapQuest, OnStar, or other navigation aids. They will not get you there!
DIRECTIONS: Take I-5 South through Chula Vista, exit at Tocayo Ave. Proceed on Tocayo Avenue west to Hollister (second light). Turn left on Hollister. Proceed on Hollister to Sunset (second stop sign). Turn left on Sunset. Go 400 yards east on Sunset and turn right onto the dirt road just beyond the Sun Grown Distributors sign. Proceed down the dirt road about 300 yards, past the greenhouses and Sun Grown warehouse. Our farm begins just beyond the warehouse.
PUBLIC TRANSIT: Take the Blue Line Trolley south toward San Ysidro, exit at the Iris Station. Transfer to the 934 Bus west, exit at the corner of Tocayo Ave. & Hollister (a short trip). Walk or bike south on Hollister to Sunset (second stop sign). Turn left and walk 300 yards east till you see our sign on the right-hand side of the road, just before the County Park. Turn right and proceed down the dirt road about 300 yards, past the greenhouses and Sun Grown warehouse. Our farm begins just beyond the warehouse.
We’re growing with your help!
San Diego Roots was formed to strengthen the local food movement in the San Diego region and to create a sustainable urban-rural partnership that brings healthy local food to our communities and sustains the working landscapes and people that feed us.
San Diego Roots is a volunteer-run non-profit organization. Get involved! Find a project that matches your interests and sign up for our volunteer database!
Weekly Action Team Meetings
Committees and meeting schedules are:
- Public Relations and Outreach (First Mondays)
- Educational Programs (Second Mondays)
- Fundraising (Third Mondays)
- Volunteer Orientation (Fourth Mondays)
- Special Topics (Fifth Mondays, every few months)
- Finance (First Wednesdays)
- Monthly Board of Directors Meetings (Second Wednesdays)
- Governance (Third Wednesdays)
Monday meetings take place in the Community Room of Ocean Beach People's Organic Food Co-op from 4 to 5:30 pm (except on holidays). Address is 4765 Voltaire Street, San Diego 92107. The public is invited to attend any Monday meeting.
SD Roots Projects
Victory Gardens San Diego
Help create and maintain organic, edible gardens for homes, schools and communities. This is a "hands-in-the-dirt" project, though there are also administrative openings.
Contact: Bob Greenamyer:
Click here to go to the VGSD website.
Seeds at City Urban Farm
Join the fun and help this urban farm in the city's core while working along side the interns at San Diego City College garden! Public times: Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9am to noon. This is a "hands-in-the-dirt" project.
Contact: Karon Klipple:
Click here go to the Seeds @ City website.
Food for Thought Film Series
Help organize, promote, and present free films about food issues. Or do you have a location to show a film followed by a discussion about local food?
Contact: Elyssa Paige:
Click here to go to the Food For Thought webpage
Education & Outreach
Represent San Diego Roots at a community event
Support us as we share our mission and message at events such as Earth Day, Earth fairs, and sustainability forums. The public is hungry for what we're offering and it's always inspiring to talk to folks about local food issues! Volunteer training provided.
- Share ideas at our information table
- Provide a presentation about health and food issues
- Talk about San Diego Roots with our interactive presentation
- Give workshops, classes, or seminars on growing and preparing organic food
If you would like to invite San Diego Roots to a community event, please contact us at
.
Administration
We are seeking dedicated community members with skills to contribute to these tasks:
- Volunteer and outreach coordination
- Grant writing and research
- Media and public relations
- Accounting (CPA Preferred)
- Project managers
- Legal advice
To be involved, pease contact us
and/or attend one of our weekly Monday meetings (details at the top of this page)!
Do you have an idea for a new project?
Are you able to organize and implement it?
Please contact us and ask for a Project Proposal Questionnaire. We'll get back to you and let you know the next steps. Because SD Roots is an all-volunteer organization, please allow for plenty of lead time before you wish to begin.
Join the San Diego Roots Volunteer Database!
If you'd like to be contacted when volunteer opportunities come up, please get on our list of those to call first! Your information will be used only for SD Roots purposes and will never be sold or shared with anyone else.
Other things you can do to help
the local food movement
Eat Locally
- Shop at Farmer’s Markets. Talk to the people you are buying from. Find out how it is grown and who grows it. Is it grown in San Diego County?
- For a list of Farmer’s Markets and organic food grocery in the San Diego area, click here.
- Ask your favorite restaurant, grocery store and child’s school to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Donate to support our programs!
Your tax-deductible contribution to Roots supports our projects and aids us in our outreach and education efforts.
To make a tax-deductible donation with a credit card and PayPal, click the donate button below.
If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation using a check, please send it to:
San Diego Roots
PO Box 33285
San Diego, California 92163-3285