Overview of position: The Urban Food Gleaning Intern will educate about harvesting local foods and organize weekly gleaning events, farm field trips, and assist with healthy food redistribution for United Nations refugees and other at risk populations. Provide refugees valuable education including English practice, community service hours, vocational training and other life skills with an opportunity to go visit Tucson's backyards, gardens, and Pima County farms to gather a wide variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables. Support refugee families with healthy fruits and vegetables as well as for use in community refugee cooking food preservation workshops and demonstrations.
Specific Tasks:
- Establish contact with past and potential homeowners and farm/orchard owners who will participate in harvesting program
- Identify potential harvest location outside of Iskashitaa's current network
- Assist Harvesting Coordinator organize volunteers, United Nations refugees, transportation and homeowners for a harvest each week
- Supervise a fruit or vegetable harvest once a week
- Cull fruit/vegetables on-site
- Document poundage collected
- Enter data into MS Excel database with detailing information from fruit donors
Time Required: Attend and coordinate an Iskashitaa harvest for 5-7 hours per week.
Qualifications: In process of attaining a 4 year degree or 2 year associate's degree
Physical/Age Requirements: Adult, involves physical work such as bending and lifting of 50 lbs crates.
Skills/Education:
- Strong organizational skills.
- Strong oral communication and writing skills.
- Interest and/or experience in food justice and sustainability, environmental science, nutrition, local foodshed management.
- Experience motivating, managing, and retaining volunteers
- Preferred multi-lingual capacity or experience working with multilingual populations- Languages utilized Kiswahili, Nepali, French, Somali, Arabic (not required)
- Preferred ability to drive standard vehicle or own vehicle
Experience: A minimum of two year previous nonprofit or volunteer work or the equivalent
Training Required: On-site Iskashitaa training, Refugee 101 and volunteer application
