BRANCH
OUT
OUR SITES
This page features a few, but not all, of our community partners. Branch Out welcomes volunteers to participate in as many project sites as your time allows; check out some of our regular volunteer sites, and choose which ones most interest you!
Massachusetts DCR (COASTSWEEP) is a statewide initiative in the Fall to raise awareness and clean beaches. At this site, volunteers get to visit beaches to collect litter using trash bags and plastic gloves. COASTSWEEP uses the trash collections to produce research for the prevention of marine pollution in the future.
This is a weekend volunteer opportunity at which volunteers help keep our backyard Charles River clean and safe to enjoy! The Esplanade Association's advocates for the investment in and protection of our Esplanade and other green spaces. Volunteers might trim bushes, pick up trash, or other perform other volunteer tasks that help improve the park.
AmeriCorps Cape Cod focuses on natural resource management, invasive species removal, and community garden maintenance. The organization is also engaged in natural disaster preparedness and educating the public on environmental safety issues. In the past, Branch Out helped the Cape Cod Americorps in conserving the herring run. This involved cutting some invasive plant species along the water.
The Edward L. Cooper Senior Community Garden and Education Center has two community gardens including the Edward L Cooper garden and the Alan Crite garden, which are used to support urban planting and local produce. Branch Out volunteers have helped these gardens by clearing out invasive trees and debris to make room for a potential fruit orchard.
Bikes Not Bombs is a local non profit that collects bike donations to be sent to partner organizations around the world. Partner organizations include village bike projects in rural Africa and Central America. According to its mission statement, "Bikes Not Bombs" uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change." It creates local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation. It also helps mobilize youth and adults to be leaders in community transformation.
Hawthorne Youth and Community Center is a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides quality educational, cultural and recreational rogramming for youth and adults as well as a forum where residents come together to improve the quality of neighborhood life. HYCC focuses on afterschool programs for local youth and they have a small community garden. We have helped them to rake leave and fo fun outdoor tasks around the center.
Boston Nature Center is a part of the Mass Audobon Society and has 70 acres of forestry and an educational facility as well. There are multiple community gardens and a pre-school. Branch Out volunteers help with various jobs around the property, including clearing trails, weeding gardens, and helping to set up for events, etc. The BNC works to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife.
The Higher Ground Rooftop Farm is a 55,000 square foot rooftop garden and Boston's first rooftop garden. The vegetable beds grow plants like arugula, mustard seeds, cherry tomatoes and much more! The produce gets sold to local restaurants and the rest is donated to organizations like Lovin' Spoonfuls. Branch Out volunteers help out at this urban garden by weeding, planting seeds, lifting beds, etc.
The Boston Green Academy is an in-district charter school for 6th and 9-12th graders that aims to prepare its students to become stewards and leaders of environmental activism. It prepares students to live their lives sustainably and to be prepared to succeed in the burgeoning green economy. In the past, we have helped to jumpstart a gardening program at Boston Green Academy.
The Charles River Conservancy is a nonprofit that promotes the ide of a urban riverfront environment that may be shared by humans and wildlife. It is dedicated to the renewal of the Charles River through cooperation with and partnership with different environmental conservation organizations in the area. Branch Out has worked with the Charles River Conservancy in past Spring semesters to clean up the Charles and Muddy Rivers.
The McKinley Collaborative Garden Project aims to create a sustainable school garden in order to enrich student education with hands-on learning experiences in the garden; to promote healthy food choices by teaching participants how to grow and prepare fresh food; to build relationships between students, families, school staff, neighbors, and local organizations; and to create a peaceful and productive space that contributes to the quality of life for all involved.
