Be part of the movement and help Grow it Forward,
by volunteering on the Micro Farm:

Grow It Forward Farm at Shepherds Hope

455 9th St., Winter Garden, FL 34787

Grow It Forward Farm at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church

4851 S Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32819
Thursday & Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

TO VOLUNTEER

All skill levels are welcome! Parental presence is required for anyone under age 16.

Regardless of skill levels, volunteers begin with a brief orientation and will be assigned specific tasks under the leadership of our Farm Manager.

Click the button below for volunteer opportunities.

When volunteering on the farm, please be sure to bring bottled water & wear closed toe shoes.

VOLUNTEER FORMS

• If you have not yet completed a photo consent form, please visit Photo Consent.
• All volunteers will also need to sign a volunteer liability form to work at any of the Grow it Forward farms. Please visit Grow it Forward Liability Form

If you are part of a group that has been scheduled to work at one of our farms, you may access the group registration link here. 

There are several other items that would help our volunteer farmers to care for the Grow it Forward network farms. To see some of the items needed, visit the link below, to view some items:

Grow it Forward Amazon wish list

Be a Friend of the Farm – and Help Us Grow in our community with

Your help is needed to assist us in purchasing required equipment, seeds and
fertilizer, to support our farming team AND to start new micro farms within the
community.

Please find a level of support that works for you. We so appreciate your kindness and generosity!

SPROUT:  $10 will help us purchase seeds
LADYBUG:  $25 will help us with pest control
SEEDLING:  $40 will purchase needed germination supplies
IRRIGATOR:  $50 will purchase hoses & sprinkler equipment
TILLER:  $75 will keep us in necessary tools to work the earth
GROWER:  $150 will help us pay for continuing education & training for our farm team
APPRENTICE:  $250 will help to support our student farmers
FARMER:  $400 will support “Grow Orlando”, our non-profit partner & farm manager
PRODUCER:  $900 will sustain Grow it Forward Vision by planning for the next growing season
GRANTOR:  $1500 will support our community outreach and invest in the next micro-farm as we continue to Grow it Forward!

We plant the seeds, but God gives us the harvest.

Choose “Restoring Hope” on the Fund dropdown and indicate “Micro Farm” in the notes.

Our micro farm is a pilot program we hope will GROW throughout the community! Here is what it takes:

The Grow it Forward Micro Farm is featured in the
Edible Orlando magazine, Winter 2021.
Check page 15.

The Micro Farm was also featured in the
West Orange Observer in October 2020.

Organizations have land that can be used to grow food. St. Luke’s has committed a 30’ X 50’ plot of land to grow vegetables. Our micro farm is located on the back (east) side of campus near the Blessed Treasures Gift Shop.

Roslyn and son, Jackson team up to help us on dig day

Volunteers from the congregation and community will work side-by-side with the Grow Orlando team. Our Farm Coordinator is Frank Bailey, president of Grow Orlando. Frank hires at risk youth who gain life, work and financial literacy skills through plant cultivation by providing jobs in urban farming.

Grow it Forward will sell what we grow! Our collaboration with Grow Orlando invests directly into the youth and their growth. They in turn will bring these skills back to their community which lacks healthy and affordable food choices such as fresh fruits and vegetables, largely due to a lack of grocery stores and healthy food providers. We are helping to invest directly into individuals and their growth so they can help themselves, their families, and their neighbors.

 

 

Pammies Sammies is our first corporate sponsor, committing to purchase many of the “fruits of our labor”! The Grow it Forward concept aligns perfectly with Pammies Sammies goals of enriching communities through local farming and healthy food.

 

 

 

 

 

The Dr Phillips Rotary is a proud sponsor of our farm. Their foundation grant helps us to pay the salaries of our student farmers and farm coordinator.

 

 

St. Luke’s was awarded a $42,000 grant from No Kid Hungry to expand the Grow It Forward network adding 4 more farms in 2021. Grow Orlando will lead the initiative as Grow It Forward expands to faith campuses located in Food Priority Areas west of Orlando. The network’s vision and mission is to eradicate food disparity by building economic and food sovereignty through a self-sustaining micro-farm network, utilizing available land through faith and community partners.