For Individual Volunteers, NOT Groups
Count/bundle or pack/check 13,000 seed packets requested by Boston community gardens
WHEN
- Saturday 3/11/2023, 1-hr shifts, 12noon-5pm Rain or shine.
-
Sign up by 3/07/2023
Join the Backup List if you can reserve this day/time.
WHAT
Volunteers must wear masks and gloves to protect themselves from the fungicide on the seeds.
WHERE
Randolph, MA Less than 5 miles from Ikea
0.5 mile from Holbrook-Randolph commuter rail station
Ample on-street parking
WHY
Counting, bundling, and packing/checking seed requests with bulk-purchased seeds benefits participating community gardens in Boston. This helps The Trustees ensure the long-term viability of Boston's community gardens and will result in needed food being grown locally.
13,000 packets of free seeds will be distributed to the gardens and low-income gardeners who requested them by 2/1 as hosted by PMD online. This is PMD's 26th year assisting with this detailed effort.
Seed requests will either be delivered contactlessly thanks to a grant from DoorDash for Project DASH (with drivers paid for off-peak work using optimized routes), or be picked up by community garden leaders at City Natives Nursery in Mattapan by advance arrangement.
HOW
Incomplete submissions cannot be honored.
Each individual member of a small group/family must register him-/her-self separately. Spaces for friends or children cannot be reserved since these individuals must take responsibility for their participation by registering themselves.
Exception: A parent/guardian of any volunteers age 7-15 can register these minors.
PMD canNOT accept any UNregistered, walk-in volunteers.
Participation is required for whole hours beginning on the hour.
If this popular project reaches maximum capacity (5/shift), then interested volunteers can join the backup list, since we anticipate (and promote) cancellations due to flu and covid-19 infection and exposure. Joining the PMD backup list means making a commitment to reserve the shift(s) you select until the date you provide.
For volunteers age 7-17, a parent/guardian must also print and co-sign PMD's waiver/release; plus, for volunteers younger than age 16, a parent/guardian must also register before the project reaches maximum capacity and participate fully with the minor.
Call PMD if you cannot sign up using our form.
If you experience any difficult registering online to volunteer with PMD, please immediately CALL THE PMD OFFICE at
After you sign-up, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation email message, so be sure to save the date and times on your calendars AND add Lori@pmd.org to your address/white/allow list.
Then a few days before this project PMD will email specific details in a PDF, including directions to the project site by public transit and by car, what to wear/expect, checklist, map, and release form for minors that a parent/guardian must co-sign and provide at at check-in on 3/11 or 3/12 -- Volunteers age 18+ provide their consent when registering online, to minimize paper/contact.
PMD policy requires that all volunteers participate for their entire one-hour shifts, to enable us to finish all the work we start, clean the project site, gather and clean our tools and materials, and enable all volunteers to leave on time and the next shifts' volunteers to begin on time.
WHO
- Produce appreciable results while conserving recipients' limited resources.
- Educate volunteers about broader issues.
- Bring people together to make a difference.
“Growing food was the first activity that gave us enough prosperity to stay in one place, form complex social groups, tell our stories, and build our cities.”
Barbara Kingsolver
“Growing your own food may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for the health of yourself, your family, and your planet.”
Lindsay Oberst, Food Revolution Network