Volunteer opportunities & reporting

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As noted in the city of Alexandria's regulations, Chinquapin gardeners who have not opted out of volunteering must serve at least four hours per season. ​Here are some ways you can fulfill your volunteer hours. (This list will change during the season, so check the printed version on the bulletin board kiosk next to the shed for updates.)
Don't forget to report your hours!
 
Mowing/weeding:

  1. Mowing grass in common areas. Volunteers are divided into teams and assigned to a specific common area of the gardens. It is the volunteer’s responsibility to know when mowing is needed. Primary mowers are in place, but backup mowers needed. Contact: Eric Keber
  2. Weed/cut back areas on the other side of the perimeter road that goes around the gardens. Ideally, volunteers would commit to taking care of a section on an as-needed basis. Caution: Some areas have poison ivy so wear long sleeves, long pants and gloves. There is a brush attachment for the weed wacker (do not use it without the attachment). Contact: TBD
  3. Weed whack area between North/South sidewalk and retaining wall, and between East/West sidewalk and retaining wall (near center of gardens.) Also weed whack on the outside of the fence between the loop road and garden plots and around the high school vegetable garden at the upper garden. On-going as needed, but not terribly time consuming as it doesn’t need to be done frequently. Contact:  Anne Saul or Richard Dorrier
  4. Weed/water perennial/pollinator bed at the Memorial Grove area (at the lower garden where  you see the bench). This is an on-going task particularly during the summer. Contact: Richard Dorrier
  5. Weed/water & help maintain the fruit tree orchard at the Memorial Grove area.  Contact: Faatimah Muhammad 
  6. Weed/water & help maintain the strawberry and fruit terraced beds in the Memorial Grove area. Contact: Chantal Follet
  7. Maintain and weed the small strip of common area between P2 and O6/O7 and under Arborvitae trees near shed. Contact: Anne Saul.
  8. Cut back weeds and cover officially declared vacant/abandoned plots with black plastic. (Vacant plots will be listed on updated task lists; do not assume a plot is vacant because it is overgrown.) (No need to completely weed plots -- just cut back enough so they can be covered with plastic.) Black plastic and U pins are in the bin next to the shed. Poke quarter size holes in plastic to drain water so that it doesn’t collect water and attract mosquitoes. Plastic also needs to be weighted down with rocks, pieces of wood, etc. as strong winds tend to lift up the plastic. It’s important that plots be covered as soon as weeds are cut back or they will return. If you don’t have time to do a full plot, do half of one completely. Please don’t plant anything in abandoned plots. Contact: Anne Saul.
  9. Clear/mow paths between abandoned/vacant plots. (Paths around assigned plots are the responsibility of adjoining plot holders and cannot be counted as volunteer hours.) Contact: Anne Saul

Other projects/ways to earn volunteer hours:

  1. Attend Chinquapin Organic Gardens Advisory board meetings. (Held at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month via Zoom. Meetings last about one hour. If interested, contact: Anne Saul for Zoom connection information.
  2. MMonitoring -- this is a 1-1.5 hour task that occurs at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning in April, June, August, October and early December. (The December time counts towards the following season's hours as the season officially ends on Nov. 30.) Contact: Anne Saul.
  3.  Path leveling/restoration. A number of paths have been identified as needing to be shored up/leveled to provide safer access for gardeners, prevent erosion and flooding in plots. Requires physical dexterity and ability to use drill. Work is best done in teams of four. Contact: Ed Mensh
  4.  Plot marker replacement: This involves two tasks, one involves no physical labor (lettering); the installation requires physical strength, so you can choose what works for you. Contact: Kathryn Long
  5. Trash/litter maintenance: Help check trash & yard waste bins on a regular basis to remove items not allowed (this is spelled out clearly in the garden regulations). Also help with maintaining the gardens, picnic areas, and adjacent surroundings including the wooded area east of the garden plots free of litter & trash. Contact: Richard Dorrier

Contact information:
Anne Saul: annesaul@comcast.net  
Richard Dorrier: richard.dorrier@gmail.com
Kathryn Long: longvanzee@comcast.net
Ed Mensh: Ed.mensh@yahoo.com
Eric Keber: keber.eric@gmail.com
Faatimah Muhammad: faatimah.muhammad@yahoo.com
Chantal Follett: ccfollett@gmail.com

Reporting your volunteer hours

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It's up to each gardener to report their volunteer hours (except for Monitoring and Board meeting attendance as the volunteer coordinator will report participants' hours.)
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Gardeners can report their volunteer time here:
Volunteer Hours Reporting Form


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