To get started, please choose one or more committees that interests you from the below list and join their listserves to receive updates about upcoming workdays, meetings and discussions.

GARDENing

The Gardening Committee cares for all the plants in our garden, those in raised beds where we grow food and those in in-ground beds where we are creating pollinator gardens using native plants. Our work involves landscaping and building raised beds, as well as seed germination, planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting. We also coordinate events like our Neighborhood Plant Swap in the spring, the Corn Harvest Festival in mid-summer, and our Sweet Potato Reveal Party in the late fall. 

All of the committee's activities are done communally: there are no private beds.  There is a small team of regular Gardening volunteers that helps to lead the work. Two of those volunteers, Julianna and Nancy H., will serve as co-chairs of the Gardening Committee for 2026.

Starting in April, work sessions are held Thursday evenings and on alternating Saturday or Sunday mornings (see our calendar here). No prior gardening experience is necessary and tasks can always be tailored to people’s abilities.

Email: Gardening.MSCG@gmail.com

Compost

The Compost Committee is headed by Zhenia Nagorny and Bryen Pittner alongside many compost volunteers and partners who are leading shifts, processing food scraps and helping the committee as a whole to process thousands lbs. of food scraps per year.

Our hours of operation are Wednesdays and Saturdays 10:30am - 12:30pm from April - December; we close for winter. To sign up to receive notification when we reopen or have to close unexpectedly, click here or follow us on Instagram.

To join our compost team, sign up to the google group 👉 and fill out this google form. We will reach out to you with next steps.

Email: Compost.MSCG@gmail.com

COMMUNIcation

The Communication Committee, led by Jess Frost & Naomi Huffman, maintains our website, monthly newsletter, and social media channels. We work together to keep the garden’s online presence up to date with photography, video, and writing. The Committee meets bi-weekly and publishes the MSCG newsletter on the second Wednesday of the month.

We’re always looking for content, please send us an email!

Email: Communication.MSCG@gmail.com

External Affairs

The External Affairs Committee will represent Maple Street Community Garden by partnering with individuals and organizations to build community relationships that support Maple Street Community Garden’s mission, membership, financial stability and community fostering programs.  

In 2025, we engaged with Green Thumb, Brooklyn Book Bodega, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Green Guerillas, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, CB9, elected officials (Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso, Senator Myrie, District 40 City Council Member Joseph).  

In 2026, our focus will be on connecting with those age groups less represented among our garden members (youth and senior adults) through collaborations with Green Guerillas and other organizations. 

The External Affairs Committee will continue to build MSCG community awareness to garner various kinds of support by hosting events, leading workshops, participating in or supporting other community gardens’ events, attending awards ceremonies, welcoming in new community members, gardeners, local and elected leaders to Maple Street Community Garden. 

Please email inquiries or ideas on partnering or volunteering

Email: ExternalAffairs.MSCG@gmail.com

Treasury

The Finance Committee is overseen by our treasurers, Jesse Vogel & Morgan Peters. Broad strokes budgeting and financial planning are normally handled by the group at general garden meetings, but volunteers who can help with fundraising are very welcome to join the Finance committee.

Email: Treasurer.MSCG@gmail.com

Fundraising

The Fundraising Committee is co-chaired by Wanufi Teshome & Rotem Blat. Fundraising is dedicated to ensuring the financial health and sustainability of our community garden. We support the garden's mission, ongoing projects, and long-term goals by fostering relationships, identifying funding opportunities, and implementing creative revenue strategies. We hope to sustain our garden for years to come!

Email: Fundraising.MSCG@gmail.com

Arts

We, the Arts committee, intend to make creative gatherings possible and safe for all. Chaired by Zhenia Nagorny and Chelsea Bravo, we facilitate the sharing and creating of art for and by our community. Our values are guided by the seasons and the energies that are present to support the creative process. We believe that simplicity is important and our intention is to nourish our community through dreaming, playing and creating in collaboration.

To volunteer for the Arts Committee, whether you are an artist, musician, poet, muralist, art teacher or you’re a creative person interested in helping with arts events, fill out this google form and click on the link to join the google group👉.

Email: Arts.MSCG@gmail.com

Garden Minders

Garden Minders was established at MSCG in 2025.  Garden Minders volunteers ensure that MSCG is open to the public for at least 20 hours a week.  At least one Garden Minder will welcome visitors during Open Garden Hours.  Garden Minders can share about the garden, and encourage visitors to freely explore for themselves.  Garden Minders will again serve to increase community participation, membership, and garden supporters.  A Garden Minders job, put simply, is to keep the garden open for the community to enjoy.

If you have just a few hours a week to give (early morning, midday or evenings) then you can be a Garden Minder.    

Garden Minders are welcome to set their own weekly 2 hour shift.  Any two hours between sunrise and sunset (8am-8pm) can work.  

Interested in volunteering with Garden Minders? Fill out this google form or email GardenMinders.MSCG@gmail.com.