Henry Shaw, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer

Image Credit: Henry Shaw, 2025. 

Do you want to learn more about safe food-preservation techniques? Do you have a passion for sharing your knowledge with others? Are you willing to donate your time as a volunteer for a good cause? Would you like to help people in your community learn to preserve food safely in their homes, reduce food waste, increase food security, and provide engaging ways for Californians to explore healthy food? Are you a resident of California?  If so, you should consider becoming a UC Master Food Preserver yourself! 

Applications are now open for the 2026 UC Master Food Preserver training program.  Complete details of the application process, what the training entails, and the training schedule are available on the UC Master Food Preserver website. If you reside in a county that has a local county-based program, you should apply to that county’s program. Note that not all counties are conducting training in 2026 (see the website). California residents living in counties that do not have a county-based program (i.e., Alameda, Alpine, Butte, Contra Costa, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, and Ventura) are invited to apply to the 2026 training for the  Online Delivery Program.

Once trained, UC Master Food Preservers must volunteer a minimum of 50 hours in their first year, and 25 hours/year subsequently. To maintain their active status past the first year, volunteers are also required to complete 12 hours/year of continuing education and pass an annual recertification quiz.