Giving Garden 2026

STOP:  PLEASE NOTE if this is your first time volunteering at the Giving Garden YOU WILL NEED TRAINING PRIOR TO YOUR FIRST SHIFT. REACH OUT TO smaurer@dublin.oh.us to schedule.

The Giving Garden is an 8-bed garden located on the Historic Coffman Homestead at Coffman Park. Volunteers help maintain the garden throughout the season and all produce is donated to the Dublin Food Pantry. Each season, the garden yields about 300 pounds of fresh, local produce to our neighbors in need.

SHIFTS: We ask volunteers to commit to visiting the garden at least twice per month during the season (typically mid-May through October). We understand there may be times where travel, weather or other reasons prohibit this. Also, please start with no more than 1 shift per week to give others a chance to volunteer at the garden.

Shift time is flexible, you may visit the garden at any time (from dusk to dawn) on the day(s) you are scheduled.

NEW volunteers to the garden: for training, please contact Shannon Maurer at least 5 days prior to your first shift to schedule training and receive a key to the garden shed for tools/supplies. Contact info below.

ACTIVITY: Log your activity (water, weed, prune, harvest, deliver, etc.) in the log book for others to see (in shed) – if you do not have a key, please see Shannon – the lock/key is the same from years past, so if you have one from last year, you are good to go.

WATERING: When watering, turn on the spigot valve attached to the Coffman House.

Inside the Garden, turn on the water valve, which will allow the water to run. It is very important to remember to turn off both water valves before leaving the garden and make sure the garden gates are latched securely.

TOOLS: There are plenty of tools (shovels, gloves, lawn bags, shears, bug spray, first aid kit, etc.) in the shed. Please also make sure to lock the shed when you leave for the day.

WEEDING: There is a LOT of weeding. Keep up with it on the ground floor and in the beds themselves. When weeding, place weeds in the new fenced area located on the south side outside of the garden or lawn bags located in the shed.

HARVESTING:       

• Once produce is ripe and ready to be harvested, you may harvest – if you do not feel comfortable harvesting the produce, but notice it is ripe and ready, please contact Shannon or another Giving Garden volunteer to help.
• Use the bags, markers and scissors provided to ready bags of produce/herbs to go to The Dublin Food Pantry.
• Label the produce and date it so families at the Pantry know its contents.
• Produce doesn’t need to be perfectly clean – but it does need to be presentable/appetizing.

DELIVERING Produce to Dublin Food Pantry:

• Take your harvest donation to the Dublin Food Pantry, located at 6608 Dublin Center Drive.
• Fresh produce donations may be dropped off MONDAY, TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY between 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM. The donation room is located at the front of the building, through the far left door.
• DO NOT TAKE ANY RIPENED PRODUCE TO THE PANTRY on THURSDAY LATE NIGHT or FRIDAY. The Pantry is open for client shopping on Monday evening, Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, so we do not want things going to waste there over the weekend.
• Weigh the produce and record it in the Pantry’s log book under “City of Dublin Giving Garden”.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

• Take good care of yourself while gardening.
• Be well hydrated and wear sunscreen and bug spray.
• Talk to residents who may wander by from the Park to tell them what you are doing!
• Utilize hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to practice safe hygiene as well as cleaning shared surfaces and tools often.
• ENJOY and take pride in your good deed of helping to provide fresh, local produce to your neighbors in need!