April 20: Poway Volunteer Fair

Join the City of Poway for its first ever Volunteer Fair on Saturday, April 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Old Poway Park. More than 30 organizations are expected to participate and share information about opportunities for volunteers of all ages.

The idea of a Volunteer Fair started with the Old Poway Park Action Committee, which is a collective of 10 volunteer groups that support Old Poway Park. This includes the volunteer-run Poway Midland Railroad and Poway Historical Society, along with groups that partner with the park for popular events such as Rendezvous in Poway, Once Upon a Hallowe'en and the Train Song Festival. These groups saw volunteer participation decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic and were brainstorming how to best reach out to the community for help.

"Our volunteers are instrumental here at Old Poway Park," said Recreation Area Manager Sarah Becker. "The train runs on the weekends because of our volunteers. The museum and Nelson House at Old Poway Park are open because of volunteers. But as we started working on the Volunteer Fair, we also realized the need for volunteers extends well beyond our park. There are more organizations serving our Poway community than you might imagine, and they all need more volunteers."

Groups will have information on what they do and how community members can get involved, and some will even have a "show and tell" to demonstrate their work. Volunteer groups with the San Diego Sheriff's Department will be there with horses (Volunteer Mounted Patrol) and patrol cars (Senior Volunteer Patrol). Volunteers with Love on a Leash will be there with their dogs, Poway Midland Railroad volunteers will be running the Baldwin locomotive, and Poway Historical Society volunteers will have the museum and Nelson House open for the public to explore.

In addition to the Volunteer Fair, the Poway Farmers Market is open at Old Poway Park from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Old Poway Pottery studio is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.