Urban Agriculture

Chicago FarmWorks, Heartland Human Care Services’ urban farm in the East Garfield Park community, fights two issues associated with poverty: economic opportunity and health. Utilizing a two acre farm in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, we distribute local produce of the highest quality to those who need it most, and help people overcoming multiple barriers to employment find full-time, permanent, viable jobs.

FarmWorks Volunteering

We look forward to farming and making a difference with you!

Individual Volunteer Opportunities:

From March to November, we host weekly volunteer shifts that are open to individuals looking to get their hands dirty, have fun, and learn more about urban agriculture! To view and sign up for this seasons individual volunteer opportunities, go to our event calendar. This opportunity is free to the public.

Group Volunteer Opportunities

From March to November, we also host group volunteer opportunities for organizations who want to do hands-on service together support of our mission. To inquire about our available group volunteer opportunities, please contact us at farmworksvolunteers@heartlandhumancareservices.org.

• Group Sizes: We can accommodate groups of up to 25 people. For groups larger than that, we encourage you to book two separate volunteer engagements with us or reach out to us to see if there is a special volunteer project available for sponsorship that can accommodate your group size.
o PLEASE NOTE: We require that group volunteer shifts be scheduled ahead of time to confirm availability. Groups of 5 or more people must schedule directly with a FarmWorks staff member and are not permitted to book slots through our individual volunteer shifts, which we reserve for the public free of charge.

· Group Volunteer Fee: To ensure we can continue to offer our volunteer program to our community and corporate partners, we require a volunteer fee of $30 per person, with a minimum required payment of $300 for groups of less than 10 people. The group volunteer fee must be paid before a shift can be reserved on our calendar.
o PLEASE NOTE: If you are local community group, school, or organization and this fee will make our volunteer opportunities inaccessible to your group, please contact us regarding waiving this fee.

Farm Sponsorships & Special Projects:

Our farm needs additional staff, infrastructure improvements, and critical operational supplies to continue the work that we do. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a FarmWorks Sponsor and financially supporting our operations and community programming, please reach out to us at farmworksvolunteers@heartlandhumancareservices.org.

We also occasionally have special volunteer projects to offer to our community and corporate volunteer groups. For example, we have had organizations donate an order of native flowers and then volunteer on our farm to help us plant them. This project helped us to increase pollinator habitat and biodiversity on our farm. If this sounds like something your group would be interested in, reach out to us to see what opportunities we have this season!

FarmWorks Tool Wish List

We have an ongoing need to acquire new tools and replace those that have broken from years of wear and tear. If you’d like to purchase tools on our behalf, please see our wish list below:

• Chicago FarmWorks Supplies Wishlist

Additional Details:

For more information or questions, please scroll down to see our FAQs or contact us at farmworksvolunteers@heartlandhumancareservices.org.

FarmWorks Volunteer FAQs

Where is FarmWorks located?

Our FarmWorks Farms spans 2.6 acres across multiple sites but volunteers will always meet at our main location, 407 N Albany Ave. Please make sure to use this address and not the 407 N Kedzie location listed on Google.

Do you charge a per-volunteer fee?

To ensure we can continue to offer our volunteer program to our community and corporate partners, we require a volunteer fee of $30 per person, with a minimum required payment of $300 for groups of less than 10 people. The group volunteer fee must be paid before a shift can be reserved on our calendar.

Is there a need for funding or special volunteer projects?

What tasks are volunteers expected to complete?

Farm tasks vary day to day and include, but are not limited to: weeding, shoveling soil/ gravel, wheelbarrowing materials, planting seedlings, etc. if you have any physical ailments, let us know and we’ll keep that in mind.

What to bring?

We encourage volunteers to bring reusable water bottles, sunscreen, snacks (granola bars, fruit, etc.), hats, sunglasses and other appropriate clothing based on weather (rain jacket, boots, etc.). We provide all farm work items on site (gloves, trowels, kneeling pads, etc.)

What if it rains?

Most tasks on the farm can be done in the rain. We will keep close track of the weather and encourage the group to bring rain gear if needed. In the event of inclement weather, such as severe thunderstorms, a member of staff will notify you before your shift if cancellation is required. We do not work if lightening is present, and we practice the National Weather Services’ 30-30 rule to determine when it is safe to be working outdoors again.

PLEASE NOTE: If you paid a group volunteer fee, we will first try to work with you to reschedule your group for a later date. If we cannot find an alternative date that works, we will refund your group volunteer fee in full.

Volunteer at FarmWorks