A plentiful harvest starts with many hands, and on Saturday, May 21 the Dartmouth YMCA’s Sharing the Harvest Community Farm is looking for volunteers who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

The Lions Clubs of Mattapoisett, Dartmouth, New Bedford and Fairhaven are sponsoring this day of community service, but Don Bamberger, zone chair for the four clubs, doesn’t want the only volunteers to be Lions members.

“We’re just sponsoring this concept for everybody else to come out and volunteer,” he said. “This just seems to be an awesome thing to do on many levels.”

As the Lions celebrate their centennial this year, the organization has issued a four-part service challenge: Engaging youth, preventing blindness, protecting the environment and relieving hunger.

Bamberger suggested setting up a volunteer day that would align with the challenge.

“I’m trying to create an activity we can all get involved in,” he said.

Established in 2006, Sharing the Harvest Community Farm in South Dartmouth has a three-fold mission to “reduce hunger, create volunteer stewardship and increase agricultural education.” Since it started, the almost four-acre farm has donated 350,000 pounds of produce to those in need on the South Coast.

To get the season moving, volunteers at the Share the Harvest event will plant seeds and seedlings as well as harvest early veggies such as asparagus. No experience is necessary, and there will be a free cookout for lunch and T-shirts on a first come, first served basis.

Bamberger hopes to see at least 50 people participate in the event, but wouldn’t be disappointed if it well exceeded that number. He said the volunteer day might become an annual one.

Beyond the day of planting, Bamberger and the Lions would like to create a volunteer base rather than starting with a request to sign up.

“We’re always looking for members, but Lions clubs, we’re in the process of getting current with the times,” he said.

That means less emphasis on meetings and more on getting people involved through service opportunities.

Anyone interested in Share the Harvest should come to the farm, located at 275 Gulf Road, South Dartmouth on May 21. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with planting at 9 a.m. to noon followed by a cookout.