About Brighter Bites
Brighter Bites is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that provides reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food.

Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided more than 22 million pounds of produce and 100,000s of nutrition education materials to more than 53,000 families and teachers in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Southwest Florida

Role
In New York City, Brighter Bites partners with City Harvest to deliver its innovative program model in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. The Program Associate position will require regular travel to schools in these boroughs and limited travel to Brighter Bites offices at Queens Plaza.

The Program Associate works primarily at assigned sites (schools/camps) to manage and support Brighter Bites program implementation. This position is part-time, requiring candidates to be available for 20-22 hours per week, Wednesday through Friday, late September – early June.
 

Position Description

• Oversees delivery of produce bagging at multiple school locations.
• Onsite by 8AM to receive produce delivery + program set-up.
• Manages volunteers and/or interns at sites to oversee unloading and bagging of 3,500+ lbs. of produce. Creates a friendly atmosphere of hospitality and fun.
• Problem solves independently with site partners.
• Leads short nutrition discussions with volunteers.
• Completes internal reports after each shift to track program fidelity.

• Supports Program Coordinator during afternoon produce distributions.
• Setting up distribution signage, tables, and materials.
• Preparation of health snack sample.
• Recording family participation on electronic rosters.
• Engaging families in healthy recipes and topics, distributing nutrition materials.

• Communicates with Brighter Bites team to share successes and challenges for each assigned site and provides insight for improvement.
• Works and communicates effectively with key site contacts, volunteers, and families to implement Brighter Bites program policies and procedures.
• Learns the basic principles of CATCH (the nutrition education program utilized by Brighter Bites) and communicates these messages to site staff, children, and families.
• Contributes to social media posts by taking photos during programming.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Desire to work with a mission-driven organization.
• Passion for sharing the power of fresh food with others, especially children and families.
• Previous experience working with children and parents, preferably in an educational setting.
• Ability to work independently, with the support of volunteers and site partners.
• Understanding of key nutrition education concepts.
• Basic culinary skills and strong interest in cooking.
• Stellar writing and interpersonal communication skills.
• Intermediate computer proficiency, including comfort using phone/tablet apps, Google Drive, and Slack.
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred.

Operational and Physical Requirements

• Must be able to travel independently to school sites in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
• Must be able to work actively, on your feet for 3-4 hours at a time, and lift produce boxes/bags 10-50 pounds each continuously on a daily basis.

Start Date & Work Schedule

• The Program Associate is assigned to schools on Wednesday, Thursdays, and Fridays. If available, Program Associates join weekly Monday team meeting in-person or via phone.
• A typical schedule is:
  • 8AM – 11AM: Produce Bagging
  • 11AM – 12:30PM: Unpaid lunch break
  • 12:30PM – 4PM: Produce Distribution
  • Additional school and community events, depending on staff availability.