The FareShare kitchen garden at Abbotsford (Victoria Park) offers a unique opportunity for colleagues to interact with each other in a convenient, outdoor location. It can also be a great way to build relationships with clients. No special skills are required. This is a rewarding experience for anyone prepared to roll up their sleeves and participate.

Under the guidance of our garden manager, each group of around 10 corporate volunteers will be engaged in a range of gardening tasks directly related to growing vegetables to cook into meals for people in need. Tasks may include weeding, mulching, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, propagation, and pest management. Everything grown and harvested in the garden is taken to our kitchen to be cooked into nutritious meals.

Volunteering in the FareShare kitchen garden is an all-weather activity. We check the weather forecast leading up to the day of your shifts and take that into consideration. 

Our garden shifts operate from 9am-12pm on Friday mornings (and 8am – 11am in summer to avoid the midday heat). 

Note there are no shifts during the winter months (June-August).

Ideally each crew will consist of 10 volunteers. However, if you have a smaller group, please contact us and we will try to accommodate you.

As a charity, FareShare asks for a financial contribution to help us cover our costs. The financial contribution for a morning experience in the kitchen garden is $85 per person (+GST).

If you have to cancel your shift within 3 weeks of your booking date, we may apply a 50% cancellation fee. 

We suggest you bring a water bottle, a sun hat – for all year UV protection – and sunscreen.

Sturdy, flat covered footwear such as work boots, gumboots or tough runners are recommended.

FareShare will supply gardening gloves, which we recommend wearing for protection, and all tools and equipment.