CITY SPROUTS FARM

City Sprouts Farm Apprenticeship

Center for Community Learning

Western Washington University

 

Overview 

Hosted by the WWU Center for Community Learning, this apprenticeship provides an opportunity to learn small-scale production farming skills, participate in student leadership and food justice efforts, and cultivate a connection to place through our food system. 

Funding for these positions comes from the WWU Sustainability, Equity, and Justice Fund and is only available to enrolled Western students. 

 

Position Description: 

Apprentices will work at City Sprouts Farm with a variety of farm mentors, student peers, volunteers and staff members. Tasks will vary throughout the season and include greenhouse work, weeding, preparing vegetable beds for planting, seeding and transplanting crops, harvesting and packing produce, running our veggie share program, welcoming visitors to the farm, site maintenance and building projects, leading volunteer groups, participating in group discussions, coordinating farm events, hosting farm tours, and more. 

 

We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and those with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.   

 

Required Qualifications:

• Curious with a desire to learn all aspects of small-scale farm systems

• Organized, responsible, and punctual

• Excellent work ethic and positive attitude

• Conscientious and able to work with diverse groups of people

• Ability to lift 25 pounds repeatedly*

• Ability to navigate rough and uneven ground*

• Ability to work outside in all weather conditions

• Must have access to reliable transportation (bike or bus included)

• Must be enrolled at Western for the duration of employment (through fall quarter 2026)
   

*For disability accommodations please contact Ellie Duncan at ellie.duncan@wwu.edu

 

About the Farm:

City Sprouts Farm builds community resilience by stewarding a productive farm space where people can come together to learn, increase food access, and demonstrate how community vitality can grow through our food system. We grow diversified vegetables using organic and ecological practices on a parcel of land in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham. Our primary goals are to grow nutritious produce that is accessible for our community, to cultivate soil health and biodiversity, and to create opportunities for student learning, engagement and belonging. Our programming is embedded within Western Washington University's Center for Community Learning and we provide multiple entry points for students to engage in local food systems. 

 

About our community:

The Birchwood and Alderwood areas of Bellingham are impacted by food apartheid. Since the only grocery store in the area closed in 2016, the lack of access to fresh, affordable, culturally appropriate food has particularly impacted BIPOC and low income communities. Since City Sprouts Farm began in 2018, we have worked to address this problem by getting fresh produce into the hands of our most food insecure neighbors.  The produce grown at City Sprouts Farm is free/affordable for the people who consume it. We will do this by providing produce to Sea Mar Community Health Center’s FARMacia free food stand, the Birchwood Food Desert Fighter’s free food share spot, through WWU Food Pantry Donations, and through our sliding scale CSA program. 

 

Position details:

Hours/Week: 20-24 hours/week. June 15-September 25, 2026 (typically Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays)

Possibility to continue work through October (~10 hours/week) 

Pay Rate: $19.79/hour.        

                                                                                 

To Apply:

Please email Ellie Duncan at ellie.duncan@wwu.edu with a resume and cover letter responding to the following questions in 500 words or less:

• What inspires your interest in community engagement, farming or food justice?

• What do you hope to carry forward from this position and how would this apprenticeship support your academic or career goals?

• What’s a challenge you’ve grown from, and how would you bring that growth to this farm team? 

 

We will accept applications until April 27th, 2026. Interviews will be conducted late April-early May and applicants will be offered positions by May 20th.