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Host 8803 |
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www.helpx.net |
Rochester
All Year: Yes
Area (ha): .08 hectares
Persons: 3
Category: Homestay
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Host ID: 8803
Region: Mid Atlantic
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Last Updated: May 21, 2013
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We welcome all travelers to come experience a bit of urban life here at our lovely home, which is located in upstate New York (six-hour drive to NYC).
Even during the winter months, there is always plenty to do!
We coordinate with several groups and people throughout Rochester in order to make our city (and the world!) a better place. Our focus is on community building and sustainability.
Generally, there are anywhere between 9-11 people living here at any given time in addition to those being hosted. We can accommodate up to 3 HelpXers. You will be provided with a bed and will most likely be staying in our "Travelers' Room", which accommodates up to 4 travelers. In some instances, it may be necessary to shift you to a different room depending on the number of guests we are hosting at any given time.
In keeping with our sustainable approach to living, the food served here is vegan and prepared using local and organic ingredients whenever possible. Helpers are welcome to purchase anything extra they might find necessary.
The work here is varied and we strive to accommodate and utilize everyone's interests and skills. During the warmer months, we sell fruits and vegetables out of our house. The garden season has come to end for this year, but there's still plenty left to do! Next season, we plan to grow plenty of spinach, lettuce, herbs, peas, green onions, kohlrabi, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, squash, melons, potatoes, garlic, and strawberries (to name a few)! And much, much more!
Behind the house, we'll continue to work on our "secret garden", which will contain a hammock and a small camping space surrounded by a wall of flowers, vines, bamboo, and other vegetation (our perennial sunflowers can reach 6+ feet tall!).
We have an "artist's fence" back behind our compost tumblers where families from the neighborhood have recently recently created a mural. Any artists out there? We also have several other projects within the house including hardwood floor refinishing, drywall repair, tongue-and-groove flooring, linoleum, painting, carpeting, carpentry, etc. And we plan to put a new bathroom in our basement which will utilize the grey water collected in our rain barrels
As stated before, our house is very community-oriented. We host a potluck and at least one other event every month. We help organize and participate in community events. We frequent potlucks elsewhere. We attend the neighborhood association meetings. And so on.
When it comes to HelpXers, we really try to make use of each individual's skill set. Whether your speciality is computers or carpentry, painting or auto repair, sewing or story telling, gymnastics or gardening, there is a job here for you to enjoy! Even a skill share is a viable option (yoga, language, music, acrobatics, etc).
Of course, there are also the more mundane things to be done around the house such as sweeping, dish washing, dusting, etc. (although we have had HelpXers who've said that these were their favorite sorts of things to do!).
You'll also have a chance to sell locally-made foods at farmers' markets and to learn how to make granola at a worker-owned bakery. And, during the spring and summer months, we partner with the local community center in order to provide weekly gardening workshops to families in our neighborhood.
We ask that you work approximately 3.5 hours a day (sometimes a bit more, often a bit less) plus help with the occasional meal/post-meal cleaning in exchange for accommodation and 3 meals/day. Generally, the schedule is 9:00-12:30 Monday-Friday and 9:30-1:00 Saturday and Sunday. We generally eat lunch around 1pm and dinner around 7:30pm. Flexibility in scheduling (and in general) is definitely a plus, though. Hopefully you'll enjoy what you're doing and it won't feel so much like work!
Basically, we're doing a lot of neat things and we'd love to have your help! As a HelpXer here, you can expect a fun and relaxed environment with plenty of laughter, socializing, and general good times! =)
Looking forward to hearing from you!
-The LFC
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