What we’re about
This group is for anyone interested in California native plants, gardening, good food, Regenerative Organic Agriculture, and having fun with like-minded friends.
VOLUNTEER: Come to our volunteer training, second Saturday of the month!
JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Come to our weekly Monday Night Social!
At California Native Garden Foundation, our vision is a world where children have access to nature, people can grow their own food locally, and there is a balance between human activity and natural ecology. Volunteering with us might look like: planting, propagating, seeding, weeding, thinning, mulching, composting, harvesting, and more! We've had volunteers who write, create content, work events — we're interested in your skills and passions to see how we can work together in service of the microbes.
Together, we can cultivate change, and we would LOVE for you to join us in the garden. Any questions? Don't hesitate to reach out to volunteer@cngf.org. Hope to see you soon!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Monday Social in the ELSEE GardenELSEE Garden, San Jose, CA
Grab a friend and join our weekly Volunteer Social in ELSEE Garden at 76 Race Street in San Jose!
We usually fire up our wood fired pizza oven and make gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and regular pizza. Our community loves to bring dishes to share, especially recipes that integrate California Native plants. We look forward tasting your creations, but please do not feel any pressure to make something.
You can come to eat or just come to relax, visit, and build community with our CNGF Friends and Volunteers.
In the meantime, please check the platform we use to organize our community efforts: Our Community Discord for more discussion and fun.
Note: Please plan to pack out whatever you pack in.
Hope to see you on Monday evening!
The Community Team at CNFG: Activate the Commons
- CNGF Monthly Volunteer Orientation and Training!!ELSEE Garden, San Jose, CA
Join us for our volunteer orientation and training event with the California Native Garden Foundation!
We moved the August orientation to August 16 so our ommunity to attend the Urban Growers Network Resource Fair.
Never volunteered with CNGF before? New to gardening and plants? We host this event on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 9am-12:30pm, for folks just like you. Training is followed up by a lunch featuring delicious meals with plants fresh from our gardens.
Orientation is required for new volunteers and highly recommended for volunteers that have been with us for a while. You will likely learn an array of new things about CNGF, including additional opportunities to volunteer and support our community!
We will tour our headquarters and eat-grow-learn center, ELSEE, as well as our regenerative organic farm, Hester. Participants will learn about the background and goals of our organization, as well as essential skills such as propagating and transplanting native plants, composting, and harvesting food. It will be a great opportunity to connect with fellow volunteers and learn more about our mission!
During the training, you will receive tea and some lovely snacks. At the end of the training, you will be treated to a delicious lunch made mostly from organic and California native food plants.
Please make sure to sign up in advance so we know how many people we will need to feed!
Orientation Agenda:
9am — Welcome & Tea
9:15am — Meet Mother Earth & Ice Breakers
9:30am — Garden Tour
9:45am — Organization Overview & Next Steps
10am — 0.5 mile Walk to Hester, Learn Local History
10:15am — Hester Tour & Greens Harvesting
11am — Composting and Propagating Demonstrations
11:30am — Volunteer Activity
12pm — Lunch (including food from harvest!)Make sure to come prepared for the weather that day. The training will involve walking around 1.5 miles, so comfortable shoes are recommended.
We look forward to welcoming you to our organization and helping you become a valuable member of our volunteer team!
- Monday Social in the ELSEE GardenELSEE Garden, San Jose, CA
Grab a friend and join our weekly Volunteer Social in ELSEE Garden at 76 Race Street in San Jose!
We usually fire up our wood fired pizza oven and make gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and regular pizza. Our community loves to bring dishes to share, especially recipes that integrate California Native plants. We look forward tasting your creations, but please do not feel any pressure to make something.
You can come to eat or just come to relax, visit, and build community with our CNGF Friends and Volunteers.
In the meantime, please check the platform we use to organize our community efforts: Our Community Discord for more discussion and fun.
Note: Please plan to pack out whatever you pack in.
Hope to see you on Monday evening!
The Community Team at CNFG: Activate the Commons
- Monday Social in the ELSEE GardenELSEE Garden, San Jose, CA
Grab a friend and join our weekly Volunteer Social in ELSEE Garden at 76 Race Street in San Jose!
We usually fire up our wood fired pizza oven and make gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, and regular pizza. Our community loves to bring dishes to share, especially recipes that integrate California Native plants. We look forward tasting your creations, but please do not feel any pressure to make something.
You can come to eat or just come to relax, visit, and build community with our CNGF Friends and Volunteers.
In the meantime, please check the platform we use to organize our community efforts: Our Community Discord for more discussion and fun.
Note: Please plan to pack out whatever you pack in.
Hope to see you on Monday evening!
The Community Team at CNFG: Activate the Commons
