Education Specialist, Food Growing, Capital Area Food Bank, Washington, DC
Capital Area Food Bank -
Washington, DC,
US
Education Specialist, Food Growing
Date Posted: 2024-06-01
Job description
The Food Growing Education Specialist maintains, executes, and develops educational programming for the CAFB s food growing spaces, including its Urban Demonstration Garden. The Urban Demonstration Garden is an on-site, half-acre, hands-on educational space that helps build knowledge around wellness, nutrition, and food growing for the food bank s partners, clients, and the general public. The garden spaces (indoor and outdoor) and Urban Food Studio are used in tandem to show how to grow food in an urban setting, highlighting low-cost gardening techniques. Essential Functions:Manage and execute all garden maintenance operations of CAFB s garden spaces (60%):Grow, harvest, distribute fresh produce from the garden through food growing, nutrition education, and CAFB programmingResponsible for all day-to-day and seasonal garden and outdoor kitchen operations, planning and schedules- mulching, soil amendments, seed starting, planting crop rotation, weeding, etc.Responsible for all garden expenses and budget tracking, including funding for partner support and utilizing grantsManage food growing and nutrition education interns for garden assistance and program supportImplement food waste diversion practices and sustainable gardening, practicing waste reduction through composting and educational programmingDirect individual volunteers and volunteer groups efficiently for operational support; lead multiple shifts of volunteers weekly during growing season (April-Nov)Identify and organize day-to-day and seasonal and long-term volunteer opportunitiesCoordination across CAFB to host staff, volunteers, students, donors, partners, and other groups of interest in garden and outdoor kitchen space Develop and implement all food growing educational programming and resource support to grow food in an urban setting and expand garden opportunities (40%)Direct and implement all nutrition-based garden education & food preparation field trips for students, K-12 and college level visitsDesign and provide educational workshops, open to public & targeted for specific groups such a food pantry partners, at CAFB, at partner sites upon request for services, in-person and virtuallyProgram evaluation, tracking, reporting, and research on best practices for nutrition-based garden education in line with CAFB missionSupport for partner gardens: consultation visits, education, coordination and distribution of resources such as seeds, seed packets, nutrition education and garden educationIdentify and support new garden programming opportunities for CAFB, including at the new NOVA site, write project estimates and proposalsCollaborate across departments to provide and expand opportunities for garden engagement in line with broader CAFB mission: Volunteers, Operations, CLC, Marketing, Fundraising Development, NOVA, and moreInitiate and strengthen professional, beneficial relationships with local gardens, non-profits, clubs, agricultural organizations, schools, contractors and vendors, donors, partner organizations, and groups of interestParticipate in local garden and nutrition events on and off site, presenting internally and externally?to different groups of interestAssist with performance data review (financial, grant, and activity reports) to monitor and measure productivity, goal progress, and activity levelsData entry (when necessary)Other duties as assigned