FFV Looking for new Program Coordinator

Foods of the Fundy Valley is sad to announce the departure of our current Program Coordinator, Elizabeth Gorman, who is leaving FFV to grow her little family in Moncton with the soon arrival of their new baby. We are looking for someone to take her position immediately as Program Coordinator, from a capacity of 10-30hrs a week. Please see the full job description details below. To submit an application, please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected]m by 4pm October 26th. Successful applicants will be notified by email.hiringslider

The Program Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating and managing the food security related programs run by Foods of the Fundy Valley, ensuring timely delivery, adherence to budget and other requirements, quality control and evaluation. She/he will also work with the Board to identify food security program needs in the area, seek funding and develop plans for future programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Food Box Program

  • Work with partner organizations, coordinate and oversee the monthly operation of the Fundy Region Community Food Smart Food Box Program.
  • Submit monthly produce orders (sourcing local when possible), fill out all tracking/planning documents for day of packing, coordinating volunteers, adapting nutritional information inserts, receiving and tracking funds, selling leftover produce/delivering unsold produce to food bank, RCS, etc.
  • Staying connected with CFS mother host in Fredericton
  • Maintain master database list of clients from each partner distributor
  • Create and track seasonal surveys to measure success/effectiveness of program

Community Garden

  • Continue to support the growth and use of the shared community garden with our partners (Forest Dale Nursing Home & Shepody Food Bank). Advertise plot availability in the spring, take care of assigning plots to individuals or groups, work with Forestdale and SFB on the two community plots, host events at the garden as a community gathering space.
  • Complete and file all necessary reports related to the program

2017 Workshop Series

  • Develop the workshop series for 2017
  • Advertise the workshops in a timely fashion, coordinate speakers, venue and host workshops.

Apple Museum Plan

  • Research the requirements and logistics for commercial kitchens, storage facilities and tree location and planting for the Apple Museum.
  • Provide an apple-grafting workshop for the general public.
  • Continue to populate and maintain the database that has been started, of locations of apple trees, photos and stories that come with the trees through community outreach.

Land Registry Tool-kit

  • Investigate existing models and adapt/create a toolkit for the Fundy region to aid landowners in making land available for farming.
  • Begin database of land registry.

Food Security School Programs

  • Provide assistance, as needed, to the Riverside Consolidated School and Hillsborough Elementary School garden clubs and RCS Kids in the Kitchen program.

Networking & PR

  • Attend the Nutritious Foods in Our Schools Committee and NB Food Charter Committee meetings and gatherings, as well as represent FFV as an active member and partner of the Our Food Project: Phase 3, staying connected to our Kent County partners.
  • Continue to update and innovate the Fundy Valley Food Map, FFV website and Facebook pages.

Other Projects

  • As necessary, and at the direction of the employer, and time allowing, provide assistance with other FFV endeavors, such as the Farmers’ Market, fall Oktoberfest and other events.
  • Maintain awareness of other food security models and community needs.
  • Maintain awareness of available funding for programs. With Board approval, be responsible for initiating and following through on appropriate grant applications.
  • Complete and file all necessary reports related to the programs listed above.

Bookkeeping

  • Working with the Board Treasurer, maintain the books for each program. Track income and expenses and adhere to budget.

Qualifications

The successful candidate must have experience in food security and community sustainability, including a good understanding of the issues facing rural sustainability. Excellent oral and written communication skills are essential, including experience in facilitating seminars and workshops. The candidate must also have excellent bookkeeping, grant writing skills, a valid driver’s license and vehicle. Experience in working with children and elders is also required, and the candidate must be able to pass the necessary background checks.

Additional Asset Skills, Beliefs and Personality Traits

  • Believes that every person belongs and has contributions to make and gifts to give to the community;
  • Is always on the lookout for what is happening in the communities and knows their places, events, groups and people;
  • Looks for opportunities for people to connect with others and contribute their skills;
  • Enjoys meeting people and bringing together people with common interests;
  • Gets involved and asks others to get involved;
  • Enjoys challenges and does not give up;
  • Stays flexible, adjusts expectations, and knows that things take time;
  • Focuses on one person at a time and considers how that person‘s interests and skills can be assets for the community;
  • Finds ways for others in the community to sustain new connections;
  • Energetic and critical thinker; innovative and pragmatic problem-solver;
  • Has an interest in Food Security.

 

Riverside Albert Community Garden is almost ready!

With spring finally here, many of us have been itching to get outside and gardening in the nice fresh air. Well wait no more, because there is going to be a NEW Community Garden opening this week, right here in Riverside Albert! Foods of the Fundy Valley, the Forest Dale Nursing Home and the Shepody Food Bank have all partnered to build our very own shared garden.

Forest Dale has graciously provided the space, water and other support for the garden and will have one of the plots to grow food for the home and as an outdoor activity space for the seniors, staff, volunteers, and family who come to visit their loved ones. The Shepody Food Bank generously helped by writing a successful grant to fund the building of the garden and will also have their own plot for anyone in the community to come and care for, and eat freely from, bringing any extra produce back to the Food Bank for the families and other people that they serve. Foods of the Fundy Valley is providing Elizabeth Gorman’s Program Coordinator time to organize the build and the running of the garden this season.

Tomorrow morning, Wednesday at 10am, myself and volunteers from FFV will be working in some nice local compost and soil into the 10 plots (If you’d like to join in the work party fun come on down! We’ll be round back.) Each plot will measure approximately 10ft x 10ft. Out of these 10 plots, there will be 8 available for anyone who would like to rent one for the year. Our vision for the garden is for it to be a space where people can have fun gardening together – with the soil already tilled and ready to go, tools provided, and workshops throughout the summer and fall season. We also see it as becoming a beautiful green resting and gathering space for anyone who would like to just simply spend time in the garden relaxing, maybe taking a break from work or life in general, and as a space for others to host events and gather.

If you or someone you know is interested in signing up for a plot, please visit or call Mindy Holmstrom at the Forest Dale Nursing Home, 882-3015 or contact Elizabeth at [email protected], or at 875-5841. The only cost is a yearly fee of 15$ (or pay what you can) to help cover future costs for soil amendments etc in 2017.

Please note – the photo above is not the garden yet, but rather a vision for what it may become 🙂

 

Community Food Smart Food Box Program ~ Seeking Volunteers!

Foods of the Fundy Valley, in partnership with the Forest Dale Home, is starting a Community Food Smart produce box program. Starting in April, participants will be able to sign up for one or two bags of fresh vegetables and fruits once a month. The bags will be packed at the Forest Dale Home in Riverside Albert on the morning of the last Wednesday of each month – the first one will be April 27th. They will then be delivered to different distribution points in the communities of Curryville, Riverside Albert, and Alma. We are looking for volunteers to help pack the bags and for people to transport them back to the distribution points in their home communities. If you would like to volunteer and help us launch this program in a great way, please contact Elizabeth Gorman at [email protected] or at (506) 875-5841.