There is a sense of fulfillment and physical accomplishment that volunteering in a garden can bring. Meeting new people and spending time outside is good medicine for body and spirit. Studies have shown that volunteering can reduce stress and activate the reward center in your brain to release serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins.

There are always tasks we could use help with in the gardens.

One of those jobs is filling bags with pea gravel so we can use them as weights. This pea gravel was painstakingly removed by hand from the aisles of the garden. Instead of paying someone to haul it away, we’re re-using the gravel and giving it a second purpose.

If you’d like, please use a shovel to fill up a bag three-quarters full with pea gravel. Secure the top with a zip tie. If you are able, you can carry your bag to the pile in front of the black cattle gate to your left.

During the growing season, we have regular volunteer work days on Wednesday evenings. The location changes from week to week to rotate through our three community gardens. You can check the Roanoke Foodshed Network Garden Feed for LEAP volunteer events and other ways to get involved in the Roanoke gardening community.