We are looking for drivers to transport volunteers to harvest sites, as well as redistribute donations! Please note that you must complete the brief driver protocol available here: https://www.iskashitaa.org/volunteer-driver
For our refugee volunteers, the harvest on Fridays is a great chance to practice English, get out into the community, learn how to navigate Tucson, get fresh, local fruit and vegetables, and help feed the community with food that would otherwise go to waste ! This role includes driving to our 3736 E 2nd St office at 7:45am to pick up any refugee harvesters who will not fit in our harvest van and bringing them to each harvest site. Most harvests include one to three sites and we are usually back at the ofice around 11am. This role does not require participation in the harvest, however there are many roles to fill when gleaning!
Iskashitaa has partners across the state who have made it possible to redistribute food throughout Arizona! We are specifically looking for back-up drivers for Tuesdays (before 11am). Wednesdays (around noon), and Fridays (12pm to 2pm). Even when our volunteer drivers are out of town or have personal emergencies, we still want to be able to get fresh produce to families, which is where you come in! The responsibilities of this role include stopping by our 3736 E 2nd St office for any donations we would like to share, going to the drop-off (all within Tucson), waiting for our partners to swap our donation with theirs (& helping if you choose), and driving it back to our 2nd St office for us to unload. If you plan on only transporting donations and not needing the harvest van for pick ups, you are not required to complete the driving protocol, although it is still recommended.
3736 E. 2nd St, Tucson, AZ 85716, US
Iskashitaa Refugee Network creates opportunities to integrate UN refugees into the Southern Arizona community while educating the public, strengthening the local food system, reducing local food waste, and increasing food security.
Iskashitaa Refugee Network is an intergenerational network of Tucson volunteers and UN refugees from Asian, African, and Middle Eastern countries, who locate, harvest, and redistribute locally grown fruits and vegetables which would otherwise go to waste. IRN staff/volunteers create opportunities to empower recently arrived refugees by connecting them with a wide variety of resources to interact with the community. While gleaning remains an integral part of our work, we have expanded to offering a wide variety of programs, such as our Refugee Garden Art Program and Food Preservation Workshops. Refugees from the 37 different ethnic groups that IRN has worked with throughout its 21 year history, learn the geography of Tucson, gain valuable life skills, improve their English, develop a US work history and access to healthy foods and food preservation techniques.
3736 East 2nd StreetTucson, AZ 85716
August 22, 2024
