The Positions: The Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative offers VISTAs the opportunity to build sustainable food systems by working with the faith community. The VISTAs will serve as part of a very small team including up to 3 VISTAs focusing on helping low-income people in Sonoma, Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa counties of California access healthy local food. This will emphasize promoting purchase incentives for fruits and vegetables and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs and produce stands at faith-based sites. The VISTAs will participate in an orientation and attend trainings to build professional and personal skills. The VISTAs will gain familiarity with key aspects of non-profit management and network with community food access groups. Each position will have a different primary focus: community gardens and farms; facilitating job development in the food and urban farming sector; and marketing relationships through CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and produce stands. The VISTAs will be working in a dynamic fluid environment within a 7 year old organization.
The goal of each VISTAs assignment is to: increase food security for low-income individuals, AmeriCorps VISTA members will share models and lessons learned on how congregations and farmers can partner to create farm marketing outlets that supply fresh, sustainably grown produce and products to low income people. Each AmeriCorps VISTA will develop skills in: grant writing, program development; community outreach, community organizing, and evaluation.
VISTA assignment – The AmeriCorps VISTAs tasks will include:
• sharing and facilitating use of innovative ways that low-income consumers and farmers can access and use Cal Fresh and WIC (Women, Infant and Children food aid);
• organizing meetings, conferences and securing or developing materials to share models and lessons learned on how congregations and farmers can partner to create gardens and farm marketing outlets that supply fresh produce and products to low-income people;
• develop and offer resources in the form of volunteers and interns, as well as direct financial support in the form of mini-grants to start-up projects among congregations to improve economic opportunity through food access;
• fundraising and program development to facilitate faith-based groups' work to provide training, business development and financing to congregants and neighbors advancing food related businesses;
• building project capacity; and
• developing program evaluation systems to monitor impacts.
The VISTAs will work together for larger outreach and training events including roundtable discussions and the ISFC's annual conference. However, each will have a leadership role for specific projects. These are expected to breakdown based on geography and language-group. For example, one VISTA may be the lead for outreach in Marin County and the other lead outreach in Sonoma County. Another VISTA may focus activity more on resource development and the other on outreach and community support.
Qualifications: The best candidates will have a familiarity with community organizing, sustainable food systems and/or faith community work. Spanish language skills are desirable. Experience with cross-cultural relationship building and social networking platforms is a plus. Strong oral and written communication skills are key. A B.A. degree or above is required.
How to Apply: Interested individuals should contact Steve Schwartz at Steve@interfaithfood.org or (707) 634-4672 and review the AmeriCorps website (www.Americorps.gov). This is a competitive position. Please submit a resume as soon as possible as we are scheduling interviews starting 1/15/2020. Applicants may also apply through the AmeriCorps VISTA website: http://bit.ly/ISFC-VISTA-2019. The start Date for this position would be February 18th.