Become a UC Master Food Preserver

Program Benefits

  • Contribute to your community. Every year UC Master Food Preserver volunteers contribute several thousand hours of educational service helping keep our community safe and healthy.
  • Enjoy working together with a great group of food enthusiasts.
  • Gain excellent knowledge about preserving fresh produce.

Volunteer Training

UC Master Food Preserver volunteers receive an intensive training program in home food preservation. Instruction provides practical courses in the following topics

  • Food Safety
  • Boiling water & atmospheric steam canning
  • Pressure canning
  • Canning jams & jellies
  • Pickling and fermenting
  • Dehydrating fruits & vegetables
  • Freezing foods

The training program consists of a combination of online lectures and hands-on labs to learn food preservation techniques, with outside study in addition to class time. Quizzes, special projects, and a final examination prepare trainees to begin their first year of volunteer service.

2025 New Volunteer Training Class

Applications are open October 4, 2024 through December 1, 2024

 

How to Apply

Watch the recording to learn more about the volunteer requirements as well as the selection and training process. Attendance or viewing of the information meeting is a mandatory pre-requisite to apply.  Two live Q&A sessions are available to address any questions you have about the new volunteer program.

  1. Watch the recorded Training Information Meeting
    full information meeting
  2. Friday, October 25, 2024: 12:00 Noon—1:00 pm
    Q&A session, past event, not recorded
  3. Thursday, November 14, 2024: 6:30 – 7:30 pm
    Q&A session, past event, not recorded
  4. Complete and submit the online application by the end of Sunday, December 1, 2024. Interviews will be during the early weeks of December.

During the hour-long online information meeting, you'll learn about the purpose of the UC Master Food Preserver Program, volunteer involvement and requirements, the training program dates and activities, and the application process. After the information meeting, if you feel this is a volunteer organization that fits with your schedule and priorities, we'd love to have you apply for the 2025 training program for Sonoma County.

Who Can Apply
  • Priority given to Sonoma County residents. 
  • Applicants must be comfortable using a computer and accessing the internet. Class will be hybrid - Zoom lectures and in-person labs. Quizzes and homework are online; class communication is via email.

What We'll Do

  • Review applications. The main criteria for acceptance is:
    1) prior community service, 2) experience teaching, either by giving presentations, writing, or in one-on-one situations, 3) experience and/or interest in home food preservation.
  • Request that approved applicants complete and pass a Dept. of Justice (DOJ) / Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) clearance, including fingerprinting.
  • Teach you how to preserve food safely and successfully using scientifically researched home processes.
  • Teach you how to educate our community about safe home food preservation.
  • Provide you with plenty of fun volunteer and continuing education opportunities.

What You'll Do If Accepted

  • Pay the course fee of $250 ($130 to UCCE + $120 to Sonoma County MFP). Partial scholarships are available.
  • Attend all online classes and hands-on labs. Only one class may be missed and must be completed outside of normal class time with a mentor.
  • Complete the (DOJ / FBI) Live Scan fingerprinting process. See the Volunteer Fingerprinting Procedure for instructions.  The fingerprinting form can be downloaded and printed after filling out the "Applicant Information" section. Please take 3 copies when going to get fingerprinted.
  • Attend UC Master Food Preserver Program of Sonoma County (MFP) business meetings (date/time TBD). At this time most meetings are online via Zoom and some are in-person.
  • Complete 50 volunteer hours your first full program year, and 25 volunteer and 12 continuing education hours each year thereafter.
  • Pass an annual food safety reappointment quiz.
  • Have fun!

Class Locations / Times

  • Lecture classes will be on Zoom. You will have a choice to attend either Thursday evening or Friday mid-day. All in-person lab classes will be on Saturdays at either the UC Cooperative Extension office (133 Aviation Blvd., Suite 109, Santa Rosa, CA 95403) or the Youth Ag & Leadership Fdn. of Sonoma County (6445 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park, CA 94928).
  • In-person labs are on Saturdays, time to be determined.

COVID-19

  • The UC Master Food Preserver Program of Sonoma County complies with the COVID-19 policies and procedures of the County of Sonoma and the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. UC ANR - Guidance for Statewide Volunteer Programs