Company description The Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to building a community of organic food activists and educated consumers to help support New Hampshire's local organic farming community. We feel that organic farming is important to creating a sustainable future and recognize that more resources and greater education is needed to help farmers, gardeners, and consumers learn to work together to build a support network. 

NOFA-NH recognizes that farmers, gardeners, and consumers of organic products share a "community of interests:" a common need to grow and consume safe, healthy, nutritious, great-tasting food; and a common interest in preserving a healthy environment that nurtures all of us. In an age of industrial agriculture, we're working to re-establish a shared sense of pride and participation in a community-based food system that links local farmers with local consumers, and rewards them both equally.
  Job description What is Gleaning?‘Glean’ means to gather leftover fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.NOFA-NH participates in NH Gleans, a network of organizations working to increase the availability of fresh and local produce distributed through food pantries, soup kitchens, community suppers, schools, and the NH Food Bank. Gleaning Coordinators and volunteers harvest unsold food from farms and farmers markets and donate them to organizations that supply food to community members in need.Position Summary
 

NOFA NH seeks a Gleaning Coordinator for the 2019 Season.  The Gleaning Coordinator will work in the Grafton County and Plymouth region with NOFA NH, provide farms with professional gleaning services, build a base of volunteer harvesters, and identify local food pantries, soup kitchens and schools that will accept the gleaned produce. The Gleaning Coordinator will also need to attend pre- and post-season gleaning meetings.

This position has no set schedule and may be determined by weather, farm cooperation or other obligations of the Coordinator.  However, the Coordinator should have some flexibility and may need to work weekends.

Pay is approximately $15/hour plus compensation for travel.

DutiesFarm and Farmer Relations Development

• Identify a farm or multiple farms that are interested in having volunteer gleaners in their fields. Conduct introductory visits to the farm. Find out the crops that may be available to glean and the approximate timeframe for harvesting.  Evaluate and respond to the following questions: Does the farmer have seconds or washroom culls? Is the farm big enough to set-up a regular gleaning day and time? Does the farm know of any other farms that would be open to gleaners?
• Find out how best to communicate with the farmer. Does the farmer prefer e-mail, phone calls, or text messages? Is there a best time of day to contact the farmer?
• Reach out to area farmers markets and find out what happens to produce that does not sell by the end of the market—this may be another source of gleaned produce.
• Find out if the farm has facilities to wash the produce and if the volunteers can use them.
• Develop a good relationship with the farmer and maintain contact with the farm throughout the season.

Volunteer Recruitment and Management

• Design and implement trainings for the volunteer gleaners to make the least impact on the farmer’s land. Find out from the farmer about parking, farm rules, and facilities on-site (i.e. are there restrooms? Are there washrooms?).
• Work with NOFA NH staff to use the NOFA NH member/volunteer base and social media outlets to recruit volunteers.
• Develop and implement a strategy for the recruitment of volunteers from a wide variety of entities, including church groups, community groups, student organizations at colleges and universities, summer camps, retirees clubs, garden clubs, 4-H etc.
• Communicate with every volunteer about NOFA NH’s expectations of them. Describe what the volunteers can expect from the gleaning experience.   Volunteers should sign a liability waiver and a photo release if you choose to take promotional photos. This resources are all available through the NHGleans website.
• Set up a system to communicate with your volunteers. Volunteers will need to know when and where to meet, how long will they be needed (no more than 4 hours), and how many volunteers are needed. Consider constant contact or a Facebook event. Volunteers will need to be in touch with you to cancel or be late.  What is the best way they can communicate with you--e-mail, text, or phone call?
• Attend most gleans and lead the effort on the farm.
• Coordinate delivery to recipient organizations. What are the transportation options?

Recipient Organizations Relationship Development

• Find out which food pantries and soup kitchens will accept gleaned produce. How much produce can they handle?  They may have specific hours or days of operation. The NH Food Bank and Cooperative Extension will have much of this information.
• Find out which schools will accept the produce. NH Farm to School will help.
• Communicate with the recipients about what will be delivered and when.

Other

• Collect boxes, bags, and sacks to hold gleaned produce. Liquor stores, groceries, delis, schools, restaurants all have boxes, buckets, sacks, and bags. Find a few reliable sources in your region.

Qualifications

The Coordinator must be self-motivated, organized, flexible, and knowledgeable of farming practices.  The Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining all records of the gleaned produce: what was gleaned, where, how much, and where it went. The Coordinator will need to understand and implement food safety and traceability. All information must be entered into the NH Gleans website.

The coordinator must possess a valid driver’s license and be able to lift heavy boxes of up to 40 lbs.

This is a part-time, seasonal position. The position is for 24 weeks beginning immediately through early December. 

Compensation this position is : hourly, $15/hr + Application instructions Deadlineno deadline