Rachel Roland is exploring the Valley with her two little companions in search of the best restaurants, attractions, and products for you and your children. See what she has in store for you today!
One thing I personally feel very strongly about is public service and volunteering. I think it is incredibly important to not only donate money to important causes, but to include our children in actual time volunteering as well.
Being the mother of a four year old and two and half year old presents challenges, however, when you’re searching for volunteer opportunities. Most traditional volunteering locations – soup kitchens, shelters, etc – want children to be at least pre-teen before allowing them to serve. That’s understandable, but again, presents a barrier to someone like myself, who not only wants to help, but serve along side my children.
That’s why I’m excited to share with you an opportunity for not only you, but your children, too!
I found a fantastic community garden called the Roosevelt Growhouse, which I found through the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. During the cooler months, they offer volunteer harvesting hours on Fridays from 1pm-3pm and Sundays from 10am-12pm. Because this is a community garden, they rely heavily on volunteer work. I decided to venture out with both children last week to check it out.
They put us straight to work harvesting kale, which would be sold the very next morning at the Farmer’s market – talk about fresh produce! Aren't they cute little farmers?
Naturally, Sarah and Jeremiah needed a break after a little bit, so we met one of their sweet little farm chickens. I don’t exactly have a green thumb, so I was thankful for a break as well. Everyone at the Roosevelt Growhouse is so kind and welcoming – they really did appreciate the work we put in, even if I might have felt it was sub-par. Dan, who is holding the chicken, was really fantastic and great to talk to about what kind of work the Growhouse is doing.
The Roosevelt Growhouse was at one time an abandoned home. They turned the entire lot- even the portions between the curb and sidewalk – into growing space. The home was turned into a fun, funky store called GROWop. We did browse through it and found everything from vintage clothing, handmade jewelry to antiques. Definitely a great place to find one-of-a-kind pieces!
I love the neighborhood Roosevelt Growhouse is located in, too. It’s very easy to get to from any part of the valley, with ample parking and welcoming people there to greet you. The kids and I had a lovely time volunteering. I think we picked bags and bags of arugula, which I did see for sale at the Farmer’s Market the next day when we stopped by. It was great to show Jeremiah and Sarah the produce and talk about our experience.
You can find Roosevelt Growhouse at: 902 N. 6th Street Phoenix, AZ 85004. Again, volunteer hours are every Friday from 1pm-3pm and Sundays from 10am-12pm.
Want to know more? Check out the Roosevelt Row Arts District.
I'm Rachel - a mom, wife, and a 'green' blogger at Small Steps On Our Journey.
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