Lantern Community Services’ (Lantern) mission is to champion the independence and well-being of New Yorkers who are impacted by or threatened with homelessness. Lantern provides innovative services to help New Yorkers who are formerly homeless or have recently aged out of foster care recreate their lives. Our programs with proven results in health, employment, education and life skills are delivered inside our residences and tailored to each person’s needs.  We provide our clients—many of whom live with mental illness, addiction, disability, HIV or other chronic illnesses—with the tools they need to integrate successfully into the greater community with dignity and independence.

This fall, Lantern is expanding Food 4 Life, a culinary education program for our clients in our supportive housing sites.  Lantern piloted the first cycle of Food 4 Life over the past year and will now implement the program at three sites that serve young adults who have aged out of foster care and are living independently, though the classes will serve the whole community in each building. The Food 4 Life program aims to  increase our clientele’s basic kitchen and cooking skills and equip them with the tools to budget for and plan meals, shop for food and thereby improve their ability to care for themselves, increase their food security and stability. We are seeking a highly organized, passionate and dynamic culinary educator who is able to both carry out instruction and also manage the operations and logistics of the program. 

Job Description:

The Food 4 Life Program Manager will oversee the development, operations and instruction of multiple series of weekly recreational cooking classes, customizing them for the distinct needs of our clientele. The Program Manager will oversee recruitment for the classes through outreach and working with each site’s program staff.  These classes will equip client population with basic cooking, grocery shopping and meal planning skills necessary to live independently while also offering clients a chance to eat a regularly scheduled shared meal.  The Program Manager will report to the Director of Nutrition and Culinary Programs.  

Responsibilities:

• Teach weekly Food 4 Life classes at three buildings following curriculum developed by Lantern
• Lead field trips to local food establishments, including restaurants, farmer’s markets, supermarkets and urban farms
• Perform administrative functions such as tracking the number of clients served, ordering and purchasing supplies and managing program budget
• Assist with the development, implementation and analysis of the program evaluation tools including surveys, focus groups and participant interviews
• Partner with peer organizations (Grow NYC, Youth Food Educators, DOHMH, Good Shepherd Services) to expand the reach of the Food 4 Life program
• Communicate and share information with program staff on client participation and goal setting
• Engage with program participants to refine and modify program to best suit the needs of Lantern’s client population
• Complete and present narrative reports on the Food 4 Life program

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field from a recognized college or university
• Minimum of two years of experience teaching culinary skills to special population
• Dynamic personality and excellent presentation, interpersonal and communications skills
• Willing and able to transport items needed for workshops to the site on a weekly basis