We simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do without volunteers! We do our best to make volunteering with us as easy, enjoyable, and educational as possible. Join us regularly during the season, or pop in occasionally as your schedule allows. All are welcome!
Take a look at our volunteer calendar to find opportunities that fit your interests and schedule.
If you are interested in volunteering in one of the below categories but don’t see it on our volunteer calendar, email volunteer@willinghands.org.
Gleaning is the time-honored tradition of collecting the extra food left in a field after the harvest. Willing Hands gleaners visit local partner farms and orchards to pick the extra vegetables, berries, apples, and mixed produce directly from their fields. We provide all the necessary tools and training for all tasks. Gleaning sessions are typically 1.5 hours long.
We have regularly scheduled gleans throughout the harvest season at local farms, such as:
- Crossroad Farm in Post Mills (Thetford)
- Honey Field Farm in Norwich
- Edgewater Farm in Plainfield
- Harlow Farm in Westminster
We will also hold “pop-up” gleans when there is extra food to be picked. Keep an eye on our volunteer calendar.
Willing Hands tends four gardens in the Upper Valley, which grow food to supplement the food donations we deliver. All the food grown is delivered to our recipient sites, which serve community members at risk of food insecurity. The gardens grow a wide variety of produce. Volunteers can expect to plant, weed, fertilize, harvest, wash, and box vegetables. We provide all the necessary tools and training for all tasks. Gardening sessions are typically two hours long.
The Shared Harvest Project is a new pilot in 2026 that celebrates abundance, community, and the simple joy of sharing fresh food.
At select Garden and Gleaning volunteer sessions, everyone who joins us will help harvest fresh local produce for distribution throughout our community. During these designated Shared Harvest Sessions, volunteers are also invited to take home a household-size share of the harvest, if they would like.
The idea is simple: when the harvest is abundant, there’s enough to share.
The vast majority of the food harvested during these sessions will continue to be distributed through Willing Hands’ network of food access partners, helping provide fresh, locally grown produce to neighbors throughout the Upper Valley. By inviting volunteers to bring home some of the harvest as well, we’re able to expand access to nutritious food while creating a more welcoming and inclusive volunteer experience.
Shared Harvest Sessions are open to everyone. Whether you’re volunteering because you enjoy spending time outdoors, want to support your community, hope to meet new people, or would appreciate taking home fresh vegetables for your household, you’re welcome.
This pilot reflects our belief that fresh food is meant to be shared, that volunteerism builds stronger communities, and that everyone benefits when we work together to ensure abundant harvests are distributed widely and enjoyed by more people.
We hope you’ll join us for a Shared Harvest Session and help us harvest and celebrate the abundance of our local farms and gardens.
Many willing hands make a greater impact! Volunteering as a group is a great opportunity for team building and connecting with the community. We welcome groups from area businesses, schools, and more. Contact us about setting up a volunteer session for your group by emailing volunteer@willinghands.org.
In the past, volunteer groups have joined us from Hypertherm, King Arthur Baking, Celdara Medical, Dartmouth College, Hartford Area Career & Tech Center, and others!
If spreadsheets and databases are more your thing than digging in the dirt, we are always looking for help running the day-to-day operations of Willing Hands. Sometimes that means stuffing and mailing envelopes, making phone calls, or keeping our food pick-up and delivery records updated.
The Willing Hands warehouse is the stopover point for produce traveling from the fields to our recipient organizations. Every day, our dedicated warehouse team moves produce in and out. Volunteers help keep the warehouse organized, process compost, do trash and recycling runs, and more.
Our trucks are on the road picking up and delivering food all week long. Occasionally, we need extra volunteers to pick up smaller quantities of produce from local farms using their own vehicles. If you’re available for a more “on-call” opportunity, let us know!
Willing Hands periodically hosts events to celebrate the amazing work being done within our community of volunteers, donors, partners, and the broader Upper Valley community. We love having volunteers join us in planning, organizing, and running events.
Do you have some other talent that you want to share with Willing Hands? Photography, art, construction, composting prowess? We’d love to hear from you! Email volunteer@willinghands.org or fill out this contact form.