Jobs & Internships

Work with a dynamic, cutting-edge food security, nutrition education and sustainable farming nonprofit advocacy group located in Philadelphia. The Food Trust is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization improving the supply of affordable food and good nutrition in communities. The mission of The Food Trust is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food.

The Food Trust internship program engages bright, motivated and talented individuals in accomplishing our organization mission of building strong communities through healthy food. The Food Trust values interns as an integral part of our organization. We offer our interns the opportunity to learn about the specific issues involved in our work and the chance to participate in the implementation of our programs. Interns offer The Food Trust the time, energy skills and commitment that make our programs possible.

Jobs

Project Coordinator

The Project Coordinator position working under the direction of the project manager will provide administrative and service support to the senior level team and coordinate the agency’s internship and volunteer programs. This position has internal contacts with the entire staff and external contact with vendors and Board of Directors.

Responsibilities Includes:
Exercising professional judgment and confidentiality to complete the day-to-day tasks necessary to facilitate program operations. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, directing and coordinating volunteers and interns, and serving as administrative support for the Executive Director and other senior-level staff:

Answer and screen calls for ED and senior staff
Arrange travel arrangements for ED and senior staff
Prepare expense reports for ED and senior staff
Coordinate meetings and conference calls
Compose memos, letters, reports and other documents for ED, senior staff and Board of Directors
Coordinate Board meetings and logistics including meals and special services
Prepare quarterly Board reports and materials
Event planning and special events
Attend meetings as required
Maintain staff minutes and agendas
Recruit and coordinate volunteers and interns for all programs, in partnership with program staff
Respond to public inquiries and volunteer/intern requests
Complete special projects
Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:
High School diploma or equivalent required (Bachelor’s Degree preferred); a minimum of 3 years administrative or program experience. Candidate must be detail-oriented, flexible, creative, and productive under pressure. Excellent word processing and database skills; proficient in MS Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint. (SPSS highly desirable). The ideal candidate will have the following characteristics: a style that promotes collaboration and communication; sense of humor, a high energy level; ability to work independently and handle multiple tasks simultaneously with attention to detail and accuracy and a sincere interest in the field of evaluation/research.

Salary: Competitive, based on education and experience.
Employment Category: Full Time
Job Open Date: Immediately
To apply: E-mail your résumé and cover letter to contact@thefoodtrust.org or fax to 215-575-0466. Please reference “Project Coordinator” in the subject line. Please do not call.

Garden Festival Part-Time Job, Healthy Corner Store Initiative

The Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative seeks to reduce the incidence of diet-related disease and obesity by improving the snack food choices made by youth in corner stores. The Initiative uses social marketing and education to increase demand for healthy snacks and works with corner store owners and the food industry to increase the availability of healthier choices in stores. Key components of this initiative include nutrition education lessons in schools and in afterschool programs and empowering youth to become health advocates in their communities. Beginning this year, the Initiative will organize a Spring Garden Festival at one or more school garden sites. This festival will be an opportunity for students, school staff, families, community members and organizations, and garden neighbors to connect and enjoy the garden space together. The festival may offer food, music, raffle prizes, garden-based activities, and information about the Initiative and garden program.

Responsibilities include:

Work with Youth Coordinator, community members and organizations, school staff, students, and their families to develop and implement the Spring Garden Festival at one or more school gardens in target communities
Work with Youth Coordinator to develop and manage budget for the event and track expenses
Coordinate logistics, plan activities, develop marketing and promotional strategies and materials for Spring Garden Festival
Develop community outreach plan and engage community members and groups to encourage attendance at garden festival(s) and to develop support for youth business, gardens, and programming
Support project staff and assist with other project tasks as the need arises.

Qualifications:
The ability to work with others in a collegial environment to implement the agency’s vision. Position involves frequent travel throughout the Philadelphia region and requires a valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle. Team building skills and the ability to encourage innovative thinking about problems, opportunities, and situations. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Highly organized. Spanish language skills strongly desirable. Adept at forging strong relationships with key people inside and outside the agency. Experience and/or interest in project development, community event planning, marketing. The ability to lift 50 pounds. The ideal candidate will have the following personal characteristics: unquestioned integrity; personal stature; a passion for excellence; a high energy level; a sense of urgency; excellent listening skills; persuasive communications skills; an entrepreneurial spirit; a sense of humor; an open mind; a candid manner; a commitment to The Food Trust’s mission.

Employment Period: March-June, 2012; 25-30 hours/week

Salary: $8/hour

Internship Credit: Position may be used to to fulfill internship requirements

To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to kolender@thefoodtrust.org. Please reference “Garden Festival Job” in the subject line. Please do not call.

Internships

Farm to School Intern

The Food Trust’s Farm to School Program seeks to improve children’s health and strengthen family farms through increasing access to locally grown, healthy food in schools, along with providing nutrition and agricultural education. The Food Trust serves as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Lead Agency for the National Farm to School Network. The Farm to School Intern will work with Alyssa Moles, The Food Trust’s Farm to School Coordinator, and her team to build the farm to school movement in the Mid-Atlantic region (Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania), as well as help support local farm to school programs in the Philadelphia area.

The intern will work with our Farm to School team to:

Research and track media hits and news on farm to school programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Help research and develop resources to increase farm-to-school knowledge, skills and enthusiasm among farmers, food service personnel, state officials, and nutrition educators.
Research and write articles for The Beet (the Mid-Atlantic farm to school newsletter), maintain the Mid-Atlantic Farm to School blog and develop a presence on Facebook and Twitter.
Collaborate with staff and community partners to support local farm-to-school projects.
Work closely with The Food Trust’s Farm to School team to achieve strategic goals to expand the farm to school movement.

Qualifications:
The ideal intern will have the ability to work with others in a collegial environment to help grow the farm to school movement. Strong research, writing, and organizational skills are desired, and the ideal candidate will have high integrity; a passion for excellence; excellent listening skills; and a commitment to The Food Trust’s mission. Experience with social media is a plus.

Internship Open Date: October 2011. Hours are flexible; 10-15 hours/week preferred

To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to amoles@thefoodtrust.org. Please reference “Farm to School Intern” in the subject line. Please do not call.

Development Intern

The Food Trust’s Development team is looking for an enthusiastic and committed intern to help support fundraising efforts including donor communications, grant-writing, corporate sponsorships, events and other activities. The development intern position provides an ideal opportunity for an individual interested in nonprofit management and development to learn about the diverse efforts and strategies of a nationally-recognized organization while building fundraising skills and on-the-ground experience.

Intern responsibilities include:

Update and maintain Giftworks donor database and regular donor communications
Coordinate communications and logistics with Farmers’ Market and Night Market sponsors
Help to plan and support fundraising events, “friend-raisers,” and other development activities
Assist with grant research and grant proposals
Support staff in completing prospect research for new and existing donors

Qualifications:

Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Strong organizational skills and the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
Ability to analyze problems and develop creative solutions.

The ability to work with others in a collegial environment to implement the agency’s vision. The ideal candidate will have the following personal characteristics: a passion for excellence; a high energy level;
a sense of humor; an open mind; a commitment to The Food Trust’s mission.

Open Date and Hours: Start immediately, 10-15 hours per week (flexible)

To apply: E-mail your résumé and cover letter to contact@thefoodtrust.org. Please reference “Development intern” in the subject line. Please do not call.

Fresh Food Access Intern, Healthy Corner Store Initiative

The Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI) seeks to increase the availability and awareness of healthy foods in corner stores through marketing, training and technical assistance to store owners, a healthy food identification campaign in corner stores, strategic investments in corner store layout to increase store capacity to sell and market healthy items and education and marketing in schools near targeted corner stores. The initiative links corner store owners, community partners and local farmers and suppliers to create and sustain healthy corner stores.

Responsibilities include

Collaborate with project manager, corner store owners and community partners to bring healthy foods to corner stores
Plan and implement sustainable strategies for bringing fresh produce and healthy snacks into corner stores
Assist in the identification of corner stores and carry out the outreach and recruitment of corner stores throughout Philadelphia.
Implement a Healthy Foods Identification Campaign and train owners how to use fresh produce toolkits
Assist with the store conversion process including filling out applications with store owners and related logistics
Assist with store trainings and help stores select new healthy inventory
Build relationships with corner store owners and communicate with owners to discuss project, ideas, and concerns.
Collect and enter corner store data.
Support project staff and assist with other corner store work as the need arises.

Qualifications: Knowledge of fresh food retail and small business development preferred. Proficiency in Spanish or Korean is strongly preferred. Involves frequent travel throughout the Philadelphia region and requires a valid driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle. The ability to work with others in a collegial environment to implement the agency’s vision. Team building skills and the ability to encourage innovative thinking about problems, opportunities, and situations. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Adept at forging strong relationships with key people inside and outside the agency. The ideal candidate will have the following personal characteristics: unquestioned integrity; personal stature; a passion for excellence; a high energy level; a sense of urgency; excellent listening skills; persuasive communications skills; an entrepreneurial spirit; a sense of humor; an open mind; a candid manner; a commitment to The Food Trust’s mission.

Other Information: Open immediately, flexible 15 – 30 hours per week. This is an unpaid internship.

To apply: E-mail your résumé and cover letter to bsandoval@thefoodtrust.org. Please reference “Fresh Food Access Intern, Healthy Corner Store Initiative” in the subject line. Please do not call.

The Food Trust Policies

Code of Ethics (pdf)

Conflict of Interest Policy (pdf)

Whistleblower Policy (pdf)

The Food Trust adheres to the policy of providing equal employment opportunities to all job applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability or sexual orientation.