We’re a working family homestead in Northern Maine, and multi-generational home. We’re looking for help to support the many projects we challenge ourselves with around the homestead during the warmer parts of the year.
Volunteer in Maine, USA – requirements & tasks
We raise Kiko goats for breeding and meat, process honey from our hives in the summer, grow ten varieties of apples, grow produce in our 20+ raised garden beds and mini-greenhouse, mostly for household consumption, and operate a small self-serve farm store on the premises.
We are looking for spring through mid-fall help to support the many projects we challenge ourselves with around the homestead during the warmer parts of the year.
The type of work you could do to assist us ranges from, morning and evening chores in the barn, animal husbandry, including goats and chickens, maintaining garden beds, tree and limb clean up, which the leaves and needles are fed to our goats, building and mending fences, building decks, beekeeping, general maintenance, and preparing for winter.
We will be adding mushrooms, strawberries, blueberries, and more grapes to our arbor this year. We also have a bed of asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish growing. And 10 varieties of garlic. Let’s not forget about the pumpkins, gourds, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, and we also need help with canning vegetables, jams, and other goodies.
We are looking for a Jack and/or Jill of all trades. Someone who enjoys trying new things and willing to stretch and grow with us. The opportunities for learning are endless, and new insights and ideas are always welcome.
Typically 20-25 hours of work is expected per week per person. When exactly you put in the work would be by mutual agreement, and largely at your convenience. It does not need to be every week-day, and on some things we may prefer to work with you on the weekends when we have the time to show you what we want or lead a project.
We are looking for a helper or a couple that are willing to be flexible with the hours they work, whatever makes the most sense for the week but no more than the agreed upon number of hours. The hours can be worked a couple in the morning, a couple at night, all in the morning, all at night, or over the weekend, depending on what the helper may wish to do with their free time. We are open in most cases to being flexible with when the hours are worked.
We typically like to start a new helpstay-type relationship with a week’s trial stay. After we establish that we are all a good match, we have no set limit to length of stay. The longer the better if it is working well.
Volunteer in Maine, USA – what we offer
Our preferred arrangement is to put up couples or groups of friends who bring their RV so they have somewhere more private to return to at the end of the day but who can take turns preparing meals as a group, typically alternating cooking for each other, or sometimes eating separately as desired. You would have access to a shared kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities. We can accommodate a parked van, or RV. We do not currently have RV hookups readily available but may be able to accommodate electric and water hookups. There is a black/brown sewage drop a couple miles away, as needed, at a local campground.
Alternatively, we have a queen size bed available in a private room on the first floor, with two large windows, ceiling fan, closet, and dressers. You would have access to a shared bathroom just down the hall with one other adult. You would also have access to the kitchen to help prepare meals, and access to laundry facilities (washer and dryer) on the same floor.
This region is full of great opportunities, including sightseeing, tourism, sea glass hunting, hiking, camping, and fishing.
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