CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING

VOLUNTEER WITH CERES

Get the team out of the office and into nature on CERES urban farms in Melbourne’s inner-north. Roll up your sleeves, connect as a team and have fun while making a lasting impact for the local community and environment.

who IS ceres?

Starting 40 years ago on an unwanted tip site, today CERES is a thriving grassroots hub for sustainability and community. We are a not-for-profit who reconnects people to each other and the Earth – developing the practical skills, knowledge, leadership qualities and community resilience that will be needed in the coming decades.   

We do this in many ways: through educational experiences, regenerative urban farming and social enterprise. Corporate volunteers have played an important part in this journey, coming to lend a hand for over 15 years.

Team building while making an impact

When you volunteer with us you connect with nature, learn a thing or two and make a tangible difference (and have fun while doing it). We accept volunteers for Working Bees weekday mornings from 9am – 2pm.

We have two sites – CERES Main Site Brunswick and Joe’s Market Garden Coburg where volunteers make a big difference in helping our small team take care of them.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why should I choose to volunteer at CERES for team building?

A working bee at CERES offers a unique opportunity for team members and/or clients to work together and see a project through to completion in a day. Having a task at hand supports easy conversation and connection across teams or with clients. For many teams a day spent volunteering with CERES is a novel day and a rewarding experience.

What happens on the day?

Working Bees tend to run as follows:

8:30am If you’d like to put a coffee tab on at the Merri Cafe, it opens at 8:30 for your team to arrive and start the day with a barista made coffee (Brunswick East only).

9:00am Gather your team together at your CERES site.

9:30am Tour of CERES kicks off.

10:00am You’ll be introduced to one of our horticulturists or farmers to get stuck into some work.

11:00am Enjoy a morning tea break and soak in the gorgeous natural scenery of CERES

11:15am – Back on the tools to finish the job

1:00pm Tools down for a well-earned lunch break, this can be catered by CERES with organic produce from our farms (Brunswick East only).

2:00pm Hang up your gloves with a sense of accomplishment.

What about the weather?

Volunteering at CERES is mainly outside and that makes it subject to our wonderful Melbourne weather. We cannot issue refunds for bookings canceled or with reduced attendance due to weather. On those occasions we will look to adapt the activities as much as we can.

How much does it cost?

As a not-for-profit, CERES asks for a financial contribution to help us cover our costs. The financial contribution for a Working Bee is $109 per person (+GST).

You can also support our social enterprises by opting in for some tasty catering for your team (Brunswick East only).

Morning Tea, pastries, tea and brew coffee: $12 per person.

Barista coffee made to order from the Merri Cafe: pricing will depend on how elaborate your team’s coffee orders are.

Organic seasonal lunch using produce from our farms: $21 per person.

Want to continue working from CERES in the afternoon? Book a venue and make a day of it.

Venue hire: $350

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes?

We do not have a set minimum group size, but there is a minimum fee of $1090 (+GST) to cover costs, so we’d recommend banding together a group of 10 for your volunteer day. We can take groups of up to 20 participants for a Working Bee. If your team is larger than 20, please make an enquiry below and we can discuss options with you.

Are there options for recurring volunteering?

Yes, we have teams who prefer to maintain an ongoing volunteering relationship. This is a fantastic opportunity for your team to feel a deeper level of connection with the site and the CERES team.

brunswick east

Volunteer at our CERES Main site.

Get your hands dirty at our 10 acre organic farm, environmental education centre and community hub in Brunswick East.

coburg

Volunteer at joe's market garden.

Be a farmhand for the day on our urban farm on the bank of the Merri Creek in Coburg.

VOLUNTEER STORIES

The hosts were fabulous. Provided great knowledge around the history of the farm and what it is today as well as what it delivers to the community. They were both friendly and made the experience relaxed and fun. We had people of different levels of experience and fitness and they catered for them well.

The working bee was perfect for our team. Being outdoors, and working as a team to remove the weeds gave us a sense of achievement at the end. Also, it was a really nice time to spend together interacting outside the office environment. Thank you CERES.

Our team haven't stopped talking! They loved the experience and felt uplifted by their time at CERES. Our host's passion for the work was palpable. They were a hands-on educator who took the Hines team on an educational journey.

Thank you! The Team and I had a fantastic time! It was very enriching, educational and a lot of fun.

Thank you for a great day! The team really enjoyed learning about the history, and getting outdoors, for a change of pace and scenery to their usual work days!

The day got us closer to nature, empowered us to create and introduced us to a community at the forefront of sustainable enterprise.