AmeriCorps Farm-to-School Coordinator

About Green Mountain Farm-to-School:  Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is a nonprofit organization promoting the health and well-being of Vermont's children, farms and communities by providing programs to connect schools and farms through food and education. In the 2021-2022 academic year, GMFTS aims to serve school communities in the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont with school gardens, educational programming and fresh local farm foods, benefiting over 5,000 students. For more information about GMFTS, please visit www.greenmountainfarmtoschool.org.

Position Description:  This position is part of the Lyndon Economic opportunity AmeriCorps Program (LEAP). LEAP is a national service program that places AmeriCorps members with non-profit organizations throughout the NEK of Vermont to support those organizations in expanding their services that many communities rely on. LEAP supports their members in their path to educational and career attainment through direct service, on-going trainings and professional development opportunities offered during the service year.  

The primary responsibilities of the AmeriCorps Farm-to-School Coordinator will be to develop, grow, present, and evaluate GMFTS’ Farm-to-School Programs. This is a year long AmeriCorps position at around 40 hours a week. The Farm-to-School Coordinator reports to the Farm to School Program Manager.  

The AmeriCorps Farm-to-School Coordinator will:

• Develop and maintain relationships with GMFTS partners
• Serve as the primary contact for 3-4 schools
• Create lesson plans for programming and maintain educational materials
• Conduct Harvest of the Month taste tests by cooking with students and serving at lunch
• Facilitate and lead farm field trips of various types
• Deliver in-class workshops to K-8 students on food and agriculture topics
• Plant, maintain, and harvest school gardens
• Use database to collect, analyze, and report data for program evaluation
• Photo document activities and download in a timely manner
• Facilitate Farm-to-School Committee meetings 
• Create educational newsletters showcasing programming at schools and taste test results
• Serve as an independent member of a team of Coordinators
• Work closely with staff, parents, food service directors, and farmers
• Plan, organize, and attend community and organizational events, like Harvest Festivals
• Recruit and train community volunteers
• Design outreach and publicity materials 
• Communicate organization’s mission through social media (Facebook, Instagram)

Qualifications: US citizenship

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience,
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation 
• Knowledge of local food systems and sustainable agriculture
• Some teaching (formal or non-formal) experience 
• Strong interest in working with children 
• Some knowledge of gardening and vegetable production 
• Excellent public speaking, writing skills, and organizational skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Comfort working in a kitchen (home or commercial) desirable but not required
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly growing non-profit environment
• Offer contingent upon results from National Service Criminal History Check

Compensation:

• AmeriCorps Members who complete their term of service of Full Time position of 1700 hours will receive:
• A biweekly stipend totaling approximately $16,000.00 for the year (subject to adjustment based on funding)
• Mileage reimbursement
• Student loan forbearance during the year
• A $6,345.00 Education Award for past or future education (subject to adjustment based on funding)
• Subsidized housing 
• Career mentoring, professional development, and strong work experience
• Eligible for monthly SNAP benefits

How to apply:

Submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@gmfts.org.   No phone calls please. Open until all positions are filled.