Program Coordinator, Just Roots Chicago - Sauk Village, IL

 

Details

Job Type:Part Time

Job Type:Temporary

Start Date:March 4, 2025

End Date:October 31, 2025

Application Deadline:January 15, 2025

Experience Level:Entry level

Compensation:USD $20 / hour

25 hours/week with a T/W/F/Sa Schedule

Areas of Focus:Agriculture, Children & Youth, Education, Environment & Sustainability, Volunteering, Community Development, Health & Medicine, Hunger, Food Security

Description

Just Roots envisions caring communities that motivate and support all residents to participate and access food in ways that promote and sustain the holistic health of people and the environment. Guided by that vision, we strive to support our community in three primary ways:

1. Improved holistic health and well-being for residents through the production, harvest, and consumption of healthy, culturally affirming food.
2. The development of a thriving community that learns and shares about local, healthy, regenerative food practices together.
3. Greater collaboration and resource sharing among urban farmers working to support the development of a more local, regenerative, and community driven food system.

We are a young, growing organization that was founded in 2017. We are a team of ten staff and nine board members, with invaluable support from a host of seasonal staff, interns, volunteers, and community partners. To learn more, visit https://justrootschicago.org/our-team/.

Position Description

The Program Coordinator leads the on-site coordination of food distribution programs, specifically the CSA, Farm Stand, Fresh Food Farmacy, Farm to School, and Donations at the It Takes A Village (ITAV) Community Farm. Other than food distribution, this person coordinates volunteers and supports farm production, most notably harvest. This is a seasonal position, March - October, at 25 hours/week.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee the distribution of CSA shares at the ITAV Community Farm between May and October.
• Lead and oversee the weekly Farm Stand at the ITAV Community Farm between June and October.
• Lead and oversee the Fresh Food Farmacy and Farm to School distributions at the ITAV Community Farm between June and October.
• Lead and oversee Donations at the ITAV Community Farm between June and October.
• Coordinate individual volunteers and volunteer groups of all ages and lead farm tours, farm tasks, and opportunities for learning and healing.
• Complete on-site administrative tasks as needed for each program.
• Support weekly harvests and maintain food safety and quality control standards from field to family.
• Support farm to table dinners, community events, off-site food distributions, and youth education on an as-needed basis.

Secondary Responsibilities

• Support communication and outreach efforts for programming on an as-needed basis.

Primary Qualifications

• A commitment to Just Roots Chicago’s mission, vision, and values.
• A minimum of one year of experience working in customer service, and supporting individuals or groups of varying ages.
• An understanding of sustainable growing practices for fruit and vegetable production and/or experience working at an urban farm or garden.
• Ability to work outdoors for extended periods of time at an efficient pace.
• A self-motivated individual who’s able to complete tasks in an effective manner, both independently and as a team member.
• Ability to effectively and promptly communicate, both verbally and in writing.
• A commitment to ongoing personal and professional growth.
• Reliable and consistent access to a car or transportation. A vehicle is required for off-site food distributions.
• Lives in Chicagoland, preferably on the south side of Chicago or in the south suburbs.

Learn more/APPLY here!

Associate Manger, Public Benefits Outreach Innovation - Greater Chicago Food Depository

Who: The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, believes a healthy community starts with food. We are at the center of a network of more than 700 partner organizations and programs – food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, mobile distributions and other partners – working to bring food, dignity and hope to our neighbors across Chicago and Cook County. The Food Depository addresses the root causes of hunger with job training, advocacy and other innovative solutions

What: The Associate Manager of Benefits Outreach Innovation works with the Senior Manager of Public Benefits Outreach to improve and expand the Food Depository’s benefits outreach work in Cook County.

As the Food Depository strives to end hunger, some of our most valuable tools are public benefit programs. Nutrition assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) empower families to purchase the food they need at a grocery store. Programs like Medicaid provide families with resources to meet other basic needs, like health care, thereby reducing the need to skip meals to pay medical bills. The Greater Chicago Food Depository currently conducts outreach to connect eligible individuals with SNAP and Medicaid.

The Associate Manager of Benefits Outreach Innovation is charged with removing barriers that impede our ability to connect families to SNAP and Medicaid and exploring opportunities to expand our benefits outreach work to include other programs such as LIHEAP, WIC, and EITC. This role will optimize processes, pilot new programs, leverage technology, and inform policy opportunities.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Program Director - Denver Food Rescue Program

Who: Denver Food Rescue is a nonprofit organization focused on improving health equity outcomes by increasing access to healthy food in lower income areas. Almost 200,000 low- to moderate-income Denver residents live in “food deserts,” areas with barriers to accessing healthy food retail. These barriers lead to diet related health problems, and lower education attainment for youth. Denver Food Rescue (DFR) works with residents of these neighborhoods to distribute fresh produce and other healthy foods from convenient, community-run venues, such as schools and afterschool programs. More than 200 DFR volunteers “rescue” food that would otherwise go to waste from grocery stores and wholesalers, and deliver it – sometimes via bicycle – to one of 17 No Cost Grocery Programs, reaching thousands of families every year. With a focus on community-led change, DFR is a leader in distributing healthy food from venues that do not traditionally distribute food, such as schools, after-school programs, recreation centers, and other facilities that are frequented by low-income residents.

What: The Program Director (PD) will nurture DFR’s community relationships and inspire connections between communities and DFR volunteers. The PD works under the general oversight of the Executive Director. The PD is responsible for directing and managing DFR’s food rescue program, including No Cost Grocery programs. The PD is also responsible for the recruitment and launch of new, and ongoing support of current, No Cost Grocery Programs, including assistance in the implementation of new program elements, evaluation, sustainability, and overall program well-being. The PD is empowered to create, direct, and manage other programming such as transportation barrier alleviation, nutrition education, healthy food retail, SNAP enrollment, and more. The PD supports the Operations Coordinator with food donor relationships, including data tracking and reporting responsibilities.

Major Gifts Officer - The Greater Chicago Food Depository

Who: The Greater Chicago Food Depository is Chicago’s food bank, providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in the community. They do this in partnership with 700 agencies and programs including pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and responses for children, older adults and veterans. This network distributes food where it is needed most throughout Cook County.

What: The Officer will oversee major gifts program by supporting the Organization's fund raising strategy to grow individual major gifts through identifying, cultivating, and soliciting high-level prospects, beyond the $10,000 level. The Major Gifts Officer is responsible for supporting the Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving with the overall strategic direction, management, and expanding of the major gifts programs.

This individual will manage a personal portfolio of approximately 125-150 major gift prospects. The Major Gifts Officer will be part of a team responsible for a collective revenue goal of 6 million out of a 20 million dollar individual giving revenue goal. This individual will also work closely with other members of the development and leadership team to support the capital campaign. The candidate will be an individual with a rich development background, who has had progressive and successful development experience in major gifts and capital campaign experience.
Responsibilities include:

Director of Public Policy - Greater Chicago Food Depository

Who: The Greater Chicago Food Depository is Chicago’s food bank, providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in the community. They do this in partnership with 700 agencies and programs including pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and responses for children, older adults and veterans. This network distributes food where it is needed most throughout Cook County.

What: The Director of Public Policy serves as part of the Community Impact leadership team, leading the organization's strategies to leverage policy change to end hunger. The Director serves as an expert on legislative policy related to food insecurity, public benefits, healthcare, and other anti-poverty issues significantly impacting individual and families with low incomes.

The Director identifies policy legislative and administration opportunities through written proposals that build a case for advancement. Additionally, the Director supports the development of strategic communication campaigns designed to mobilize coalition partners. Annually, directs the process to develop the policy agenda for approval by the CEO and the Board of Directors. Leads the charge to expand benefits outreach services by creating new collaborations to connect clients to additional public benefits and support. Leads a staff working on policy, advocacy, and benefits outreach. Success requires collaboration with a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include:

Director of Public Policy - Greater Chicago Food Depository

Who: The Greater Chicago Food Depository is Chicago’s food bank. We provide food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. We do this in partnership with 700 agencies and programs including pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and responses for children, older adults and veterans. This network distributes food where it is needed most throughout Cook County.

What: The Director of Public Policy serves as part of the Community Impact leadership team, leading the organization's strategies to leverage policy change to end hunger. The Director serves as an expert on legislative policy related to food insecurity, public benefits, healthcare, and other anti-poverty issues significantly impacting individual and families with low incomes.

The Director identifies policy legislative and administration opportunities through written proposals that build a case for advancement. Additionally, the Director supports the development of strategic communication campaigns designed to mobilize coalition partners. Annually, directs the process to develop the policy agenda for approval by the CEO and the Board of Directors. Leads the charge to expand benefits outreach services by creating new collaborations to connect clients to additional public benefits and support. Leads a staff working on policy, advocacy, and benefits outreach. Success requires collaboration with a diverse array of internal and external stakeholders.
Key responsibilities include: