With temperatures expected to be in the 70s by the first weekend of March and the soil beginning to warm, Embrace Waynesboro is preparing for another planting season in its community garden, a space that has become a source of fresh food for neighbors in the Waynesboro area.
This year, Embrace Waynesboro is seeking a volunteer garden manager/coordinator to help guide the work.
The position, estimated at 8–10 hours per week, will focus on crop planning and rotation, coordinating hands-on work alongside other volunteers, and, if possible, starting seedlings in the greenhouse. The role is more than garden maintenance; it is an opportunity to step into the broader work of Embrace Waynesboro as its community impact continues to grow.
Embrace Waynesboro was started by a group of local teenagers in 2014 as a peer-focused clothing outreach housed in a former church building and has steadily grown from there. The organization relies on regular community listening to help shape its programs, with each location developing in partnership with its supporting community and offering programs that reflect local priorities and participation.
The Waynesboro site has developed education partnerships, outreach programs, and a medical clinic in partnership with Augusta Health. With a second location in Covington and plans for continued growth across the Commonwealth, the organization continues to transform spaces into centers of community-led support for neighbors across the region and is now officially known as Embrace Centers for Community Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
The garden has become an important and steady part of that work. What began with five raised beds has grown into 25 raised garden beds, five herb gardens, and fruit trees and bushes. The Community Garden helps ensure local residents have access to fresh produce each growing season. Approximately 5,500 pounds of food were grown last year, resulting in an estimated 3,500 visits to the garden. The produce includes items that cannot always be found in local grocery stores.
“We try to make people feel at home here,” said Kaye Shaner, director of the Staunton Augusta Waynesboro Community Assistance Network at Embrace Centers for Community. “We have neighbors who are not from the area and would like what we call ‘a taste of home.’ So our leadership works together to make sure we have those seeds. We need a leader who can be a hands-on director, who can help the volunteers grow these vegetables.”
Community members with experience in gardening are encouraged to apply for the garden manager/coordinator role. There are many ways others can support the work, from volunteering in the garden to making financial contributions that sustain the programs at Embrace Centers for Community year-round. The community garden has always been sustained by many hands working together — from individuals who loan equipment and volunteer, to seed companies that donate seeds, to local corporations that send teams of volunteers during the planting season.
“We do not want to close the community garden,” said Shaner. “We want to be able to grow the amount of food our neighbors need, but without a garden manager, we do not have the capacity to do that this year.”
For more information about the garden manager/coordinator position, visit embracewaynesboro.org or contact Kaye Shaner at bstiltne@vt.edu or (540) 324-7006.
Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
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