ROCKPORT — Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT), a statewide land conservation organization, seeks volunteers for Kids Can Grow, a six-month comprehensive gardening program, teaching youth ages 7-12 how to grow nutritious vegetables, herbs, and flowers for their families in their own 3 x 5 foot raised-bed gardens at home using intensive square foot gardening techniques. Volunteers may participate in a variety of ways, including mentoring program participants and helping prepare supplies for gardening. 
 
An orientation for Kids Can Grow volunteers will be held on Thursday, April 25, from 4 to 5 p.m., at MCHT’s Erickson Fields Preserve, 164 West Street, in Rockport. The rain location will be MCHT’s Aldermere Farm, 20 Russell Avenue in Rockport. 
 
Since 2009, MCHT in partnership with the Knox/Lincoln County Extension Office has run a Kids Can Grow program at Erickson Fields Preserve. Children participate in a series of “hands on” gardening classes at Erickson Fields May through October and repeat what they learn at home using materials supplied by the program and guidance from a volunteer mentor. 
 
“Kids Can Grow is a feel-good experience for the volunteers who help out and the participants,” said MCHT volunteer Marina Schauffler. “In our last session, one parent spoke of how much their diet had changed — and how incorporating more fresh vegetables had already dramatically improved their health. In a single growing season, people can learn skills and habits that serve them well for life. It’s gratifying to be part of that process.” 
 
To apply to volunteer, visit aldermere.org/volunteering. For more information about Kids Can Grow, visit aldermere.org/kids-can-grow, call 207-236-2739, or email aldermere@mcht.org.