Company description

Island Grown Initiative is a non-profit on Martha’s Vineyard that works to build a regenerative and equitable food system for our community. We operate a 42-acre farm in the center of the Island and use low till, regenerative practices. We seek a hard-working and community-oriented Gleaning and Distribution Assistant to help us share local food throughout the 2026 growing season.

Job description

This position will be split between our Gleaning, CSA, and wholesale programs. Gleaning is the act of gathering food that would otherwise not be sold. This includes harvesting surplus crops with volunteers, receiving surplus food, and harvesting or receiving food grown specifically for donation. Our Gleaning program serves local food distribution programs, public schools, and prepared meals programs. We work closely with IGI’s Food Pantry, which serves 1 in 5 year-round residents of Martha’s Vineyard. We also process venison through a collaborative Venison Donation Program and run gleaning field trips for 700 students each year at IGI’s farm.

We offer sliding scale summer and winter CSA programs and this year each program is expanding to 150 members. We will also be offering two additional CSA pickup locations this summer to make CSA more accessible to members throughout the island. Our wholesale program will also be expanding to offer more options for local produce to public schools and other institutions.

This position starts as early as April 1, 2026, and ends December 31, 2026. Work averages 40 hours a week over the course of the season, with the expectation that some days will be longer than others depending on the season and needs of the farm. Daily start and end times are subject to change during the hot summer months.

This position reports to the Gleaning Manager and is supervised by the Distribution Manager as needed.

Gleaning Assistant Responsibilities (60%):

• Direct volunteers during gleans at IGI and other Island farms.
• Make deliveries to food pantries, local organizations, and schools with an IGI vehicle.
• Facilitate gleaning field trips for local school groups of various ages and ability levels.
• Occasionally coordinate with farmers and gleaning recipients via text and email.
• Track and record gleaning data.
• Wash and pack produce, maintain gleaning supplies, perform various farm-based tasks.
• Cover for the Gleaning Manager as needed.

Distribution Responsibilities (40%):

• Assist with packing wholesale orders and weekly and biweekly CSA shares.
• Deliver orders to restaurants, grocery stores, farms, and other customers with an IGI vehicle regularly.
• Assist with harvesting and washing produce for wholesale orders and CSA shares following the farm’s food safety standards.
• Maintain cooler cleanliness, clean and sanitize storage bins, perform various farm-based tasks as needed.
• Cover for the Distribution Manager as needed.

What we’re looking for:

• Job and/or educational experience in agriculture.
• Detail-oriented, focused, organized, tidy, and computer literate.
• Excellent listening skills, with a willingness to learn and discuss new ideas.
• Skilled in both verbal and written communication.
  Ability to adapt and to respond to dynamic needs of IGI programs.
• Self-motivated, able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Willingness and ability to work hard while maintaining a positive attitude.
• Safe and conscientious driver with a good driving record and up to date driver’s license.
• Physically capable of sustained manual labor, including the ability to safely lift 50 pounds repeatedly.
• Ability to work in all weather conditions, including rain, wind, heat, cold, etc.
• Willingness to work with and around animals processed for food (butchering experience is welcome but not required).
• Ability to pass CORI background check in order to work with students on field trips.

Compensation: Pay is $23-$25/hr, commensurate with experience. Returning employees are expected to take on more elevated responsibilities, which will be reflected in their pay. Farm staff members enjoy access to the food they grow.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $23.00 - $25.00

Application instructions

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Deadline

May 31, 2026