Oak Park, Michigan-based nonprofit Forgotten Harvest, a regional leader in the fight against food insecurity, operates a 95-acre farm in Fenton, Michigan, that opens May 1st and is seeking volunteers for a variety of duties. The farm, which has been operating since 2013, was conceived to deliver more fresh produce into the homes of metro Detroiters experiencing food insecurity and has harvested more than seven million pounds of fresh produce since then.
For the 2024 season, the farm team met with the Forgotten Harvest Food Sourcing and Client Services teams to determine the 15 crops that will be grown this season based on the specific cultural and dietary needs of metro Detroiters.
Nicola potatoes, a type of potato with a low glycemic index that is better for individuals with diabetes or heart disease, is one of the new crops being planted and harvested this year. Additionally, Forgotten Harvest Farms staff and volunteers are planting red cabbage for the first time due to its nutritional value. Other crops that will be planted this year include several varieties of peppers, collard greens, eggplant, green beans, sweet corn, zucchini, watermelon, honeydew melon, a variety of lettuces, pumpkins, garlic and several herbs.
The volunteer schedule is live on Forgotten Harvest’s volunteer website with opportunities beginning May 1st for as many as three days a week until it’s time to harvest in late summer and fall. This spring, volunteers will help with field preparations, tidying around the barnyard, and landscaping.
“The spring season is the time to wake up the farm after a long winter’s nap,” Farm Volunteer Coordinator Lori Setera says, “There is a lot of field prep before we start planting and that is all dependent on the weather.”
A rainy start to spring delayed the prep and therefore the planting, but the Forgotten Harvest Farms team and volunteers made it happen with a dedication to the mission of growing and harvesting as much fresh produce as possible for metro Detroiters experiencing food insecurity.
Volunteering at the farm is a unique and rewarding volunteer experience and a great way to be outside.
Opportunities are open between May and November and, with a yield goal of more than 900,000 pounds of fresh produce, metro Detroiters experiencing hunger are relying on plenty of volunteer power to help get that food into the community.
Sign up to volunteer at Forgotten Harvest Farms at www.forgottenharvest.org/volunteer-3/.
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