Family Volunteering at Plan B Organic Farms

It feels so good to be back at it again! Volunteering and giving back to the community and/or at an organization has always been meaningful and continues to be priority for my husband and I. We started volunteering as a family at a local charity when the boys were just 18 months old. The last two years with the pandemic, while not impossible, we had to find smaller acts of kindness.

This summer was all about getting the boys back into volunteering and while I had planned for it to keep them busy and grounded, I enjoyed it so much that I started volunteering on my own. Let me first start off by saying that the itty bitty social media platform called Instagram connected me to a wonderful soul Irene Matys (local farm-to-table advocate, food stylist, recipe developer & food photographer). She then connected me and the boys to an inspiring group of humans at Plan B Organic Farms a family owned & operated, certified vegetable farm in Hamilton, Ontario. Farmer Rod, Farmer Alvaro and Farmer Melanie (owners) grow over 30 acres of veggies, greens and fresh herbs in their fields and operate a year round Share Box subscription and delivery direct to local households around Hamilton, Halton and Toronto. Want to know how it works, well you need you to click here to read further because it’s pretty damn incredible.

Irene Matys has been volunteering at the farm for over seven years

We started off our volunteer farm journey on June 6, 2022. We showed up like rookies wearing shorts, which I then learned for our next visit to wear long pants. We got a tour of the farm and the greenhouses, met some other team members and we were put to work. Irene and Farmer Rod had set aside peppers (iko-iko, habanero and jalapenos) for us to plant. My boys have way more experience planting than I do. Hubby and the boys had a veggie garden last year, so they were pros. As for me, I did alright. The boys got to work and had to carry soil over from the tractor to the field. They dug a hole with their bare hands and transplanted the pepper plant into the soil. As a team, we planted 200 pepper plants, 66 of which the boys and I planted ourselves. What I loved about the boys coming to the farm, was having Farmer Rod and Irene there teaching them. They could have put us to work and gone off to tend to other activities on the farm, but getting to know Farmer Rod and hearing him speak so passionately about farm life was a privilege. And Irene, sharing with us that she’s been volunteering for seven years is inspirational. After we finished planting, Farmer Rod took the boys on a tractor ride. It was the highlight of their day!

Since then, the boys returned a second time to check on the progress of their peppers and I’ve committed to going twice a month.

A few tips for families who are considering volunteering at a farm:

Work alongside your family members, take in the country air and learn together – in previous volunteer activities, I would be leading the kids in how they should help out, or we’d split up work to be more efficient. Working alongside Farmer Rod and Irene, we learned from them. I also learned from my kids. As they planted, they shared their experience from working on their garden with their dad last summer.
Volunteer first thing in the morning – kids are fresh and cooperative (at least mine are!) at the break of dawn. Also, the weather is way more pleasant to be working in vs. being out there blazing hot during peak hours.
Bring snacks and drinks -the whole family needs to stay hydrated and with kids those snack attacks come out of no where. The 2nd visit to the farm, the boys got to pick and snack on some raspberries.
Manage expectations – on the way up to the farm, I let the boys know what to expect and what work they’ll be doing. I give them a rough idea of how much time they’ll put in. However, I’ve learned over the years and just go with the flow. Kids need to have fun and I want them to enjoy the experience and come back to help. I would say 1 to 1.5 hours is their threshold. I’m lucky they have each other, so while they play I can continue working.

hunger strikes – snacking from the raspberry bush

As I mentioned earlier, my intent was to get the boys volunteering. What I didn’t expect was enjoying the time working at the farm on my own. It’s a great way to give back to the community and to myself. I never touched soil until my first day at the farm but I adapted. I also enjoy working along side volunteers and feel a sense of purpose and meaning.

They are always looking for volunteers! For more information, contact Irene Matys. If you can’t donate your time, but would love to support the farm, subscribe to a Share Box by clicking here.