Food Security Program Coordinator VISTA Mountain Roots Food Project
- Date Posted June 15, 2019
- Location Gunnison - Crested Butte, CO
- Category Agriculture / Nonprofit
- Job type Full-Time
Our mission is to cultivate a resilient food system by enhancing healthy connections between earth, food, and community. Fueled by community support and volunteer power, we are working toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
Education, engagement, and environment are cornerstones of our work.
You can read more about our programs and projects on our website. Job description
Join a small but passionate team working to transform this rural local organization’s rapid rise into sustainable growth by developing the Food Security Program arm of the organization.
Specifically, this position combats rural food deserts, food insecurity, and obesity by working directly with underserved audiences to challenge systems of oppression, amplify voices, and empower people to take action for personal and community change.
By working with low-income and other underserved audiences, you’ll develop current access strategies into lasting programs that increase access to and consumption of fresh food, build self-sufficiency and improve individual and community health, address the root causes of poverty, some social determinants of health, and bridge age, cultural, and socioeconomic gaps.
You’ll develop human resources, financial resources and partnerships; developing new strategies that increase community, volunteer, and donor engagement and overall awareness of issues and organizational impact.
This position also strengthens the organization’s framework through fundraising, annual events, grant writing, diversifying funding streams, building public and private partnerships, outreach and awareness, PR and marketing, etc.
Areas of Interest:
Community Food Systems Business Entrepreneurial Business Community Building
Marketing & Communications Sociology Interdisciplinary Studies Research
Environmental Education Public Health Social Anthropology Environmental Studies
Biology / Ecology Social Work Political Science Natural Resource Management
Sustainable Agriculture Public Relations Economic Development Non-Profit Administration
The Day to Day
This is a capacity-building role, for the organization as a whole and for food security programs, specifically. As such, the activities you can expect to take a lead role in include:
Pilot Projects: Building on the work of prior VISTA, field-test new/ recommended strategies to improve effectiveness and impact of our anchor projects: Backyard Harvest, Cooking Matters, Promotoras, and the Bill’s Park Giving Garden. To better understand how we can best serve our high-need communities, and to better understand our impact, priorities include: designing and testing new strategies for Inclusivity, strengthening relationships with our underserved community members through mentoring, outreach, and community-based needs assessments, engaging and training volunteers to assist with program delivery.
Program Development: Develop sustainable program funding sources; strategic planning and goal setting; evaluation; build human resources and develop staff trainings.
Outreach & Engagement: Increase public awareness around food security issues through direct engagement with target audiences; public presentations; empowering citizens in community advocacy and in developing community/participant based solutions; volunteer engagement.
Organizational Capacity: Work with the organizational team throughout the year and assists with annual events, community outreach, building public and private partnerships, awareness, PR and marketing.
Please read about our current program and projects on our website.
Anti-Poverty Focus & Community Empowerment
All VISTAs work in communities to help alleviate poverty. At Mountain Roots, this means addressing poverty and hunger issues at the root-cause level. We value the inherent strengths and resources of the community. AmeriCorps VISTA expects project sponsors to involve residents of the community in planning, developing, and implementing the project. This approach allows low-income individuals the freedom to speak for themselves in determining the projects that best suit their specific needs.
Program Benefits
Living Allowance of $1026/month
Housing valued at $400/month
Choice of Education Award ($5,815) or End of Service Stipend ($1,500) upon successful completion of service
Health Care Coverage
Relocation Assistance
Childcare Assistance
Professional Development
What We’re Looking For
- Genuine passion for and support of the mission of Mountain Roots Food Project
- Skills and experience in community mobilizing or grass-roots organizing
- Enjoys working with people of diverse economic and cultral backgrounds, ages, abilities (Spanish language would be very helpful as many of our audiences are Spanish speakers)
- Overall awareness of and interest in community development (helping people to meet their own needs)
- Very effective interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication, public speaking
- Strong background in fundraising, grant writing, and event organizing
- Versatile multi-tasker: strong skills in planning, organizing, community mobilizing, strategic (‘big picture’) thinking, analyzing, and leadership
- Effective time management: balance multiple projects with varying deadlines, assist staff and volunteers in doing same, ability to work with a group, and sometimes alone, to ensure timely completion of tasks
- Comfortable with establishing new realtionships, forging new ground, cold-calling
- Working knowledge of small-scale organic food production
- Interest and physical ability to perform field work, able to lift 50lbs.
- Able to find value in everyone’s contribution and put people at ease, helping them feel safe, confident, valued, and connected to each other
- Ability to conduct research using several methods, compile and analyze data
This is an Americorps VISTA service position placed through our partner Conservation Legacy, starting July 20, 2019, with a preferred commitment of two years service. Compensation this position is : contract Application instructions