Volunteer Opportunities
At the Countryside Conservancy, one thing's for certain — we couldn't accomplish all that we do without the hard work, and dedication of our volunteers.
Our volunteer opportunities provide many different ways that you can get involved — whether you are interested in helping out at our Farmers' Markets, assisting office staff, or planning special events — we'd love to hear from you. Check out our volunteer opportunities, and contact us if one seems like a good fit for you.
MARKET CHEFS (Howe Meadow and Highland Square)
Market Chefs execute cooking demonstrations and coordinate 
tastings of seasonal produce and locally made foods. Duties may include: set up and tear down of demonstration tent, gathering produce for cooking demonstrations, distribution of market recipes and answering general cooking questions and assisting with tastings. Skills Required: Love of local food, interest in seasonal eating and sustainable agriculture, good public relations/teaching skill and ease at talking to the public. No professional culinary experience necessary. Minimum Time Commitment: Three hours
MARKET MUSICIANS (Howe Meadow)
Volunteers provide their musical talents for the enjoyment of market shoppers, vendors and others in attendance. Skill required: musical talent and a passion for sharing it with the public in a relaxed, enjoyable community setting. Minimum Time Commitment: Three hours
PHOTOGRAPHY VOLUNTEER (Howe Meadow and Highland Square)
Attention, budding photographers! We’re always looking for photos that capture the essence of our farmers’ markets. Hours are very flexible.
MARKET COUNTER (Howe Meadow and Highland Square)
Are you a people watcher? Do you long to hang out on street corners and watch the parade? Countryside Farmers’ Markets are growing and we like to keep track of this growth. Every week during the season we count the customers entering each corner of the market. Skills Required: Ability to avoid distractions, ability to "click". Minimum Time Commitment: Flexible. (Having multiple counters allows for breaks, etc.)
PARKERS (Howe Meadow)
Help us get people into and out of the Market, and parked in an orderly fashion. Skills Required: Ability to look good in florescent colors, ability to direct vehicles with assertive hand gestures. Minimum Time Commitment: Flexible. Cars start trickling in around around 8:30 am; drivers can usually manage to get out by themselves around 11:30 am.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES (Highland Square)
Volunteers execute planned educational activities for children. Duties may include: set-up and tear-down of children’s tent, gathering produce/supplies from market vendors, welcoming and orienting new participating children, tracking returning children, facilitating activities ranging from scavenger hunts to gardening to cooking to comparative tastings. Skills required: Good rapport with small people, desire to share your local food enthusiasm. Minimum Time Commitment: 4 hours (3:30 to 7:30pm on Thursdays, starting May 30th).
Please Note: A background check may be necessary to participate as a volunteer in this capacity.
OFFICE ASSISTANTS
It’s not just on Market days that we're busy keeping the Market humming, but all the time. We can always use assistance with mailings, data entry and word processing, signage, etc.. Most of this work would be done in our office at 2179 Everett Road in Peninsula. Some tasks can be completed in your home on your own time schedule. Skills Required: Depends on the project. What do you do best? Minimum Time Commitment: Varies with the project, and extremely flexible!
SPECIAL EVENT ASSISTANTS
Countryside Farmers’ Markets are planning a variety of special events and celebrations for the market season including speakers, children’s activities, contests, and special demonstrations. Volunteers may be asked to decorate, assist at the Chef’s Table, offer samples of seasonal foods, greet market patrons, etc. Skills Required: Creative and fun-loving attitude. Minimum time commitment: Usually a three hour shift at the market, but varies by event.