The Impact of Volunteers at Thistle Farms
This Volunteer Appreciation Month, we're pausing to say two words that never feel like enough: Thank You.
Healing is a community effort at Thistle Farms, and our volunteers have played a significant role in supporting our mission over the past 27 years and counting. Every volunteer, from those who may have come once alongside their coworkers for day of service or our Café regulars, becomes a thread woven into the fabric of our mission. You remind us that healing is never a solo journey, but a communal act of grace.
In the Fiscal Year of 2025, volunteers donated 7,442 hours of service in support of Thistle Farms. These hours represent the thousands of moments spent decorating offices for the holidays, trimming hedges and planting flowers in the spring, assembling hygiene kits for women on the streets, and supporting our Café with kindness and efficiency by running food and bussing tables at our busiest hours.
This Spring, we celebrated two of those Cafe volunteers - Barb and Becca - who had nearly two decades of service with Thistle Farms, combined. They now have a table dedicated to the two of them in our Cafe to express our appreciation and to be sure they always have a seat waiting for them when they come to visit.
In the past year alone, 318 community and corporate partners supported Thistle Farms through volunteer work, engagement and outreach, and so much more.
One of the most important volunteer projects is the simple task of prepping wicks for candles. For every candle we sell at Thistle Farms there is a lasting impact from a volunteer, just like the history of Thistle Farms as a whole. Our mission was made possible by people believing that Love Heals, and continues to remain possible thanks to our volunteers.
Some of those partners, like HCA and Green Apple Strategy, have made volunteering at Thistle Farms a regular part of their company culture. Many HCA volunteers go beyond their day of service and generous choose Thistle Farms as a candidate for their matching gift program through work. Green Apple Strategies has also gone beyond standard volunteering and has given resources and time supporting our marketing team.
Whether you have two hours or two decades to give, there’s a place for you at Thistle Farms. Learn how you can become part of our volunteer family and support our mission.
