Facebook-f Instagram Youtube
My Account

Volunteer

Inspire Individuals and Communities

DCH was founded as a volunteer organization in 1977. True to our roots, volunteerism is the engine that drives our success. We offer many opportunities for you to get involved –from tree plantings, maintenance, and gardening, to event photography and urban farm harvesting. Whatever your interest, we have a volunteer match for you!

Individual Volunteers: 

If you’d like to learn more about our volunteer programs, please fill out this short application to communicate your interests and availability and we’ll be in touch shortly.

Click here

Group Volunteers: 

If you’re part of a corporate or non-profit group and would like to schedule group volunteering, please fill out our interest form here and we’ll be in touch shortly.

Click here

Additionally, some of our volunteer events are listed on the calendar below. To sign up for an event, select the event date, fill out our brief application with your information, and sign up for your shift. 

Ways To Volunteer

Tree Programs

Every year, DCH plants ~500 trees, through corporate partnerships and grants, in community green spaces, increasing urban tree canopy coverage. We also host low-cost tree sales and support communities in need through tree giveaways, as well as our TreeCycle event, which promotes recycling trees into usable mulch. Volunteers can assist in a variety of ways, whether helping to support tree plantings, maintaining trees by re-mulching, watering, and weeding planting sites, or helping at any of our tree-related special events.

Looking for a way to get out and garden? DCH hosts garden volunteers to help plant, weed and water the gardens at the center. Other special projects may include redesigning and creating containerized planters, creating flower arrangements for upcoming events, and/or organizing tools and supplies for the Public Landscapes team. Volunteers will be provided with all necessary tools and supplies but are welcome to bring their own gloves.

E.D. Robinson Urban Farm & Shearman Street Community Garden

Do you believe in the power of healthy fruits and vegetables? The urban farm is a way for DCH to support community-oriented urban agricultural projects that expand healthy food access in Delaware. The E.D. Robinson Urban Farm grows fresh fruits and vegetables that are then sold to the local community and/or donated to the Food Bank of Delaware and other local food pantries. Urban farm and community garden volunteers can help with a variety of projects including weeding, planting and harvesting crops, and weighing and tracking produce for distribution.

Special events are celebrated throughout the year, and we need volunteers to help support them! Activities could include checking in attendees, managing a cash register to handle purchases, serving alcohol from our bar (volunteers must be certified to pour by the Delaware Office of Alcoholic Beverage Control Commissioner), assisting in set-up/tear-down in preparation for events, organizing materials to support specials events, etc.

Our Youth Education Program is expanding. We interact with ~800 youth, ages 3-18 throughout the year. Education volunteers assist our Education Manager in researching, creating, and delivering educational programs. Volunteers may assist with researching relevant curriculum, organizing it into a standardized template, and creating program materials. Volunteers may also assist in delivering programs to youth.

Our new Youth Enrichment Assistant position gives volunteers the opportunity to engage with our volunteer program at a higher level. After undergoing a training process, Youth Enrichment Assistant volunteers will be approved to deliver programming with Education Assistant volunteers on DCH’s behalf. This program will allow us to increase our capacity to deliver programming to even more youth!

All education volunteers will be required to submit a resume, complete a screening process with the Education Manager and Volunteer Manager, and pass a background check to be approved to volunteer.

DCH works with a variety of corporate partners and community groups to leverage groups of volunteers to accomplish large projects. Individuals are always welcome to sign-up through our volunteer calendar, but if you’re looking for an opportunity exclusive to your group, we can work to find the perfect project. These projects can include tree stewardship opportunities, special event assistance, garden and urban farm volunteers, etc.

Membership

Join The Community

Learn More

Support Us

Support Our Cause

Learn More

Visit Us

Get To Know Us

Learn More

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Subscribers receive our monthly E-News and information about upcoming events, organizational updates, and more.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Delaware Center for Horticulture. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Rachel Mussaf

Office Manager

302-658-6262 x100

Rachel supports the day-to-day operations and administration of the Delaware Center for Horticulture as Office Manager. With more than 18 years of experience in non-profit administration, education, community engagement, and program management. She enjoys building relationships, keeping things organized, and helping create welcoming spaces where people and organizations can thrive.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, and their two children, Jenna, 17, and Henry, 15. As a family, they love spending time together, exploring new places, and cheering each other on in all of their activities and adventures.

Noah Zeigler

Urban Greening Coordinator

302-658-6262 x117

Noah Ziegler is the Urban Greening Coordinator at DCH where he uses ARC GIS to plot and plan upcoming projects around New Castle County.  He has had a diverse career path that include time with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and DNREC Environmental Laboratory.  Graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Environmental and Energy Resource Management and is now working towards his master’s in environmental management from University of Rhode Island.  In his spare time, Noah enjoys camping, playing ultimate frisbee, and playing darts.  

Alexis Bacon

Education Coordinator

302-658-6262 x117

Alexis Bacon is the Educational Coordinator at DCH where she assists with supporting preexisting programs like Branches to Chances and the Urban Conservation Corps and developing additional programming for adult and child education. She has worked in horticulture and sustainability for over ten years, primarily in the public garden world with internships at Scott Arboretum, University of Delaware Botanic Garden, and a variety of roles at the American Public Gardens Association. She received her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Temple University and a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from Virginia Tech. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, picnicking, hiking, and camping. 

Ana Pavón

Advancement Coordinator

302-658-6262 x108

Ana is the Advancement coordinator at DCH, where she supports the planning and execution of fundraising and donor engagement activities including fundraising efforts related to DCH’s programs and projects through events, membership, donor stewardship, and community engagement. With several years of experience supporting municipal and non-profit organizations, she brings a strong background in fundraising and membership work, focused on deepening community engagement, building meaningful relationships, and supporting grassroots giving.

Ana holds a B.A in Sustainability and Certification in Environmental Education from Arizona State University. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, home renovation projects, and traveling.

Julia Ehrhardt

Ecological Landscapes Manager

Julia Lo Ehrhardt is the Manager of Ecological Landscapes and Greening where she works with plants and people to create healthy communities that are beautiful, thriving and regenerative. A self-proclaimed plant nerd, Julia has over twenty years of experience in horticulture, conservation, education, visitor services, and volunteer program management. She possesses a BSc. Agriculture, MS Public Gardens Administration (Longwood Graduate Program) and an MPS in Sustainable Food Systems from the Culinary Institute of America. Her career has taken her to the New York Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Mt Cuba Center, and Tyler Arboretum.

In her spare time, Julia grows a multitude of vegetable varieties, dreams up container combinations and incorporates more plants into her 1/3 acre property in Oxford, PA. She shares this space with her car guy husband and his super garage. Julia also expresses her creativity through knitting, cooking and making fermented foods (kimchi and kombucha). She also volunteers with the Chester County Food Bank and the Oxford Area Environmental Advisory Council.

Kesha Braunskill 

Community Forester

Kesha Braunskill is the Community Forester for the DCH, focusing on Wilmington’s greening efforts and fostering lasting partnerships. With experience at the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Delaware, she has engaged communities and municipalities statewide, emphasizing the significance of trees in both traditional and innovative ways. Kesha is an ISA certified arborist and holds a BS from the University of Maryland and a MS from Delaware State University. Kesha is excited to work with the communities in and around Wilmington to encourage a healthy urban forest. Outside of work, she is an artist and wildlife rehabilitator. 

Ann Mattingly

Director of Horticulture

302-658-6262

Ann Mattingly serves as the Director of Horticulture at the Delaware Center for Horticulture, returning to DCH and Wilmington with over twenty years of experience leading horticulture, public space stewardship, and community-centered greening. Her career has woven together the care of plants, places, and people—guiding urban landscape projects and nurturing partnerships that support neighborhood health and connection. Her earlier work helped establish the E.D. Robinson Urban Farm and launch the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition, both of which continue to advance food security and justice today. She brings a steady, collaborative vision to nurturing the city’s green spaces, strengthening the places where people gather, grow, and find connection

Adrienne Spencer

Urban Farm Coordinator

302-658-6262

Adrienne plans and implements the production, sale, and marketing of fresh vegetables and fruits at DCH’s E. D. Robinson Urban Farm at 12th & Brandywine, interacting with visitors and customers at the farmer’s market. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Howard University and is a longtime Wilmington resident. Adrienne is a member of PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) and the 2016 Recipient of the Nancy Caroon Travel Scholarship.

 

Jamie Shanklin-Spencer

Urban Agriculture Manager

302-658-6262 Ext. 106

As Urban Agriculture Manager, Jamie leads DCH’s efforts to expand equitable food access and sustainable growing practices through urban farming, education, and community partnerships. She manages farm sites, youth programs, and food justice initiatives across Wilmington and beyond.

Jamie is the founder of Messiah’s Market Herbs & Horticulture Inc., where she has developed healing garden spaces, Agri-STEM youth programs, and a year-round farmers market. She currently serves as Chair of the Urban Farm Committee for the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition (DEUFFC) and as Delaware Director for the Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Caucus. She is also a certified Delaware Master Gardener, as well as Permaculture Design Specialist.

When she’s not growing food or building community, Jamie enjoys homeschooling her children, creating herbal remedies, and restoring connection to land and culture through storytelling and the soil.
Facebook Twitter Youtube
Facebook Twitter Youtube