2021 Leader Training

Did you know that during the 2020 Harvest Season we ran over 104 service events and that every event is run by volunteer leaders like you? For 2021, we want to triple the number of volunteer leaders on our roster. If you have come out to the farm, love what we do, you are 18 or older, and available to lead up to three times a month next Harvest season, sign-up here!

Training begins in March 2021!

Team Work

Saturdays

If your extended family, company, club, civic organization, or church would like to do some team building, we would love to set y'all up with a farm care event. 
 

Contact us!

Saturdays | 9 am - 11 am
October 31 - November 21st

Restoration season projects for large groups are limited so get on the list early so you don't miss out! And get on the list for 2021 Planting Season projects!

Join the Board of Directors

Firstfruits Farm SLO is growing and we need leaders excited to shape this faith-based non-profit into an even more effective organization.

We are looking for a Treasurer who’s able to work closely with our fundraising team.

If you want to learn more about the position and time commitment, let us know!

Join Farm Operations

Do you stay up late into the night researching techniques to grow a perfectly flavored snap pea? Do you know the best cycle for crop rotation to restore nitrogen to the soil? Do you love words like amendments and brassicas?

Join the Farm Operations team and share your knowledge! This group of dirt loving folks work together to plan what we grow, where we grow it, & how we grow it. 

Grant Hunting & Writing

Firstfruits Farm SLO has so many good ideas but we need funding to implement them.

We are looking for volunteers with experience in searching out and writing grants to join our executive director and president in the hunt!

If you’re like, “grants? Easy peasy. I grant hunt in my sleep.”

2021 Delivery

Program

Ok team, we will have a veggie van next season and that means we get to be more creative with our delivery program. We’re thinking…wait for it…mobile farmer’s markets!!! 

If this excites you and you're committed to getting our food out of the field into the hands of our neighbors, sign-up here!

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Brainstorming for the 2021 Delivery Program will begin in January.

Restoration

Projects

Harvests need large groups to process the produce, but Restoration Season projects typically call for small groups of 3-5 people and can be weather dependent. 

If you would like to be on the list of volunteers we contact for small group Restoration Season  events, we would love to see you out at the farm.

Join our Social Media Team

If you love taking pictures or videos of the farm and are interested in gaining some brand management experience, be one of our social media volunteers! If you are a YouTube content creator expert, we definitely need you! 

Social media volunteers will be trained by our communications director and will have our brand book to guide the work.

Training begins in February.

Community Partnerships

Are you a member of a church with a food pantry? Are you part of a service organization that works with the food insecure? Are you a 4-H club officer looking for an ag project for youth without access to land to farm?

We are open to building new partnerships in 2021 with established organizations to get our food out of the field and into the hands of people in our county experience food insecurity.

Darin Laity

Darin Laity serves as the Superintendent of Operations - 148th Space Operations Squadron. He formerly owned and operated a private farm.

Darin is a cofounder of Firstfruits Farm SLO.

Marti Kessler

Marti Kessler is a retired San Luis Obispo teacher. Marti is passionate about gardening and caring for people. She has experience serving in different community organizations and is certified in produce safety.

Marti is a cofounder of Firstfruits Farm SLO.

Greg Jeffrey

Greg Jeffrey is SLO native and a Full Time Staff Missionary with CRU. He is passionate about people and relationships. Greg has been in church ministry leadership roles in the past and is very excited about serving SLO county through FirstFruits Farm SLO.

Greg began volunteering at the farm in 2020.

Faith Carlson

Faith Carlson is a registered ASW with the Board of Behavioral Sciences. She has served seniors and the homeless population in San Luis Obispo County for eight years. Faith provides management and community program development experience.

Faith has been involved at the farm since 2013.

Wes Carlson

Wes Carlson is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments who has served clients in San Luis Obispo County for eight years. He has sat on multiple non-profit boards and provides community organization experience.

He has been involved with Firstfruits Farm SLO since 2013.

Read Our Story

In 2011, two churches, Grace SLO and Trinity Church, came together to create Firstfruits Farm SLO as a joint farm ministry to supply first choice produce to God's Storehouse, a food pantry ministry operated by Grace Church...

Fred Kessler

Fred Kessler was the president of his own private agricultural corporation that installed, serviced, and maintained dairy farm equipment throughout the state of Montana for 35 years. He is now retired. 

Fred is a cofounder of Firstfruits Farm SLO.

Jen Smith

Jen Smith is the Senior Business Intelligence Strategist for The Parable Group in San Luis Obispo City. She provides experience with digital media, digital design, & communication management.

She has been involved at the farm since 2017.

Feeding SLO

When you help at the farm, you are directly impacting the lives of hundreds of families who will receive, at no cost, fresh vegetables from food distribution sites such as God’s Storehouse, Judson Terrace, the Salvation Army, Stand Strong, the San Luis Obispo Veteran’s Center, and the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County.