Winter Park Harvest Festival 2012 – Call For Volunteers
The third annual Winter Park Harvest Festival will be a two (2) day event focused on celebrating local food and the farmers, chefs, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations that bring the harvest of their fields to our plates.
Festival Events will be held at Mead Botanical Garden and West Meadow and Central Park North in Winter Park, Florida on Saturday, November 17 and Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Join regional and national leaders to form and strengthen the roots of our vibrant local food community. Participate and become part of the fun. Volunteer and Internship Opportunities are immediately available and continue through the Festival close-out. Verification of Community Service hours will be provided for volunteers, if requested.
The Winter Park Harvest Festival relies on Volunteers and Interns to assist with all aspects of Festival Planning and Operations including, but not limited to, Marketing and Public Relations, Promotions, Community Outreach, Logistics, Festival Program Elements and Event Operations, Hospitality and Event Follow-up.
Pre-Festival Opportunities: Example assignments include assembly and distribution of “Grow Boxes” (mobile garden boxes), working with area schools and organizations on community garden programs, staffing information tables at community events and farmers markets, development and distribution of promotional materials, attending “work and learn” sessions at Winter Park Harvest Urban Farm, assistance with communication, social media and community billboard postings, and providing other general forms of assistance.
Festival Opportunities: Example assignments include setting up and breaking down of program events, assisting with Harvest Conference workshops, registration and check-in for workshops, assisting with audio-visual and technical needs, photography, videography, assisting with Farm to Table Dinner (some positions require food service experience), assisting with Winter Park Harvest Festival Farmers Market, assisting with various exhibitions and demonstrations, staffing for information booth, assisting with merchandise sales, directing the public to appropriate parking areas and providing other general forms of assistance.
Please Respond as Follows: To express interest in Volunteering as an individual or as a group, or to request additional information, kindly send an email to our Volunteer Program Coordinator, Kim Buchheit at kimberlybuchheit@gmail.com or contact Kim by phone at 321-689-1057. Please use “Volunteer for WPHF 2012, Your Name” in the Subject line.
Volunteers will be asked to provide the following information on or before October 31, 2012:
Your name, email address, cell phone number, text capabilities (yes or no), your preferred method of contact, availability in advance of the Festival, availability during the two (2) days of the Festival and preferred shifts (Early, Morning, Afternoon, Evening or Flexible), your particular area(s) of interest, and your organization name, if applicable.
If you are a student, please indicate your school and grade level. If you are under the age of 18, please include the name and contact information for your parent or guardian and ensure that you can obtain parental consent.
Some assignments may include lifting items under 50 lbs., lifting items over 50 lbs., driving (vehicle, FL Drivers License and proof of insurance required), or other functions requiring specific capabilities. Please inform us of any special skills, preferences or limitations that might affect your ability to perform any particular task. We hope to match your interests and capabilities with our needs, wherever possible.
Privacy Statement: Personal information will not be sold or shared and is for the purpose of contacting individuals and assigning responsibilities appropriately.
Contacts:
Kimberly Buchheit, Volunteer Program Coordinator
cell 321-689-1057 (phone and text)
Information and Updates:
Please feel free to share this information and these links with any interested parties. The Website and Facebook page will be updated on a regular basis.
This is a very exciting event I just learned about in Edible Orlando. I would be honored to be a part of it! I believe my skills are best suited to working with “Farmers Market” and/or “Internship” opportunities. A lifelong foodie (or is it now, “foodist”?), I was passionately involved in all things local, organic, artisan and sustainable, while living in Toronto for two years (2007-2009). I am a native Northern California girl and miss the bounty of the San Francisco Bay Area. Pre-kids, my background was in hospitality and event planning.
If there are volunteer roles for teens, I have two very capable teens, ages 15 and almost 13, who have already offered their service through youth group involvement in gleaning projects and working the Coalition for the Homeless. I believe this event can serve to kindle in our youth excitement around supporting local farmers and becoming involved, or at least educated, in issues of sustainability and managing our local resources.
Cheers!
Jacqueline Grant