Westchester Land Trust is holding a volunteer orientation day on April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for anyone interested in working on WLT’s half-acre Sugar Hill Farm, which supplies fresh produce to area food pantries and soup kitchens. The orientation will take place at the farm, located at 403 Harris Road in Bedford Hills.

As one of Food Bank for Westchester’s five Food Growing Program farm sites, Sugar Hill Farm harvested nearly 1,522 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables—the equivalent of 6,248 servings—in 2017. Volunteers play an essential part of the program’s success, planting seedlings in the spring and weeding, tending and harvesting crops all summer and into the fall.

The bulk of the farm work at Sugar Hill is accomplished through WLT’s volunteer gatherings, which take place twice a month from April through October. Individuals, groups and families, including people of all ages and abilities, are welcome to sign up. Through volunteering, they will learn about sustainable agriculture and make a tangible impact on hunger in our community.

There are a number of tasks involved in growing vegetables, including transplanting young plants into the beds; seeding directly into the fields; weeding, mowing and trimming the rows; hand-watering and moving sprinklers; adding compost to the beds; and harvesting and sorting crops.

Volunteers do not need to know anything about farming; many of Sugar Hill Farm’s volunteers have never set foot in a garden before. WLT staff and volunteer team leaders will be present to show volunteers what to do when they arrive.

For more information, visit WestchesterLandTrust.org or contact Kat at 914.234.6992.