Photo courtesy of Dana Devine O'Malley

If you have signed up for a working share you will need to schedule 10 hours of work over the course of the season. If you have a non-working share or have a non-CSA basic membership, your participation at the farm is still most welcome and appreciated. Find out how fun and rewarding working on our farm can be!

Common Ground Farm puts tremendous value in our working memberships, which allow us to offer our CSA shares at a lower cost in exchange for time working on the farm. It helps to engage our members in the day-to-day work of running the farm while also deepening their connection to our wonderful farmers and the land itself. All of this is a big part of our mission. Because this is primarily a working-member farm, we rely heavily on your commitment to work your membership hours. Regardless of weather, our food must be harvested, washed and organized twice a week for distribution. Weeds must be pulled, greenhouses mended, market stands set up and taken down, and weekly distributions run smoothly. All of this requires your generous help. We encourage all members to contribute to the farm beyond the minimum requirement. It is your responsibility to log your work hours and make certain that you fulfill your work commitment by the end of the season. Any unfulfilled work hours will be billed at the end of the season. Sign up sheets for work hours will be available at Distribution.

Harvest: Harvesting shifts can include picking and washing vegetables, thinning, weeding, and whatever else needs doing in the fields. Starting in July, our farmers need 10 work share hours of help for both the Tuesday and Friday harvest. Please be punctual. The shifts have specific starting times so the farmers can have uninterrupted stretches of work done on these very busy days. Harvesting happens rain or shine, so if you’ve signed up, please come.
Shifts available are: Tuesday and Friday: 8:00 A.M.-12:00 NOON. 2 Hour minimum shifts. You may sign up for back-to-back shifts

Distribution: This is a fun, social way to help. Greet people when they come to pick up their vegetables, show them where to sign-in, restock the vegetables as needed, and clean up at the end of distribution.  Some people have found this is a good shift to work with their infants or children along, or if they can’t work in the field. Distribution work hours begin ½ hour before distribution begins (for set up) and ends ½ hour after distribution (for clean up). You must be able to lift a heavy bin of veggies (or be willing to ask someone there to do it for you), but other than that you can sit in a chair, inside in the shade. Please work an entire shift, but you may work a half shift if needed.
Shifts available are: Tuesday 3:30-7:30 pm or Friday 3:30-7:30 pm.

Field Work: There are many opportunities to do your field work, including Saturday work days throughout the season. You can sign up for field work on sign up sheets at distribution. If you work during the day or want to limit your trips to the farm, consider signing up to do field work during distribution. Field work does not occur in the pouring rain so please reschedule any postponed shifts.

Other Opportunities: There are other options for fulfilling your work hours, such as participating one of our program committees, helping arrange member and fundraising events, delivering vegetables to the food bank, planning educational workshops, etc. Work hours opportunities for special events, committees, etc. will be posted as they become available at distribution or via e-mail.

Parents: You may bring your children with you to distribution, harvest, or field shifts. If a group of parents organize themselves to work a shift together and one of them entertains the kids part of the time, the "entertainer" will get work hours credit. Great workers who are 13 or over can fulfill their family's hours.