Dig In with Second Saturday Volunteers
- Zak Shellhammer
- Mar 16
- 3 min read
Every Second Saturday of the month from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, volunteers from around Reno and Northern Nevada gather at Urban Roots Teaching Farm to help care for the farm and support the programs that grow here. Some people come because they love being outside at our farm. Some arrive with friends or coworkers. Others are just curious about the farm they’ve driven past a hundred times.
By the end of the morning, most people leave feeling like they’ve become part of it.
Volunteer days are never exactly the same. Farms don’t really work that way. The seasons decide the rhythm, and the needs of the moment shape the work.
One month you might find yourself painting garden boxes or repairing beds that will soon be filled with soil and seedlings. Another month could be all about preparing the farm for planting, turning over beds, organizing tools, and getting things ready for the next growing cycle. Sometimes the work is more physical, like moving materials or helping with larger farm projects. Other times it’s lighter and quieter, like filling out thank-you cards for Urban Roots members or helping with simple administrative tasks that keep the organization running smoothly.
Urban Roots intentionally creates space for volunteers of all ages and abilities, so everyone can contribute in a way that feels comfortable and meaningful. Every now and then, the work takes us beyond the farm itself!
When students from UNR’s ΑΦΩ – ΥΨ joined us for a volunteer day, the group headed offsite to Desert Peach School to help begin construction on our Gardening For All project, an initiative focused on expanding access to gardening education in our community. What started as a volunteer morning quickly became the beginning of something much bigger, helping create spaces where more students can learn how food grows and why it matters.
Other volunteer groups have helped prepare for some of Urban Roots’ biggest community events. Students from UNR’s MEDLIFE Nevada chapter joined us to get spooky and decorate for our Haunted Hoops event in 2025, while other volunteers have stepped in to help serve dinner and assist with preparation for The Seedkeeper’s Table, Urban Roots’ annual fundraiser that brings supporters together around food grown right here on the farm.
These moments are a reminder that a teaching farm isn’t just rows of vegetables and garden beds. It’s a hub. A gathering place where agriculture, education, and community overlap.
Three hours may not seem like much, but a little can go a long way. We like to remind our volunteers that what they’re doing is helping support programming and educating the community. A morning of volunteer work can seriously make a difference.
Whether someone is picking up a shovel for the first time, writing thank-you notes, or helping prepare the farm for the next big event, each volunteer becomes part of the ongoing story of Urban Roots.
Join Us for Second Saturday Volunteer Day
Urban Roots Teaching Farm welcomes volunteers on the second Saturday of every month from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. You can sign up on our Volunteer page for a date that works for you!
Individuals, families, student groups, and organizations are all encouraged to participate. No prior farming experience is required, just a willingness to help and spend a few hours contributing to something meaningful. We always recommend bringing a hat, sunglasses, and sun screen! We’ve got the gloves and tools.
If you’ve ever wanted to experience the farm up close, meet others in the community, and make a real impact, Second Saturday is a perfect place to start.
PS: Not able to attend on Saturday or have a large group? Contact Zak to see if other dates are available and we’ll do our best to setup a volunteer experience that fits your team.
It's inspiring to see how Urban Roots fosters community engagement through their diverse volunteer opportunities, from physical farm work to administrative tasks. This hands-on approach makes learning about food systems accessible, and for those documenting such efforts, tools like mp4 to text can be useful for transcribing video content.
It's great to see how volunteer days at Urban Roots are so dynamic, adapting to the seasons and immediate needs, which can be a challenge when organizing community projects. This flexibility is key for initiatives like the "Gardening For All project" mentioned, ensuring help is always relevant and impactful, much like how tools such as png to 3d can adapt files for different uses. The farm's role as a community hub for education and agriculture truly shines through these efforts.
I love that by the end of the morning, people feel like they’ve become part of the farm—that sense of belonging is everything. For anyone in Reno wanting to dig in, check out https://crayo-ai.net
Great recipes - love creative ways to use fresh veggies. Thanks for sharing and for the wonderful work you do! On a side note, I keep a free planning and optimization tool I like to share with folks who enjoy staying organized: https://satisfactorycalculator.net/
It’s amazing how quickly a Saturday morning at the farm can turn strangers into part of the Urban Roots community. I’ve been meaning to check out https://nemotron-ai.com