NEWS RELEASE:                                             February 20, 2012

VOLUNTEER FARM OF SHENANDOAH

HIRES COREY HUNSDON AS MANAGER

WOODSTOCK—Corey Hunsdon of Buckingham, VA, has been hired as Farm Manager of the 67 acre Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah, which grows vegetables to help feed more than 150,000 people per month through three food banks serving about one-third of the Commonwealth.

Hunsdon, 59, has been manager of an organic farm in Buckingham which specialized in training farm interns, and previously he owned and managed a 160 acre farm in Southeast Arizona.

Bob Blair, CEO of the Volunteer Farms and the parent organization, World Foundation for Children, said “Mr. Hunsdon has all of the necessary experience and qualifications to lead us into a new era of using drip irrigation to increase the quantity and quality of our food production.”

In eight years, the Woodstock farm and a newer farm in Culpeper have produced 214 tons of food donated to help feed the hungry.  The farms have hosted some 15,000 volunteers, mainly under 18, from 42 states and 27 foreign countries.

At least 3,000 volunteers will be needed this year at the Volunteer Farms of Shenandoah. Volunteers may register online at WWW.VolunteerFarm.org, which contains a calendar showing the anticipated work for each day.

Tax-deductible donations may be made online or mailed to Volunteer Farm, 277 Crider Lane, Woodstock, VA 22664.

 

Our latest electronic Newsletter was sent to more than 5,000 subscribers on Feb. 9.  Following is an abbreviated version.  If you would like to receive the next issue, which will be published when we have something to say, please sign-up for the Newsletter at the upper right part of this page.

Volunteer Farms Newsletter    Feb. 2012

With the help of volunteers, we grow fresh vegetables to feed the hungry.

 

Production Records:

In eight years - since inception - the Volunteer Farm Network has produced 215 tons of food, all of which was donated to food banks and food pantries now serving about one-third of the Commonwealth.  This accomplishment was made possible by the efforts of more than 15,000 volunteers - mostly under18 years of age - who came from 42 states and 27 foreign countries.   The food banks and pantries do not pay for the food or donate to the Farms.

NEWS RELEASE:                      February, 8 2012

Media contact:  Bob Blair 540-459-2090

VOLUNTEER FARM OF CULPEPER

SHOOTS FOR 60,000 POUNDS IN 2012

CULPEPER—The Volunteer Farm of Culpeper has announced plans for 2012, with a goal of producing at least 60,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to help feed the hungry through area food pantries.

Through the Thomas Jefferson Branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, the Volunteer Farm serves Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Culpeper, Fluvanna, Greene, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock.  Food pantries, soup kitchens and other agencies also may go directly to the farm to pick up food.

The farm this year will be managed by a three member team that will split the responsibilities of operating farm equipment; planting, growing and harvesting; and coordination of volunteers.

The volunteer management team includes Dewey McDonnell, of Culpeper’s Reformation Lutheran Church, who will recruit and coordinate volunteers; Rev. Arthur Fellows, retired pastor and member of the Culpeper United Methodist Church and part time preacher at the Little Fork Charge, who will be responsible for operating the tractor and other equipment and Donald Whorton or Rapidan in Orange County, a seasoned truck farmer and civic leader, who will be responsible for planting, maintenance and harvesting the crops.

This will be the third growing year for the Culpeper Volunteer Farm, which has produced about eight tons of vegetables as the 97-acre farm was being cleared and the farm operation grew slowly as planned.

It is estimated that at least 1,000 volunteers will be needed to plant and harvest the vegetable crops on the Culpeper Farm, which will operate Mondays through Saturdays from 8 am until noon.  Volunteers are asked to register in advance for the days they wish to work.

Those interested in volunteering, whether as individuals or groups, need to apply electronically through the website: www.VolunteerFarm.org, which shows a calendar of plans for each day, a liability waiver form, and a form for registering for specific days.

The Culpeper Farm is following the model of the Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah at Woodstock, which was established in March 2004 as a program of the World Foundation for Children, which is the parent organization holding tax-exemption status.

The two farms have produced a total of 214 tons of fresh vegetables provided free to food banks and food pantries in about a third of Virginia.  Since the farms do not receive any funding from the food banks and pantries, they are dependent upon donations from churches, individuals, businesses, and civic organizations.  More than 175 churches, including some as far off as New York and North Carolina, regularly support the farms with donations and volunteer mission teams.

Donations, which are tax deductible to the full extent of the law, may be made via PayPal through the website:  www.VolunteerFarm.Org, or by mail to Volunteer Farms, 277 Crider Lane, Woodstock, VA 22664.

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Volunteer

It is simple and easy to volunteer to work on the Volunteer Farms of Woodstock and Culpeper online at our website:

www.VolunteerFarms.Org.

Volunteer by going online to our web page click on the Calendar which shows our plans for each day, pick a date to work, register online, and specify which farm.  We normally work from 8 am until noon to beat the summer heart, six days a week, with Sunday being our day of rest.  Saturday is our busiest day, so please try to plan your trip for a week-day, when we have plenty to do in planting and harvesting.  If you are coming from some distance, beware that we have a policy of not shooting volunteers for being late and we have not violated this policy so far this year.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome, and we are especially blessed by church mission teams.  Other teams of volunteers include schools, civic organizations, businesses, families and individuals. Our volunteers have come from 42 states and 27 foreign countries.

We do our best to make your volunteering experience a wonderful day, but please realize we have no control of the weather.  We often work in the rain, especially if it is a light rain, so be prepared for fun in the mud.  Most of our rains come in the afternoons.

Please register as far in advance as possible, and please do not come to the farm without a reservation, because our planning is crucial to your happiness.  Note:  Volunteering at the Culpeper Farm is only by appointment, since a volunteer coordinator is not on the farm at all times.

Most groups bring a donation to the farm when they come to volunteer.  This makes your day even more meaningful, since you are helping to feed the hungry with your time and energy, as well as having engaged in a fund-raising effort.  However, such donations are not mandatory and this is simply a suggestion.

Also, please remember to bring a Liability Waiver Form.  For those under 18 and unaccompanied by a parent, the form must be signed by a parent prior to the day of volunteering.  If a parent is accompanying the youngster, the form may be signed on the farm.  The form may be downloaded from the website.

Donations:

Donations, which are tax deductible, are accepted through PayPal, on this Newsletter or the website, or you my mail your donation to Volunteer Farms, 277 Crider Lane, Woodstock, VA 22664. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

CAR FOR SALE:

1993 Toyota

Best Offer

Call Volunteer Farm at

540-459-2090

Inspect at

Volunteer Farm,

Woodstock