New Roots Charlottesville supports refugee food security and aids in their transition to the community through gardening, nutrition education, local food access initiatives and small business farming. IRC currently manages New Roots Farm and a few community gardens around town, in addition to providing training and support to numerous additional locations.
Location: New Roots Farm (810 Old Lynchburg Road, Charlottesville) OR the Haven Community Garden (Corner of Almere Ave. and Burnet St., next to Oakwood Cemetery). Email in advance or follow New Roots Charlottesville on Facebook to confirm the location for each workday.
Time Commitment: 5-6:30pm every Tuesday, May-November. There are also some workdays held monthly on Saturdays. Continued weekly commitment is not necessary; drop in whenever you can!
Responsibilities: Help staff and farmers out with ongoing projects at the main New Roots Farm (e.g. planting, cleaning, harvesting). Please bring water, gardening gloves, sun-protection, and dress for the weather. Workdays will be cancelled for inclement weather.
Skills/Qualifications: Volunteers must be willing to work hard and get their hands dirty! Open to all community members (children must be supervised).
How to Apply: No application needed! Just email NewRoots.Cville [at] rescue.org to RSVP for a given week, or to ask about the dates for Saturday farm workdays.
Student volunteers hard at work this past fall.
Photo: Elizabeth Moore/IRC
More opportunities in Charlottesville, VA
Summer Internships
The IRC in Charlottesville offers a variety of unpaid internships for students currently enrolled in an educational institution or those who are recent graduates.
Garden Steward Volunteer
Take ownership of regular maintenance and beautification for one or more of the New Roots garden sites. Set regular “office hours” to allow gardeners to come work together and receive support.
Airbnb Open Homes Host - Charlottesville
Host a newly-arriving refugee family while the IRC identifies suitable longterm housing
Immigration Assistant Volunteer
Provide administrative support for our immigration team