Time out of the office in our FareShare kitchen garden is a fantastic investment in culture, relationships and team-building.

Help us grow food with your colleagues or clients

FareShare offers a unique and meaningful corporate volunteering experience for businesses and other organisations wanting to spend time together making a difference in an outdoor environment.

Every Friday morning we offer corporate volunteering opportunities at our Abbotsford kitchen garden where we grow nutritious vegetables and fragrant herbs for our kitchen.

Under the instruction of our garden manager, crews of up to 10 volunteers will engage in a variety of tasks such as weeding, mulching, fertilizing, harvesting, composting, propagating and pest management.

Garden volunteers need to be physically active and mobile to complete a range of gardening activities.

After three hours in the kitchen garden, volunteers feel more connected and experience a sense of achievement knowing they have helped grow food for people in need. They may also pick up some useful gardening tips to take home.

Shifts are on Friday mornings between February and June, and August to December. Please note there are no shifts during July. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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 July.

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 of $89 per person (+GST) for a crew of up to 10 volunteers. 

Volunteers are provided with gardening gloves to wear on the day and to keep. 

FareShare does on occasion accept in kind payment for corporate shifts, usually in the form of food, other goods or services, or the provision of skilled volunteers and general expertise. If you feel your organisation has something to offer in this respect, please let us know.

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. 

A glimpse into a corporate volunteering shift at Abbotsford kitchen garden with Plantfulness

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