Food for Soul is an Italian non-profit founded by Chef Massimo Bottura to empower communities to fight food waste through social inclusion. Our aim is to encourage public, private, and non-profit organisations to create and sustain community kitchens around the world to promote the importance of taking back the abandoned: food, spaces, and people. Our ‘refettorios,’ which have been opened across Italy, in the UK, and in Brazil, aim to respond to the local challenges surrounding food poverty and social isolation while supporting sustainable food systems and reducing food waste. Food for Soul encourages an alternative approach to building community projects by engaging professionals from diverse fields including the private sector to work together; Artists, designers, food suppliers, artisans, and institutions to create rejuvenated community spaces that restore dignity on all levels.  

Community Project Scout (Location)

Food for Soul, Italy and worldwide

Employment Type: Part-Time (20-30 hours per week), Temporary (8-10 weeks)

Compensation: FFS offers an hourly wage plus reimbursement expenses.                       

$25.00/hour Bronx/Harlem, NY               
 

Date: Scouting exercise to being around April 16th and last approximately 8-10 weeks; to be concluded with a final meeting in the USA, location and date TBD.

Reports to: Caroline Caporossi

Application Deadline: 11 February 2018

Job Scope

Food for Soul, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, is expanding to the United States and is in search of local scouts to help in the research phase of our US development.

Location

We are in search of one scout in each of the following cities:

• Chicago, IL
• New Orleans, LA
• Bronx/Harlem, NYC
• San Francisco/Oakland, CA
• Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD
• Denver, CO

Summary

The selected scout will firstly, be a resident of one of the above cities and have a deep knowledge and understanding of the city, its actors, and its needs. The scout will be an intuitive self-starter with experience conducting research, networking within the community and building cross-sector relationships. The scout will be responsible for researching all components needed for the opening of a Refettorio including understanding community needs and identifying vulnerable populations, mapping potential operational partners, visiting potential locations,  mapping the food waste distribution systems and creating research-based reports to share with Food for Soul’s team per reporting guidelines to be agreed upon.

Primary Responsibilities

The role of the scout will be divided into 3 phases, each with draft and final reports to Food for Soul on agreed upon dates.

Phase 1: Research and Initial Mapping  (40%)

• As part of research, connect with Food Policy Planning department of city or county to learn about existing food waste initiatives, local community programming for etc.

Conduct research related to community to give a “snapshot” of the city’s  current needs, programming, and suitability for FFS’ work. Research includes but is not limited to analysis and identification of:

1) Vulnerable populations

2) Responses to key social need

3) food waste programs and how they run

4) social entrepreneurship/technology related

5) state and local legislation related to soup kitchens and food waste  

6) grant opportunities/university partnership opportunities

4) Restaurant industry contacts

5) Local artists/designers

6) Upcoming events that could be catalytic opportunities for opening

Based on research, complete mapping of: 1) social organizations such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, community centers etc.; 2) Food waste programs

Phase 2: Relationship-Building (50%)

• Volunteer at local soup kitchens, shelters, or relevant community service facilities to gauge experience, limitations, strengths, community, needs of potential partners etc.
• Attend local government and community meetings and networking opportunities to create contact list and foster potential partnerships.
• Build contacts with local organizations to drive the momentum of the project including non-profits, church organizations, soup kitchens, community leaders, food waste institutions, restaurant industry, local designers and artists, and other relevant actors.
• Visit locations of potential partners to find out how they work operationally.
• Identify and capitalize on opportunities to promote Food for Soul expansion

Phase 3: Completion/Reporting (10%)

• Produce regular progress reports (following Food for Soul’s reporting frame) to give sense of project potential.
• Present findings in person at Learning Network Meeting, location TBD, date TBD

During these three stages, the candidate will:

• Work with Food for Soul to successfully implement project goals.
• Manage project timelines while ensuring timely reporting to Food for Soul.
• Schedule weekly Skype calls with Food for Soul (Italian time zone in mind) to give status updates

Required knowledge and experience

Qualifications:

• B.A. or B.S. in a relevant areas such as urban planning, social policy, social work, international relations, international development, public health, hospitality, etc. or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 2-3 years’ experience in related sectors including but not limited to: food waste, social service/social work, policy, or restaurant industry.
• Deep understanding of the local community and its needs.
• Experience building relationships and partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder relations skills with an ability to identify potential  strategic partners among key community stakeholders
• Passionate about social justice with a respect for at risk populations
• Excellent writing and communication skills with an ability to present information to different types of audiences.
• Experience in all aspects of program management including planning and evaluation
• Ability to work effectively with variety of stakeholders.

Skills:

• Self-motivated and results oriented
• ability to work independently and highly disciplined
• Strong interpersonal and group facilitation skills
• Culturally sensitive
• Tactical thinking with strong intuition
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Strong time management practices
• Self-starter, dynamic connector
• Technology requirements including email, skype, google drive.

Other Organizational Requirements:

Candidate should not be a high level employee or on board of a currently operating social program or non-profit. It is desirable for the candidate to have experience as a volunteer in local soup kitchens or social welfare programs. Candidate must have flexible schedule and be able to conduct weekly skype calls with Food for Soul, based in Italy. Ideal candidate will have existing networks in cities mentioned above and/or be familiar with the specific local challenges of low-income communities.