Volunteer at the Farm
Learn about different ways you can volunteer. Our volunteers are the backbone of the Historic Stewart Farm.
Become part of the farm family. Volunteers assist staff in nearly every facet of farm operations. Costumed volunteers work hand in hand with staff to preserve the heritage of the farm and to provide a fulfilling experience for visitors.
Contact us at heritagevolunteers@surrey.ca or 604-502-6461 to get involved.
Volunteer Opportunities
House Ambassador (Ages 14+)
- Tour groups around the farmhouse and grounds
- Help in the 1894 farmhouse during events
- Research information on the Stewart family and surrounding community
Heritage Activity Assistant (Ages 14+)
- Perform heritage demos like butter churning and apple peeling
- Run craft and activity stations during events
- Enhance drop in and booked tour experiences for visitors
Education Assistant (Ages 19+)
- Engage with students and educators
- Facilitate activity stations
- Share themed curriculum-based knowledge
Garden (Ages 14+)
- Tend to the heirloom gardens from planning to planting to harvesting
- Save seeds to package for sale to the public
- Share information on the garden with visitors during events and tours
The Benefits of Volunteering
- Flexible hours
- Online booking
- Meet new friends
- Learn new skills and share the ones you already have
- Learn and teach local history – training for each position provided
- A positive addition to your resume as a student
Volunteer Spotlight
Virginia Saunders – 35 Year Volunteer
If you have been to Historic Stewart Farm, you have likely met volunteer Virginia Saunders. Dressed in her turn of the century costume, Virginia has greeted visitors with a warm smile for 35 years, assisting with school programs, special events, guided tours and many more programs.
As the sole remaining member of the original volunteer team formed when the site opened in 1988, Virginia has been a part of it all. She began the tradition of decorating the farmhouse with live greenery during Christmas, as was done in Victorian times. Virginia also helped develop the Girl Guides Heritage Badge program that launched in 2006. When COVID caused the volunteer program was shut down for two years, Virginia attended online training and engagement sessions to keep the team together. When volunteers returned in February 2022, she was one of the first to step back into the farmhouse.
Whether you have been to the Stewart Farm for a special event, school field trip or just dropped by to taste cookies baked on the woodstove, chances are you have been touched by Virginia’s legacy in some way or another.
Virginia’s heritage contributions don’t end with her logged volunteer hours. She was instrumental in supporting the museum’s strategic planning and capital fundraising campaign for the 2005 opening of the Surrey Museum and has donated many items to our community archives and heritage collection. She was the recipient of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers in 2016.
Thank you, Virginia, from all of us at the City of Surrey.