Change Barn is a restored rural barn turned into a community hub for regenerative farming, workshops, youth leadership and local resilience.

Can I visit or volunteer?

Yes. We host open barn days every Saturday, volunteer soil days, and seasonal residencies. Just come to the barn or sign up via the contact section.

We run a pay-what-you-can farm stand and CSA boxes from April to October, grown on our 12-acre regenerative plot.

Est. 2016 • Rural Change Hub • Open Barn Saturdays

Grow change from the ground up.

changebarn.org is a big red barn turned into a living lab for the future: regenerative farm, free workshops, youth crews, tool library and a table where everyone belongs. We turn compost into community and ideas into harvest.

Discover the barn ↓ Field notes Volunteer Saturday

12Acres regenerated

4800+Neighbours involved

340+Free workshops

96%Seed to plate local

🌱 This week at barn

Seed swap + cob oven pizza + barn dance. Sat 10:00 — free, no booking.

★ 4.9 loved by locals

“Came for veggies, stayed for people. Changed how we live.” — Maya, volunteer

THE BARN • 1927 → 2026
From collapsing hay barn to solar-powered community house. Restored by 200+ hands.

About • Our roots

An old barn with a radically new job.

We found this barn falling down in 2016 — roof gone, nettles high. Locals said “tear it down”. We said “let’s gather inside”. Today changebarn.org is part farm, part school, part kitchen, part festival — all heart.

1Soil first. No chemicals since 2017. Cover crops, compost, chickens and kids with muddy boots rebuild 12 acres of tired soil.
2People first. Pay-what-you-can food, free tools, free learning. No one turned away. 40% of harvest goes to neighbours in need.
3Future first. Youth crews run the farm stand, build tiny houses, learn carpentry, solar and storytelling — paid, mentored, celebrated.

Our programs See impact

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What we grow

Four fields, one barn.

Pick your row to hoe. All programs are hands-on, intergenerational and free or pay-what-you-can. No experience needed — just curiosity.

Soil & Food

Regenerative Farm & CSA

Veggies, orchard, bees, compost. 120 CSA families, farm stand Saturdays.

Join harvest →

Learn & Make

Barn School Workshops

Carpentry, seed saving, solar, fermentation, natural building. 2x weekly.

See calendar →

Youth

Young Barn Raisers 14–24

Paid crews, mentorship, leadership. Build tiny homes, run market.

Meet crew →

Commons: Kitchen & Tools

Community kitchen, tool library, seed bank. Borrow, cook, share.

How it works →

Impact • 2016–2026

Small barn, huge ripples.

We measure in tomatoes, friendships and second chances. External audit 2025: every $1 donated = $4.2 in local food, skills and avoided waste.

2026 — Solar Barn Raising

New 28kW roof, rainwater + outdoor kitchen. Built in 9 days by 80 volunteers.

2024 — 10,000th workshop seat

From sourdough to solar wiring. 68% participants return as teachers.

2022 — Youth Farm Co-op launched

Teens run 2-acre plot as business, keep profits, fund scholarships.

2019 — Food Commons

Pay-what-you-can stand + 40 food-bank partners. Zero edible waste.

2016 — First barn dance

47 neighbours, one fiddle, leaky roof. We never left.

“I arrived lonely. I left with a garden, a job and 30 aunties.”

— Sam, Young Barn Raiser 2021–2024, now crew leader. 84% of youth alumni in work or study.

Support youth Read stories

Inside the barn

Rooms that smell like hay & hope.

1200 m² of creaky wood, sun and sawdust. Rent for weddings, retreats and birthdays — every booking funds free community days.

Great Hall • 180 ppl

Barn Dances & Feasts

Long tables, string lights, wood stove. Weekly community dinner Fridays 18:00.

12 Acres • Open daily

Fields, Orchard & Forest Garden

Pick-your-own, forest school, beehives, pizza oven corner and hammock grove.

Makers • Free tools

Workshop & Tool Library

3000+ tools, woodshop, bike fix, pottery kiln. Borrow free with library card.

Field Notes • News

Fresh from the field.

Harvest reports, barn builds, recipes, youth diaries. Written in boots, not offices.

Get newsletter

Spring 2026

Spring planting: 4000 seedlings in the ground

Tomatoes, kale, flowers for pollinators — plus new kids garden beds built by youth crew.

Build

How we raised a solar roof in 9 days

80 neighbours, 2 cranes, endless soup. Step-by-step so your village can copy.

Food

Pay-what-you-can: feeding 200 families weekly

Our farm stand model, honest numbers, and how to start one on your street.

This season

Come get muddy.

Every Sat • 10:00–16:00

Open Barn & Farm Stand

Tour, volunteer, shop veggies, wood-fired pizza. Kids + dogs welcome. Free.

Plan visit →

Fridays • 18:00

Community Long Table

120 seats, harvest menu, stories. Pay what you can. Cook with us from 15:00.

Book seat →

Monthly • Full moon

Barn Dance & Seed Swap

Fiddle, caller, all dances taught. Bring seeds, take seeds. Beginners loved.

What to bring →

Good questions

Before you drive over.

Parking is in the lower meadow. Follow the sunflower signs, not GPS. Boots recommended.

What is Change Barn, really?

A nonprofit community barn + 12-acre regenerative farm. We host free learning, grow food for neighbours, and give young people paid work and mentors. Everyone owns the vibe, no one owns the place.

Is it free? How do you survive?

Most is free or pay-what-you-can. We survive on CSA boxes, venue hire, grants and 300 monthly “Barn Keepers” giving $5–$25. 92 cents of every dollar goes to programs.

Can I volunteer if I know nothing?

Perfect — most do. Saturday Soil Days need no skills. We provide gloves, tools, lunch and a buddy. Kids 5+ with adult, youth crews 14+ paid.

Do you host weddings & retreats?

Yes! The Great Hall + meadow for up to 180 guests. Weekday retreats, weekend weddings. All profits fund free community days. Book 3–6 months ahead.

Where is the food? Can I buy?

Farm stand Saturdays 10–14, April–Oct. CSA boxes weekly. Winter: preserves, honey, mushroom kits and community kitchen lunches.