Urban farm in Hamilton seeking volunteers

Published June 7, 2022 at 5:19 pm

An unique urban farm in East Hamilton is looking for a few green thumbs.

Over the next two months, drop-in volunteer sessions will be held four mornings each week at the McQuesten Urban Farm at 785 Brittania Ave., the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club (HNC) said on Tuesday. The naturalists’ group tends to some 1,500 square metres of pollinator habitat around the urban farm, and people of all ages and abilities will be able to pitch in from 9 a.m. till 12 noon from Monday to Thursday. A summer intern will be “leav(ing) a note on the chalkboard by the parking lot to let you know where on the property he’s working that day.”

The drop-in sessions will run through to the end of July.

Ready to volunteer outside in #HamOnt this summer?🔆 The 1500+ square meters of pollinator habitat around McQuesten Urban Farm is managed by *ONE* Intern.

You can help Keegan out by joining one of the drop-in volunteer sessions 🌿 pic.twitter.com/5bbupz2tuY

— Hamilton Naturalists' Club (@HamiltonNature) June 7, 2022

McQuesten Urban Farm was founded in 2016 with the intent of improving food security in an east-end neighbourhood that lacked grocery store access. Opportunities to volunteer with tending the crops are regularly posted on the farm’s Facebook page (facebook.com/mcquestenurbanfarm).

The leadership of the farm was recently transferred to Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg, an Indigenous charity organization. Niwasa already operates a child-care centre and food bank in the same area.