Lovin’ Spoonfuls is an organization that facilitates the recovery and distribution of healthy, perishable food that would otherwise be discarded. Lovin’ Spoonfuls works efficiently to deliver this food directly to the community organizations and resources where it can have the greatest impact. Lovin’ Spoonfuls is committed to addressing the health, environmental and economic impact that food waste has on our community.

At Lovin’ Spoonfuls, we are proud of our culture, where we are grounded in our Core Values. We foster open and honest dialogues among staff, and we prioritize opportunities for professional development, team connection, and engagement with the communities we serve.

Position Summary

The Driver Assistant is responsible for collecting, inspecting, loading, and unloading perishable and nonperishable product from vendors and delivering the food to Lovin’ Spoonfuls beneficiaries.

Responsibilities

• Collects prepared, perishable, and other rescued foods from retail stores, farms, and wholesale partners; informs supervisor of any problems or issues in a timely manner.

• Inspects the product to be donated following food safety guidelines and refuses donations if the product doesn’t meet stated criteria.
• Load and unload food to non-profit beneficiaries; informs supervisor of any problems or issues in a timely manner.
• Collects and assists in the delivery of product following all state and federal food safety handling guidelines.
• Accurately records all collections and distributions in our inventory system by 4 PM of the same business day. Also records any and all information pertinent to food rescue operations.

• Completes and submits weekly reports in a timely manner.
• Contacts key staff at vendor/beneficiary locations to ensure smooth pick-up and delivery of donations or to communicate any delays or issues that may arise.

Job Requirements

• Safe food handling practices including obtaining and maintaining a food handling certificate (ServSafe)
• Safe lifting and ergonomic practices
• Ability to learn computerized data input technology
• Ability to adapt to varied work requirements
• Ability to work cooperatively with other staff and volunteers
• Tact and diplomacy in dealing with diversity

Education & Experience

Formal education or special training required:

• High School diploma
• Food Handling experience preferred
• Prior manual labor, warehouse and or lifting experience strongly preferred

Hours

Full-Time: Must be available 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though schedule vary day to day; evening shifts required June - November, weekend hours rarely. Minimum 36 hours worked per week.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach, climb stairs, stoop, kneel, climb in and out of a dock-high vehicle, talk and hear clearly
• Ability to perform moderate to heavy physical labor (lift or maneuver up to 50 lbs repeatedly and loading and unloading a total of approximately 2,000 lbs to 3,000 lbs on a daily basis)

Work Environment

This job requires the ability to:

• Operate in an enclosed box truck or commercial van on a daily basis.
• Work outdoors while loading and unloading product. Work indoors while driving or filling out paperwork.

• Be exposed contaminants such as fuel or exhaust
• Wear protective gloves daily (discretionary)
• Sometimes being exposed to hot or very cold temperatures while working inside (including refrigerated areas, coolers or freezers) or outside
• Occasionally get into cramped positions to reach work spaces, such as the back of a truck.
• Occasionally being exposed to whole body vibration when driving a truck.
• Sometimes dealing with sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
• Handle and sort through produce and other food products that are close to, at, or past expiration, or may be opened
• Use of hand-trucks or two-wheel dollies, and U-boats for moving, loading and unloading product
• Additionally, this role uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones