All groups interested in volunteering should submit a Group Volunteer Inquiry and a staff member from FunkyTown Food Project will respond to your request shortly to help you schedule a date.

All individuals should email stacym@funkytownfoodproject.org to set up a date.

Not at all! We train all volunteers in the field, so no experience is necessary. Just come with enthusiasm for getting your hands dirty!

All of our farming takes place at Opal’s Farm, due east of downtown Fort Worth on the bank of the Trinity River. We’ll send detailed instructions and a map once we’ve booked your shift.

Occasionally, we may recruit volunteers to join us for community projects in and around Fort Worth. Follow us on social media and join our newsletter for those opportunities!

Volunteers help with a variety of farm tasks including preparing garden beds, planting, weeding, harvesting, washing vegetables, and caring for the land. Volunteers should expect to work hard and get their hands and clothes dirty by the end of the morning.

Volunteer sessions begin with an activity to introduce participants to food systems and sustainable agriculture, as well as FunkyTown Food Project’s mission and work.

Our experienced youth interns or our staff will demonstrate the tasks for the day, split volunteers into groups, assess any variations in abilities, and launch the day’s projects. Opal’s farm manager and/or FunkyTown Food Project staff will always on site to answer questions and guide volunteers throughout the morning.

Volunteers should bring their own refillable water bottle, sunscreen, hat, work gloves, and rain gear (if rain is predicted in the forecast). 

FunkyTown Food Project will supply all the tools necessary to work in the field.

If you have a medical condition such as asthma or anaphylaxis, please bring your inhaler or epi-pen and tell your group leader of your condition before working in the field.

Closed-toe shoes are required (rubber boots work well when it is muddy), and we highly recommend wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect your skin from plant irritants, the sun, and ticks. A sun hat is always recommended in the Texas sun, even when it’s not particularly hot outside. Whatever you wear, be prepared to get dirty!

Volunteer sessions will continue if it rains.

Volunteers should bring rain gear if precipitation is in the forecast. Group leaders may want to bring a box of garbage bags in case group members do not have rain gear.

FunkyTown will cancel the volunteer session or tell volunteers to stop working if weather conditions are dangerous (lightning, hail, or flash flooding, for example), or not conducive to farm work.

Yes, a water source is available to refill the water bottles that you bring.

FunkyTown Food Project does not provide lunch, but we’re happy to arrange box lunch options through one of our catering partners.

We also invite volunteers to bring their own sack lunch and enjoy a lunch break with our interns.

We understand that life happens.

If you need to cancel your group, please email or text the FunkyTown Food Project staff member you’ve been working with as soon as possible. If costs have already been incurred for catering, professional development, or team building, you may be asked to cover that expense.

Individuals who need to cancel should also contact the staff member with whom they’ve been communicating as soon as they realize they won’t be able to make it. This will help us plan accordingly and will also prevent us from worrying about you when you don’t arrive as scheduled!

Individual volunteers must be 18 or older to volunteer on their own. Teens between the ages of 14 and 18 are welcome to volunteer when an adult (such as a parent or a school sponsor) is accompanying them. (All youth under the age of 18 must provide a signed waiver of liability from a parent or legal guardian.) 

We know that parents love volunteering with their children, and we want to accommodate that experience when possible. However, please understand that we are there to work, not to explore and play.

You alone are responsible for your child’s safety. Because of the farm’s proximity to the Trinity River, traffic on the adjacent Trinity Trail system, and other things such as sharp tools, fire ants, etc, we strongly encourage not bringing children. If your children love to garden with you, that’s what we will expect of them, and of you. They must stay by your side for the duration of your shift.