Company description Willamette Farm & Food Coalition (WFFC) facilitates and supports the development of secure, sustainable, and inclusive food systems in Lane County, Oregon. We envision a secure, sustainable, and inclusive food system as one in which our farms and food businesses are both ecologically and economically viable, our agricultural lands are supporting a much larger percentage of Lane County’s food needs, and all members of our community have access to locally grown and raised foods. We believe that a strong local food system contributes to the integral health of our entire community and we work to facilitate greater understanding of the social, economic, and environmental impacts of our food choices. Job description

Full RFA here
Position Description:

The Farm to School Procurement Hub Consultant leads WFFC’s efforts to serve as the Procurement Hub for Lane County. This role has been awarded through grant funding from the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network (OFSSGN). As lead of Lane County’s Procurement Hub, the consultant in this position will focus on increasing purchases of Oregon foods in schools. This means supporting school districts and their partners in finding Oregon-grown and processed foods, expanding and promoting the Oregon Harvests for Schools Producer Portal, and supporting the expansion of purchases for summer lunch programs. This position serves as the bridge between farmers and school nutrition services and must be able to navigate between bureaucracy and an informal economy. Preference will be given to those who have direct experience with both small-scale farms and school nutrition services.

This position will also work closely with the Lane County Farm to School Education Hub (School Garden Project) and other OFSSGN Regional Hubs across the state to support farm to school stakeholders. 

Some travel within the county and state may be required, pending COVID restrictions. As an independent contractor, this position will be expected to provide their own computer, office supplies, and transportation when needed.

 

Position Scope of Work:

Stakeholder communication & outreach (30%) 

• Regular communication with farm to school stakeholders (schools, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal sites, farmers and small scale food processors) in Lane County around:
  • Applying for and spending down Oregon Department of Education (ODE) state procurement funds and grants (schools and CACFP meal sites)
  • Distribution/storage/access to Oregon-grown foods (farmers,processors and schools)
  • The use of the Harvest for Schools Portal
  • Upcoming gatherings and workshops
• Conduct outreach in the Lane County region so stakeholders know you are available to provide technical assistance, resources and training. Pay special attention to community groups not currently engaged in the farm to school movement  such as farms and schools in rural areas and programs/farms operated by Spanish-speaking people. 

Technical Assistance, Resources & Training (30%) 

• Ongoing technical assistance (TA) and region-specific resources to farm to school stakeholders. This assistance will revolve around
  • Incorporating Oregon-grown and processed food into school meals
  • Distribution/storage/access challenges of Oregon-grown foods
  • The use of Oregon Department of Education Farm to School Grant programs to fund local procurement
• Support child nutrition programs to incorporate Oregon-grown and processed foods into meals, snacks and special events. Support producers and food businesses to develop and sell products to child nutrition programs.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement two Regional Hub Gatherings (1 per year) and 2-4 topic specific trainings or resource sharing events for Lane County stakeholders. 
  • Goals of the Regional Hub Gathering include bringing together local producers and farm to school purchasers, sharing resources, providing networking and training opportunities, and addressing region-specific challenges. The first Gathering is planned for this spring.

OFSSGN Communication, training & reporting (30%) 

• Lead all grant reporting to OFSSGN in coordination with WFFC Program Coordinator or Executive Director. This includes regular collection of outreach and TA data and stories throughout the year in addition to biannual reports to OFSSGN
• 1:1 Check-ins with OFSSGN Director and WFFC Program Coordinator or Executive Director as needed or requested 
• Attend the following OFSSGN meetings and events on behalf of WFFC *Note that many meetings and events are during the day and so require a flexible schedule. Most meetings are virtual via Zoom*:
  • Quarterly virtual meetings of farm to school Regional Hub Coordinators as needed to support RHC work. 
  • Various sessions of the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Conference (Feb 14-26th, 2022) 
  • Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Summit including training for Regional Hub Leads (2023).
  • Training to offer TA to stakeholders applying for ODE grant programs 
  • Producer Medial Kit orientation with ODA Farm to School Manager 
  • Coaching coordinated by OFSSGN to build awareness and engage communities of color in the farm to school and school garden movement through culturally relevant community- partners led programs and projects. 
• Support information gathering from stakeholders for OFSSGN’s baseline, progress and final grant reports to ODE 

Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory (10%) 

• Identify and conduct outreach to school-ready suppliers of Oregon grown and processed products in Lane County for inclusion in the Directory.
• Facilitate on-boarding new producers to the Directory. 
• Promote the Oregon Harvest for Schools Directory at Regional Gatherings, trainings, and via email 

Skills & Qualifications:

• Self directed, independent worker. Able to work remotely with little guidance when given proper upfront training.
• Strong organizational skills. Able to build systems and procedures that ensure a project continues through transitions. 
• Strong fluency in Gsuite including Gmail, GDrive, and GCal
• Proactive communicator. Communicates clearly and concisely to internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent time management skills. Able to complete work efficiently and accurately.
• Experience working with schools and/or a strong understanding of school administrative dynamics and staffing capacities
• Experience working with the local food and small farming community and/or in the fields of food justice, food access, nutrition, small-scale agriculture, food banks, food aggregation and purchasing preferred
• Flexible schedule with availability during day time hours 
• Bilingual in Spanish/English strongly encouraged

 

Compensation this position is : hourly, $20/hr + Location job can be done remotely Application instructions DeadlineJanuary 28, 2022