Hope's Harvest Food Recovery AmeriCorps Fellow — Full-Time, 6 Months

Farm Fresh Rhode Island’s Hope’s Harvest program seeks a full-time, seasonal Food Rescue AmeriCorps Direct Service Member, who will support the rescue of surplus food from local farms and its distribution to food insecure individuals and families throughout Rhode Island. They will recruit and manage volunteers, lead food rescue (gleaning) trips, create and disseminate volunteer and stakeholder communications via online newsletters and social media, and assist with annual volunteer engagement events and activities.

Description of Duties

Stakeholder Recruitment and Management

  • Conduct volunteer recruitment via webinars, newsletters, listservs, and in-person events.
  • Support planning and logistics for annual volunteer orientation events.
  • Update and ensure accurate volunteer data in CRM database.
  • Develop and deploy outreach tools to encourage farmer utilization of gleaning services.
  • Map out schedule of program gleaning activities based on farmer contracts and pre-season planning.

Lead Food Rescue Trips

  • Lead regular gleaning trips on farms throughout the harvest season (starting in June), including pre- and post-trip prep, clean up, and administration.
  • Deliver food to hunger relief agency partners, ensuring compliance with Hope’s Harvest food safety SOPs.
  • Provide educational content about hunger relief, farming, and food justice to volunteers.
  • Track accomplishments and outcomes of food rescue operations.
  • Document gleaning activities for communications content.
  • Perform regular cleaning/maintenance on equipment (trucks, harvest tools, etc.).

Communications

  • Write blog posts detailing program activities to share on social media and our website.
  • Support content creation for newsletter and social media platforms to grow stakeholder engagement and increase community awareness of program activities and impact.

Program Tracking and Evaluation

  • Log all program activities and participation.
  • Support administration of end-user beneficiary survey to better understand the impact of Hope’s Harvest program activities.
  • Support additional stakeholder input gathering and analysis via online survey tools.

Essential Functions

  • Must have high school diploma/GED, college degree, or be working toward one (preferred but not required).
  • Must be willing to undergo a National Criminal History Background Check.
  • Be at least 18 years of age.
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or Permanent Resident and be able to provide documentation of citizenship.
  • Must uphold AmeriCorps state and national branding and uniform standards.
  • Willing to work occasional weekends during the harvest season (at least 1-2 times per month).
  • Able to build relationships with people from varied cultural, economic, educational, racial, and religious backgrounds.
  • Able to bend and lift loads up to 60 pounds repetitively.
  • Must hold a clean driving record and valid driver’s license, and have reliable transportation and willingness to drive large vehicles (no CDL required).
  • A self-starter and have the ability to maintain a self-motivating attitude.
  • Able to collaborate and work as part of a team.
  • Able to think, react, iterate, and redirect in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong and evolving commitment to anti-racism and actively confronting white supremacy as an end in itself and as a means toward liberation for all people.
  • Comfortable working in farm fields in all types of New England weather. This typically includes hot and humid summer days, wet and cold autumn, and early winter conditions.

Non-Essential Functions

  • Experience with CRM (Salesforce,) and/or training a plus.
  • Excellent professional communication skills (written and verbal) preferred.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite preferred.
  • Spanish skills or other language skills are a plus.
  • Background in adult education, leading volunteer/tour groups, and/or organizing service work teams.
  • Background working on farms or in community garden settings.

Terms of Service and Hours Requirements
AmeriCorps Direct Service Members must commit to a full 25-weeks- approx. 36-40 hour/week AmeriCorps full-time service term starting May 1, 2023 through October 29, 2023 — totaling 900 hours of service.

Members will be given the opportunity to fulfill all service hour requirements while also allowing for holidays and 50 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO). Missed hours can be made up on-site or off -site depending on supervisor approval. All Members must participate in AmeriCorps national, state, and local service projects as a part of their service term.

Orientation, Training, and Evaluation
Members will receive one-on-one training on AmeriCorps program impacts, history, and prohibited activities as well as orientation to the local food system and food justice topics addressed by Farm Fresh RI programs. Training will not exceed more than 20% of the members total service hours completed.

All members will have opportunities for weekly one-on-one check-ins with supervisors as well as mid-service and end-of-service performance evaluations. Members will be responsible for submitting weekly timesheets and monthly program narrative reports.

AmeriCorps Member Benefits

  • $13,000 living stipend, divided and paid weekly
  • $3247.50 Segal Education Award (upon completion of 900 hours of service)
  • Student loan forbearance
  • Mileage reimbursement
  • Professional development opportunities

To Apply
Members must commit to a 900-hour term of service, starting on May 1, 2023 and ending October 29, 2023. Deadline to apply is March 31, 2023. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

About AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs, made up of three primary programs that each take a different approach to improving lives and fostering civic engagement. Members commit their time to address critical community needs like increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, and fighting poverty. Members commit to a fixed term of service and receive a weekly living allowance and end of service education award.

Organizational Info
Strongly mission-driven, Farm Fresh Rhode Island achieved 501c3 status in 2007, and has since implemented a variety of programs to enhance the local food system of the Rhode Island region, with particular attention to farm viability and low-income access to fresh food. Farm Fresh operates a wide range of marketplace programs (retail, wholesale, processing) that engage and connect tens of thousands of eaters with thousands of local farmers.

Mission: Farm Fresh Rhode Island is growing a local food system that values the environment, health, and quality of life of farmers and eaters.

Vision: A Northeast region abundant with diverse family farms and fertile soils, with locally and honestly produced foods and flavors at the heart of every dinner table.

Farm Fresh Rhode Island is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment for all employees. We encourage enquiries from candidates who will enrich and contribute to the cultural and ethnic diversity of our organization. Farm Fresh RI does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, or disability status in employment or programming. Farm Fresh Rhode Island is an equal-opportunity employer.