ROCKPORT –Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is seeking independent, creative, hardworking teens ages 14-18 to work part-time this spring and fall and full-time in the summer growing vegetables for food pantries and public schools at Erickson Fields Preserve, located at 124 West Street in Rockport.

MCHT’s Teen Ag Crew has been an open door for many teens just entering the workforce. No previous farming experience is required, just a desire to work hard in a team and learn new skills. The work is both challenging and rewarding and contributes to the midcoast community by working with Good Shepherd Food Bank and other hunger relief initiatives to address food insecurity. In its third consecutive record-breaking season, the Teen Ag Crew harvest 25,000 lbs of produce from their 2-acre. This year, the cultivated area has doubled to 4-acres to give more space for crop-rotation and potentially increase production by 10%.

Teen Ag Crew also gives teens an opportunity to expand their social circles beyond the walls of their schools. Last year, MCHT employed students from MSAD 40, RSU 13 and MSAD 28. Sebastian Sanfilippo, one of two Oceanside High School students who made up the 14-member crew, commented, “I really liked the camaraderie of the whole group, persevering through challenges.”

The application deadline is Friday, March 24. Teens interested in applying may email jalbury@mcht.org or call 207-236-2739. More information about Maine Coast Heritage Trust and Erickson Fields Preserve can be found at www.mcht.org.