Volunteer Farm of Culpeper shoots for 60,000 pounds in 2012

The Volunteer Farm of Culpeper has announced plans for 2012, with a goal of producing at least 60,000 pounds of fresh vegetables to help feed the hungry through area food pantries.

The farm this year will be managed by a three-member team that will split the responsibilities of operating farm equipment, planting, growing and harvesting and coordination of volunteers.

The volunteer management team includes Dewey McDonnell, of Culpeper’s Reformation Lutheran Church, who will recruit and coordinate volunteers; Rev. Arthur Fellows, retired pastor and member of the Culpeper United Methodist Church and part time preacher at the Little Fork Charge, who will be responsible for operating the tractor and other equipment and Donald Whorton of Rapidan in Orange County, a seasoned truck farmer and civic leader, who will be responsible for planting, maintenance and harvesting the crops.

This will be the third growing year for the Culpeper Volunteer Farm, which has produced about eight tons of vegetables as the 97-acre farm was being cleared and the farm operation grew slowly as planned.

It is estimated that at least 1,000 volunteers will be needed this year to plant and harvest the vegetable crops on the Culpeper Farm, which will operate Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. until noon. Volunteers are asked to register in advance for the days they wish to work.

Those interested in volunteering, whether as individuals or groups, need to apply electronically through the website: VolunteerFarm.org, which shows a calendar of plans for each day, a liability waiver form, and a form for registering for specific days.

The Culpeper Farm is following the model of the Volunteer Farm of Shenandoah at Woodstock, which was established in March 2004 as a program of the World Foundation for Children.

The two farms have produced a total of 214 tons of fresh vegetables provided free to food banks and food pantries in about a third of Virginia.

Since the farms do not receive any funding from the food banks and pantries, they are dependent upon donations from churches, individuals, businesses, and civic organizations. More than 175 churches, including some as far off as New York and North Carolina, regularly support the farms with donations and volunteer mission teams.

Donations, which are tax deductible, may be made via PayPal through the website: VolunteerFarm.Org, or by mail to Volunteer Farms, 277 Crider Lane, Woodstock, VA 22664.