The mission of Fresh Approach is to create long-term change in local food systems by connecting California communities with healthy food from California farmers and expanding knowledge about food and nutrition. We accomplish our mission through a variety of food access, education, and community engagement programs across the Bay Area, including the Mobile Farmers’ Market, VeggieRx, Collective Roots Community Garden, the East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market, and Matching Nutrition Incentives at the Richmond Certified Farmers’ Market. We believe that everyone should have equal access to healthy foods and that the health of our communities and the livelihood of our local farmers should go hand-in-hand.

Job Summary

Fresh Approach seeks a dynamic and passionate Education Program Specialist to plan, coordinate and deliver education programs in the South Bay; primarily the VeggieRx nutrition education program. This position is responsible for identifying partners and scheduling class series in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties (with a focus on Sunnyvale, East Palo Alto, and Redwood City communities), as well as facilitating classes in English and Spanish. This position is also responsible for data and impact tracking, curriculum development, partnership building, and community outreach. 

Fresh Approach’s Education Programs include VeggieRx nutrition education, Collective Roots community gardening (in East Palo Alto), and community outreach and engagement. These programs all work to provide skills and tools to make finding, affording, growing, and/or cooking healthy foods more accessible.

This is a full-time non-exempt position (between 30-40 hours per week) with benefits including paid sick time, paid vacation, health insurance, and 403b retirement savings matching.
 

Responsibilities:

• • Coordinate and further develop Fresh Approach’s nutrition education programs to reach a range of ages and to effectively change participants’ lifestyle behaviors
    • Develop partnerships and work closely with community organizations, government agencies, and farmers’ markets throughout the Bay Area
    • Develop new nutrition education lesson plans and materials, and adapt established curriculum
    • Assess community needs for programming and events
    • Work with Marketing & Communications staff to develop outreach and promotional material for use at farmers’ markets, nutrition classes, and community events
    • Enlist new community-based and farmers’ market partners to support programming
    • Assist in project management to ensure that projects successfully meet guidelines.
    • Complete record-keeping to document work completed and progress toward grant goals.
    • Collect, input, and analyze program data using Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets and Salesforce
    • Use data to report impacts, shape future planning, and recruit future partnerships
    • Engage Fresh Approach’s volunteers & interns
  • Act as a Nutrition Educator
    • Adapt established nutrition curriculum for application in different settings and audiences.
    • Aid in the design of educational and nutritional campaigns 
    • Develop and deliver messages to encourage better-informed choices about nutrition and local food systems.
    • Teach nutrition education classes in English and Spanish
    • Administer pre- and post-surveys for program and class evaluation.
    • Conduct community outreach by engaging with individuals of diverse backgrounds and ages at community events, health fairs, and nutrition classes
    • Facilitate Farmers’ Market cooking demos at Fresh Approach’s Mobile Farmers’ Market and traditional Farmers’ Market sites
    • Deliver messages which provide a greater understanding of California agriculture and its role in supporting local food systems, community health and nutrition, and communities of all incomes.

Requirements: 

• Bilingual: A high proficiency in English and Spanish or another frequently used language in the Bay Area is required
• Requires work in an office environment and outside in all weather conditions
• Requires the ability to lift equipment in and out of a vehicle, lift equipment off the ground, and to be able to lift items above head
• Requires a California driver’s license with a safe driving record
• Reliable transportation other than public transportation due to the location of workshops that this position will teach, as well as the supplies the position is required to bring to workshops.
• Requires occasional weekend work on both Saturdays and Sundays; and occasional early morning work or late evening work

Conditions of Employment: 

• This is an hourly, non-exempt position consisting of 30-40 hours a week reporting to the Nutrition Education Program Manager. 
• This is an hourly position starting at $23.50/hour. Because we know the practice of compensation negotiation can contribute to pay inequities, this compensation rate is non-negotiable.
• Benefits for full-time positions include medical, dental, and vision coverage paid by the employer; vacation and sick time accruals; and a 403b retirement plan with employer match subject to vesting. (Vacation benefits include 16 paid holidays per year, as well as 10 additional paid vacation days accrued in the first year of employment. Progressive years of employment include additional accrued vacation days.)