Center for Restorative Community
VICTORY PARK ORCHARD PLANTING, PARK CLEAN UP, AND BOOK READING
May 5, 2013
New Bedford, MA – Connecting for Change: A Bioneers by the Bay Conference (CFC), a program of the Marion Institute, is excited to invite you to get your hands dirty and help us plant an orchard with the orchard donation recipients, the New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches, on Sunday, May 5th from 10am-1pm. This free event will take place at Victory Park, located at 244 Brock Ave. in the South End of New Bedford, MA.
“The installation of an orchard at Victory Park is fitting given the sites history as the city’s Poor Farm. The orchard and the Victory Park community gardens will help children to understand how food comes to their tables and helps to address food security in the City of New Bedford.” - Mary S. Rapoza, Director of New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches
In 2012, CFC donated two orchards, sponsored by RainforestMaker. The donation recipients would receive fruit trees, plus a consultation with orchardist and Chelsea Green Publishing author, Michael Phillips, to ensure the longevity of the trees for the community. Jeffrey Glassman of Rainforestmaker remarked that his group was “honored to sponsor the donation of two orchards during the Connecting for Change Conference and now we are very excited to plant those trees. We love these opportunities and enjoy quality time together with our dedicated volunteers who have fun getting their hands dirty! We hope that others will embrace this moment and come out on Sunday to experience the joy for themselves.”
We are proud to announce that one orchard recipient is the New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches! We invite you to be a part of this celebration by participating in the tree planting and listen to a reading of the children’s book, The Giving Tree, by JoAnn Tschaen of Trips for Kids. During this event, participants will learn how to plant fruit trees, as well as, discover more about the park and garden’s history, and connect with several community groups. The fruit tree planting will be held from 10:00am-12:00pm and the book reading will shortly follow the planting at 12:15pm. Please email Brooke Syvertsen at brooke@marioninstitute.org or call 508.748.0816 for more information about the planting. For more detailed information, please click here.
“This is a perfect partnership and opportunity for the Marion Institute to further our mission, supporting root cause solutions, by planting trees with deep roots and baring fruit for generations to come,” says Desa Van Laarhoven, Executive Director of the Marion Institute.
Small Farm Apprentice
Round the Bend Farm, Dartmouth, MA
Early June to mid- November, 2012
General Overview
Participate in the holistic experience that is diversified small farming in hopes of building confidence and skills to prepare you for an independent future.
Round the Bend Farm (RTB) seeks a farm apprentice to join the farm manager and one to three interns. We are looking for a person who is EXCITED by the prospect of learning all things farming from vegetable gardening to seed saving to animal husbandry. We are looking for a self starter with a strong work ethic.
RTB was started in 2007. It is a 52 acre farm (with access to 25 acres more hayfield and pasture) located in South Dartmouth, MA. The farm enjoys the benefits of close proximity to the ocean, neighboring Audobon Society Sanctuary, and many close farms and friends. RTB has mainly produced animal and vegetable products (pork, eggs, milk, beef, vegetable, herbs and greens, lamb, mutton, wool, goat) in the past. We hope to diversify our produce to include hospitality and educational services and community service. We experience an abundance of opportunity - we capitalize on these opportunities with creative entrepreneurial solutions. The farm is beautiful. The ocean is visible and a nutrient rich sea mist blankets our fields and pastures each morning. Many things grow well at RTB.
This is a seasonal apprenticeship opportunity and will take place from early June through mid- November. This unique opportunity will offer potential educational outreach and teaching opportunities in conjunction with a local non-profit, the Marion Institute. (www.marioninstitute.org).
Requirements
Working closely with the farm manager, you will help to operate/create a small-scale holistic farm business and gain experiential skills to carry you into the future.
The job will require:
• Market garden vegetable growing, harvesting and marketing for CSA delivery and direct restaurant sales.
o Annuals, perennial herbs and fruits.
o Foraging
• Farm design/build while incorporating permaculture concepts.
• Soil building and amendment. Utilization of animal manure creating compost.
• Animal husbandry within rotational grazing system (pigs, chickens, cattle and sheep)
o Poultry care and maintenance
o Herding, sorting and rotation of livestock
• Other types of work may include:
o Carpentry
o Stonewall building/ masonry
o Fence construction
o Sustainable, small, and simple living Machine operation
o Tool maintenance and repair
Qualifications
The ideal candidate is a hardworking, self-starter and finisher, who is open to new ideas, comfortable working with their hands and passionate. Ideally we are looking for someone who will contribute and thrive in a communal living situation and has done so previously. In addition, we would like the farm apprentice to have past experience working or volunteering on a farm or related non-profit.
Qualifications required are:
• Highly organized, energetic, enjoys manual labor....it is hard work and rewarding
• A desire to respect and care for soil and animals (humans included)
• Able to lift and move 50 lbs
• Proven experience in working effectively with other people
• An entrepreneurial approach to small farming
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to accept direction and guidance and carryout arduous tasks
• Knowledge and awareness of self and physical relationship with the natural world
• Willingness to be flexible in terms of work hours
• Willingness to relocate to RTB
• Desire to participate in local, vibrant community
• Smiles, laughter, curiosity, kindness
Compensation
There will be a monthly stipend of $500. We will provide room, board, and wireless internet. Housing will include a private place to sleep and a shared kitchen/dining/library space. There are laundry facilities.
Benefits of this job include living in a beautiful farm setting with a view of the ocean, eating delicious home cooked meals and fresh produce, and living in a warm and friendly community!
There may be entrepreneurial opportunities throughout the season at which you can make extra money. There may be profit sharing upon completion of the apprenticeship. This is based on a 40 to 50 hour work week.
HOW TO APPLY
Please send cover letter, resume and references, and tell us why you would like to be with us by May 31, 2012 to:
Geoff Kinder
Round the Bend Farm
92B Allens Neck Road, Dartmouth, MA 02748
