Meaningful Work

Meaningful Work at Camphill Village:

Depending on the individual’s skills, talents, abilities, needs, and interests, each villager works productively in two different work places every day (one in the morning, and another in the afternoon). Every villager is given work that meets real needs and—equally important—offers both the challenge of acquiring new skills and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Even the smallest task has dignity and value, and contributes to the well-being of others.

There are a number of different work places at Camphill Village:

  • The Candle Workshop makes hand dipped 100% beeswax candles that are available for purchase onsite at The Village Green Gift shop and online at Nova Natural Toys & Crafts.
  • Also available at Nova Natural Toys & Crafts are the products made in our Woodworking Workshop. Here, villagers make non-toxic, fine toy trucks and blocks suitable for children of every age.  Our craftspeople also produce cutting boards, music stands, and furniture for Village houses.
  • At the Bakery, delicious breads, cookies, biscotti, granola, and rolls are made using wholesome ingredients and can be purchased in the Village Green Gift Shop or in some local stores.
  • Those who work in the Weaving Shop create beautiful woolen or chenille scarves, cotton or linen napkins and placemats, hats, bags, rugs, and other items, all of which can be purchased in our Village Green Gift Shop.
  • The Stained Glass Workshop completes commissioned work of stained glass for local houses, churches, and other buildings. Their work can be found all over Camphill Village—in our houses, Fountain Hall, and other buildings.
  • The Healing Plant Garden is a two-acre herb garden and a year-round workshop that provides high quality biodynamically-grown medicinal and culinary herbs and herbal products (teas, ointments, seasonings) to Camphill Village and local customers.
  • Camphill Village’sTurtle Tree Seed Biodynamic Seed Initiative provides meaningful work for 35 individuals, including adults with special needs. Occasionally, volunteers from area come to Turtle Tree Seed to volunteer and learn about the work done in the shop. Turtle Tree Seed is the oldest biodynamic seed company in the United States.  Since the early 1990’s, our catalogue has been offering genetically diverse seed grown in our own gardens or by other certified biodynamic growers. 
  • The Estate Crew works all year to keep our grounds safe and beautiful. They rake leaves, remove snow, weed the gardens, trim hedges, prepare firewood, collect garbage and recycling, and anything else needed to keep Camphill Village looking its best. In the late winter, the estate crew taps our maple trees, collects the sap, and produces maple syrup for use in the Village and to sell in our Gift Shop.
  • Our Gardeners work all year (even in winter!) to grow almost all vegetables for the community and for a limited number of CSA members.
  • Our Farmers produce 10,000 gallons of milk annually from 18 dairy cows. They raise sheep, pigs, and cows, and produce cheese and yogurt. We have 18 heifers for beef production, and every year, 500 tons of manure is used on the pasture and in the gardens.
  • Villagers are also active in food production at Camphill Village. They may work on our farm or in our vegetable garden and workshop.