Agency Details:

The Volunteer Farms' mission is to provide fresh produce for needy people served by the Food Bank Network. While we cannot solve world hunger, we can have an impact by helping to feed those in need who receive support through their local food pantries and soup kitchens.

Description:
The Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah works with volunteers who help to perform the agricultural work needed to prepare, plant, maintain and harvest a wide range of fresh produce to fight hunger for over 130,000 needy people served by some 500 food pantries in 30 counties and 12 cities in Virginia.

We ask volunteers to sign up via our website or by phone, to come as individuals or be a part of a team involved in planting, tending and harvesting many different kinds of fresh vegetables. All harvested crops are transported directly from the Farm through the Food Bank Network via refrigerated trucks and are then transported to local food pantries.

Our volunteers are doing great work, but with the ever increasing number of hungry folks there is always a need for additional help.

Our second farm - Zepp Volunteer Farm - is used to raise cows, sheep and goats to provide meat to the Food Bank. Volunteers who wish to help build fencing must be at least 18 years of age.

Our third farm - Culpeper Volunteer Farm - has been started and in the future will produce both vegetables and meat from cows, sheep and goats. Work is currently being done to clear the land and build fencing. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.

History:
The Volunteer Farms was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity in March 2004, its first year of operation. That year, the farm produced 18,000 pounds of fresh produce on 5 acres.

Since then, the six-year total stands at 372,490 pounds or 187 tons of fresh produce. The 2009 harvest alone was a record breaker at 64 tons.

Contact people:

Robert Blair, CEO, (540) 459-2090, (email) Office Manager, (540) 459-3478, (email) Volunteer Coordinator, (540) 459-3478, (email)

Address:

277 Crider Lane Woodstock, VA 22664 (See a map)

Directions:

Take I-66 West, I-81 South, to exit 283 (Woodstock exit.) Head West on Rt. 42 for 3 miles to Back Road. Turn Right onto Back Road, proceed 2 miles and turn Right onto Crider Lane at the Volunteer Farm of. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: None,   Walk distance (in minutes): No   Nearest Bus Stop: None, No minute walk