Company description

Community Harvest of Central Vermont (CHCV) is committed to bringing our community together through gleaning to recover surplus food produced on area farms to feed those with limited access to nutritious, fresh local food, and in the process help the community to gain a greater awareness and appreciation of the local food system, healthy eating, and waste reduction.

CHCV is a local grassroots volunteer-powered community service program focused on utilizing surplus food grown in Central Vermont. Through gleaning, we work with local farms to reduce the amount of food that goes to waste and help provide nutritious local food to organizations that are addressing hunger in our community.

We utilize food grown on local farms that would otherwise not be harvested and sold to enhance the health and well-being of the Central Vermont community. In this way we serve as a connector between the local for-profit and charitable food systems. Our program brings together community volunteers to do this work. The fresh gleaned produce is donated to Central Vermont community members with limited access to nutritious, fresh local food.

CHCV’s volunteers do virtually all of the gleaning in addition to the sorting, cleaning, weighing, tracking, and delivering. We provide a diverse group of community volunteers opportunities to help their neighbors, build community, and gain greater awareness and appreciation of our local food system. We engage all ages and economic groups, in particular children and recipients of the gleaned food.

CHCV promotes community connections and involvement with farms by bringing people out into the farm fields to work together and learn how and where fresh food is grown in their community.

Our recipient site partners, all of whom serve individuals experiencing food insecurity, include food shelves, afterschool and early childhood education programs, senior and community meal sites, and Farm to School programs. CHCV’s recipients report that our regular weekly year-round deliveries are critical to their success, as they see a continuing need in our community. CHCV provides a unique service that programs cannot get anywhere else.

Our busiest season for gleaning is in the late summer and fall – August through November – when we are storing up as much as we can to be distributed to recipient sites over the winter months as they need the food. However, we do field gleans and pick-ups year-round from packing houses, markets, greenhouses, and other places where local food is being produced.

We receive a significant portion of our funding from individual donors. We also receive donations from recipient and community partners, as well as from businesses and foundations.

Job description

Overview

Community Harvest of Central Vermont (CHCV), Central Vermont's gleaning organization for the past decade, is seeking a part-time Facility Operations and Food Recovery Assistant to support our physical infrastructure and food recovery operations. CHCV brings the community together through gleaning to recover surplus food produced on area farms to feed those with limited access to nutritious, fresh local food. This position plays a key support role in maintaining the organization’s facilities, equipment, and vehicles, and in assisting with the collection, intake, tracking, and organization of gleaned food.

The ideal candidate will be reliable, organized, and proactive, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team. This is a physically active role that involves regular cleaning and maintenance tasks, food pickups, and seasonal facility upkeep. This position will report to both the Executive Director and the Program Operations Manager and work closely with other staff and volunteers.

This is a part-time year-round, in-person position with a set weekly schedule of Thursdays and Fridays, totaling approximately 16 hours per week.

Job Responsibilities

Facilities Operations and Maintenance

• Manage organization, cleaning, and ordering of supplies in coordination with other staff.
• Oversee washing of containers (buckets, crates, bags), working with volunteers as appropriate.
• Conduct weekly facility cleanliness projects.
• Maintain CHCV’s vehicles including regular cleaning, and stocking with glean supplies.
• Work with the Program Operations Manager (POM) to perform weekly and seasonal cooler maintenance and cleaning tasks, including air conditioner cleaning and deep cleans.
• Work with the POM to track and organize facility improvement projects and cleaning logs.
• Work with the POM and volunteers to research, recommend, and install new equipment.
• Perform light building and grounds maintenance including grass trimming and snow removal.

Food Recovery and Gleaning

• Participate in food pick-ups, processing, and delivery preparation.
• Maintain awareness of food inventory to make informed decisions during pickup planning.
• Support occasional gleaning efforts in the field.
• Support food deliveries to sites as needed.
• Support communication with farm partners and food donors when necessary.

Data and Volunteer Support

• Assist in data collection, recording, and accuracy for food pickups, volunteers, and distribution.
  

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and demonstrated ability to follow and internalize specific instructions and processes in a fast-paced environment is a must.
• Possess an understanding and appreciation of the local food system, healthy eating, and waste reduction. Experience working or volunteering in non-profit(s) which address hunger relief, waste reduction, or agricultural issues desired.
• Comfortable with physical, hands-on work and capable of heavy lifting regularly.
• Organized and attentive to detail with a demonstrated ability to manage cleaning, maintenance, and supply tracking tasks.
• Reliable and able to follow set checklists, timelines, and communication protocols.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite software including Excel preferred.
• Familiarity with tools and equipment maintenance is a plus.
• Knowledge of produce, food handling, and storage practices is a plus.
• Comfortable interacting with volunteers and members of the public in a support role.
• Valid US driver’s license, clean driving record, and reliable transportation required. Ability to drive a pick-up truck and mid-size cargo van required. Use of your own reliable vehicle for food pickups desired. Mileage reimbursement will be provided.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification. At CHCV, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align, we still encourage you to apply.

Location and Physical Demands
This position is based out of our Berlin, VT facility and includes regular pickups and travel around Central Vermont. The ideal candidate will live within short commuting distance of Berlin, VT. Work is hands-on and occasionally outdoors in varied weather. A high level of physical activity is required, including lifting up to 50 pounds, moving crates, driving, and cleaning.

Compensation and Benefits
Competitive hourly compensation ranging from $19 to $22 per hour to start, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include generous paid combined time off.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $19.00 - $22.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline