Company description

The Del Norte and Tribal Lands Community Food Council (DNATL CFC) is seeking a collaborative, passionate, and experienced Food Program Coordinator. This is an exciting opportunity to work as a team in increasing health and equity through food projects in one of California’s most beautiful, isolated, and socioeconomically disadvantaged regions.

This position will be headquartered in Del Norte County, the breathtaking northern corner of coastal California. This region is home to Redwood National and State Parks, the Wild and Scenic Smith River, and miles of rugged Pacific Ocean beaches. There are abundant opportunities for hiking, camping, surfing, and kayaking. Del Norte is also only a short drive from Arcata, CA—home of Humbolt State University—and Ashland, OR—home of Southern Oregon University, and the Shakespeare and Britt festivals.

The DNATL Community Food Council works to build a vibrant local food system that provides healthy, affordable food to all DNATL families. Our programs are organized around three primary objectives: ensuring food security, growing our local food economy, and shifting DNATL’s resident food culture towards healthful foods. The DNATL Community Food Council is housed within the Family Resource Center of the Redwoods (FRC) and works closely with many community partners including the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County Unified School District, the City of Crescent City, Del Norte County, College of the Redwoods, SNAP-Ed, First 5 Del Norte, UC Extension, and local food producers.

DNATL is one of 14 communities within The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative: a ten-year, place-based, equity-focused program aimed at improving health outcomes for all residents. The DNATL Community Food Council was founded with a BHC grant in 2010 to bring together all area food systems stakeholders to advance healthy food access and consumption for Del Norte and surrounding tribal land residents. The following are examples of current DNATL CFC work:

• Visioning, creating, and maintaining community food forests in Crescent City and Klamath; including planning for the Grand Opening/first annual Harvest Festival celebration.
• Designing and maintaining the county’s first choice-based food pantry, distributing 6,223 choice boxes to feed 15,770 people in the past year.
• Hosting numerous DIY food and garden workshops at FRC and throughout DNATL.
• Collaborating with Del Norte County to ensure emergency food preparedness for Del Norte residents.
• Beginning a CalRecycle Food Rescue project with the goal of diverting and redistributing over 400,000 pounds of food from the landfill in the next 20 months.

Job description

The Food Program Coordinator will play an integral role in supporting and spearheading new and on-going Community Food Council programs. She or he will work closely with the Food Program Director through strategy consultation and program design, carrying-out the following essential job duties:

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with existing and new partners throughout DNATL, especially in the outlying areas such as Klamath and Smith River.
• Maintain a strong DNATL internet and social media presence through frequently updating the website, facebook, and listserve. Design and execute radio and newspaper advertisements, press releases, and paper flyers.
• Assist Food Program Director in seeking out and applying for pertinent grants.
• Provide garden training and assistance to school gardens that have been historically funded by CFC mini grants program. Work as the primary manager of multiple small projects.
• Coordinate and support monthly CFC and other meetings.
• Enlist and help manage volunteers, and represent the Community Food Council at multiple community events.
• Assist with harvesting/gleaning of produce and food processing/preservation of rescued food.
• Plan and carrying-out logistics for workshops, trainings, and events.
• Be willing and able to assume new duties as the food work grows and evolves.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in food studies, agriculture, sociology, public health, community development, or a relevant field.
• Passionate about ensuring food justice and sustainable food systems.
• Proven ability to work effectively as a member of a team of diverse individuals.
• At least four years of demonstrated skills and abilities in stakeholder collaboration, community organizing, and building and maintaining effective partnerships.
• At least two years of experience working in a food production/food system capacity.
• Excellent written, verbal, and internet communication.
• Knowledge of basic website maintenance and social medial platforms.
• At least two years of experience in a supervisory and/or leadership role.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working effectively with tribal nations, populations of low socio-economic status, and in rural communities.
• Skilled at conducting effective research and producing concise, documented summaries of best practices.
• Non-profit background and grant writing.
• Hands-on knowledge and skills of various methods of food production and preservation.
• Event planning.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $20.00 - $24.00

Application instructions

Deadline

August 26, 2019