Volunteer - projects

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Rusty Wheelbarrow FarmOur missionis to produce food beyond sustainability and distribute the food to the local pantries, while educating our neighbors in sustainability, safe urban gardening, and responsible waste management/local composting. We also strive to have a friendly green space - in a part of Queens where there are very few public parks and little street tree coverage. Here our neighbors can participate in healthy activities while doing good for their community. Our moto is “feed the soil, feed the community” pointing at the circular “economy” that we model : collecting food scraps to transform into compost, using the compost to feed the soil, which in turn feed healthy plants, that we then harvest to return to community members in need, who’s food waste can be used to produce the next batch of compost.

Click on the photo on the left to go to our eventbrite profile and see our latest volunteer events!

To sign up for our regular call to volunteer mailing list / newsletter sign up here

Our Statement of Values

The Rusty Wheelbarrow Pantry Farm (RWPF) enjoys the support of numerous volunteers to accomplish the goals of growing and distributing fresh produce to community pantries. Organizers and volunteers, by their presence, agree to the RWPF Statement of Values, and understand that a failure to abide by these values will not be tolerated and may result in immediate dismissal.

All RWPF organizers and volunteers must, at all times, treat one another with dignity, respect and compassion, in order to foster a trusting work environment free of harassment of any sort, intimidation, and unlawful discrimination. Together, we will always practice and advocate for policies and procedures that foster fair, consistent and equitable treatment for all.

DATE: Weekly.

TIME: We have shifts starting 10:00 am every Saturday 11 am during the winter hours, as we are slowly getting the project off the ground,

LOCATION: Behind St. Jacobus Church, at the intersection of 72nd St. and Woodside Av. (click on link for google map)

BRING: Gardening/Work gloves if you have them! (You can barrow ours if you don't)

DONATE: We need gardening tools, first aid kit, w, gloves, clippers, garbage bags, storage bins, shovels, pickaxes, wood, or saws. If you are getting rid of any of these, or know anyone that is, let us know by emailing us @ rustywheelbarrowfarmqueens@gmail.com ! Or you can Venmo us at @WSCompost and specify that you'd like it to be used for Rusty Wheelbarrow supplies.

For a list of future and past projects, scroll bellow.

Projects in the making

Winter Bed overhauling : refreshing the soil with a layer of fresh compost ; reshaping the beds and height ALMOST DONE !!!!

Building the hydroponic system

Building a harvest / wash / pack station

Signage to increase Rusty's visibility (for anyone who like to paint and colors!)

Making Visual Aids for Workshops

Build more Greenhouses to extent the growing season

Tree trimming (we need light, and a cherry picker lift)

Rain barrels to reduce our dependence to city water

Building/mounding a few more beds to increase our grow surface

Mulching the paths

Past Projects:

Spring/ Summer 2023

Compost weighing station

Draft of trellises (draft in hindsight, some collapse under the weight of the plants!)

2 more composting bins!

Seedlings station

2022

Wood / lumber organizer

3 Bin System, plus the browns bin!

Most beds got overalled, seeds have been seeded, 7 greenhouses, 1 tool organizer

End of year 2021:

We 've mounded almost all the garden beds we planned (expected the last 2) ! produced over 500lbs of food during the season and build 4 greenhouses for extending the season though the winter and early spring!

Through the spring and the summer, we've build up beds on the first half of the land, started the build the hydroponic system, and buildt a lasagna composting garden!

We've also harvested over 200lbs of food!

04/27/ 2021

Second New York Restauration Project Soil delivery !!!

04/25-26/ 2021

More compost unloading, more bed building, more harvest (~15 lbs)

04/20-21/ 2021

giving more space to tomatoes seedlings under the greenhouse + harvesting ~20 lbs of fresh veggies

04/17/ 2021

Bed 1 and 2 planting and preparation of Bed 3, Building the mini greenhouse.

04/15/ 2021

First New York Restauration Project Soil delivery !!!

04/10/2021

compost unloading - planting in our first bed! - preparing second bed!

04/03 2021: FIRST BED PREPARED!

Most Saturdays since Jan 30 2021 : quick cleanup, and unloading of compost from WSC

Saturday 30th Jan 2021 : General cleanup.

Friday / Saturday : 22/23 Jan 2021 : quick cleanup and staging area compost drop off and mulch drop off, then mulch/compost drop off.

First workday(s) and 22and239 new photos added to shared album