2020 Volunteer Update
To ensure our community’s safety and do our part to help mitigate the spread of the COVID-19, we have cancelled our cooking demos, sampling and on-site food consumption for the season. For this reason, we will not need volunteers in our traditional roles.
If you are interested in volunteering to help market staff with crowd control and explaining our new safety policies to visitors, please email us at info@millcityfarmersmarket.org.
More information about COVID-19 and the market
Mill City Farmers Market values our volunteers as significant members of our team. We have several opportunities to get involved at the Saturday outdoor market, including: Kitchen Demo Volunteers, Zero Waste Educators, Market Greeters and members of our Benefit Planning Committee.
Join your friends and neighbors in educating the community and supporting “healthy foods, local farmers!” All volunteers receive a free drink voucher, courtesy of our prepared food vendors. Read more about our volunteer positions below.
HARVEST SOCIAL Planning Committee
Looking for ways to be more involved and support your farmers market? Do you want to meet some fun, creative people who are passionate about supporting local foods and farmers? Join our Benefit Planning Committee! We are seeking committee members to help plan our annual benefit dinner on September 13, 2020. This event is our major fundraiser, raising nearly 1/3 of our annual budget, and it directly benefits our farmers. It is always a highlight of the summer, featuring a delicious, harvest meal prepared by our market chefs.
The benefit committee meets monthly March through August, and there are lots of ways to be involved. If you are interested in helping out, please email the market’s executive director, Martha Archer at martha@millcityfarmersmarket.org. Thank you!
Kitchen Demo Volunteer
Work in our Mill City Cooks kitchen to support our weekly seasonal cooking demonstrations. Chop and prepare vegetables, assist our market chefs and local celebrity guest chefs, plate dishes, and hand out recipes and samples to the crowd. Novices and expert cooks welcome! The Kitchen Demo shift is from 10AM to 12PM every Saturday of our outdoor season. Please wear closed-toe shoes!
Sign up here!
Zero Waste Educator
Educate market shoppers about our Zero Waste composting program. Last year we composted 94% of waste at our markets thanks to the help of our wonderful volunteers! Teach shoppers about compostable plastics, manage composting stations, and collect data for the Zero Waste program! There’s no need to be an expert – every volunteer is provided with an orientation, handouts and information to make his/her shift a fun way to spread the word about waste reduction! The Zero Waste Volunteer shift is from 10AM to 1:15PM every Saturday of our outdoor season.
Sign up here!
Market Greeter
Interested in sharing your love of the Mill City Farmers Market with the community? Volunteer as one of our new Market Greeters! Welcome visitors to the market, hand out seasonal produce guides, recommend your favorite products and tell people all about the fun events happening at the market (yoga, cooking demo, live music, mini farm…) Choose between our two shifts: 8:30 – 10:30AM or 10:30AM – 12:30PM every Saturday of our outdoor season.
Sign up here!
Power of Produce
Power Of Produce (PoP) is a nationally recognized kids program, originating from the Oregon City Farmers Market as a way to empower kids to make healthy food choices and introduce them to where their food comes from. Power of Produce seeks to develop the next generation of healthy eaters by empowering them to make healthy food choices!
The volunteer shift consists of sampling a seasonal fruit or vegetable at our Information Booth and rewarding children who taste it with a $2 token they can use to purchase produce from our vendors. We need volunteers the entire day (8am – 1pm) but have divided the day into two, two-hour shifts shifts–however, feel free to take both shifts in one day or come early if you sign up for the morning shift.
Sign up here!
If you have any other skills that you would like to lend to the market, please contact us at info@millcityfarmersmarket.org, and we will be in touch about other volunteer opportunities!