FPR Volunteer Welcome, Rules & Safety Guide

Welcome to Freedom’s Purchase Ranch. We want volunteering here to be useful, respectful, safe and easy to understand.

Start with safety

Everyone has stop-work authority. If something feels unsafe, stop and ask.
Use the right PPE, tool and method for the job. Do not improvise around electricity, heights, vehicles, heavy equipment, cutting tools, fire/hot work or other hazards.
Do not work, drive or operate tools while impaired.
Report injuries, near misses, damaged tools and unsafe conditions promptly.

Clean up after yourself

Before you finish for the day:

collect trash and debris;
return, charge and secure tools;
put parts, fasteners and materials where they belong;
leave paths and work areas safe and clear;
protect unfinished work from weather, people and animals;
tell the next person what is finished, what is not, and what the next safe step is.

Document the work

For meaningful projects, take useful before/during/after photos when appropriate and leave a short status note. An unfinished project is fine; an unsafe or undocumented handoff is not.

Respect the ranch and each other

Treat residents, volunteers, visitors, neighbors and animals respectfully.
Ask before entering private living areas or using personal property.
Do not post private resident information, sensitive locations or personal circumstances publicly without permission.
Keep shared spaces usable for the next person.

Substances and impairment

No illegal or unlawfully possessed controlled substances are permitted. Lawful adult cannabis must still comply with Virginia law and FPR safety rules. No one may perform hazardous work while impaired by cannabis, alcohol, medication or another substance.

Telegram / Gary

Approved volunteers receive a private Telegram enrollment link for the FPR Ops bot. The volunteer channel is for questions, task guidance, project status, help finding FPR information and getting clarification from Gary. Volunteer access does not include owner/admin commands, shell access, credentials, publishing, financial actions or other privileged controls.

Residency paperwork

If your volunteer arrangement also includes living at FPR, your private onboarding link contains the resident/volunteer agreement and electronic acknowledgments. That paperwork does not claim you already live here. FPR records the actual move-in date and assigned living area at physical check-in. Any proof-of-residence letter for benefits or agencies must use those verified facts.

Creative projects: Visit the FPR Volunteer Craft Lab to turn approved photos into crochet tapestry, C2C and cross-stitch charts using free tools. Pattern creation is optional; ask your volunteer coordinator before sharing anyone else’s photo.

Questions? Use your approved Telegram volunteer channel or contact FPR through the website.