Seeds to Leaders

Seeds to Leaders is a paid youth development program for youth ages 14–17 in Marion County, run by the Soul Food Project. Youth work together to manage urban farming plots while building leadership, teamwork, and job skills through hands-on agriculture work.

As part of the crew, you'll help maintain and grow produce at urban farm sites — you'll receive a portion of the land to manage for a full season. Work includes planting, weeding, harvesting, packing veggie boxes, and distributing produce to CSA members, food pantries, and market customers, while learning real-world employability skills and giving back to the community.

Schedule: 10–15 hours/week. Shifts run Wednesday–Friday after school (school dismissal time), with at least one after-school shift required per week, plus a mandatory Saturday shift from 7:30 AM–3:30 PM.

Start date: October 14, 2026

Responsibilities

• Help maintain and grow produce at assigned urban farm plots
• Harvest, sort, and pack produce for CSA, food pantry, and market distribution
• Participate in leadership, employability, and agriculture training sessions
• Volunteer and engage with the community through program activities

Qualifications

• Ages 14–17
• Marion County resident
• Prior experience at an urban farm or a community/school garden
• Available Wednesday, Thursday, and/or Friday after school, plus mandatory Saturdays
• Enjoys working outdoors and as part of a team