Hiring: Gleaning Coordinator – Rachel’s Table

Job Overview:

The Gleaning Coordinator organizes a program to harvest excess produce from local farms and donate it to Rachel’s Table’s partner recipient agencies. The Coordinator will work with groups of volunteers, youth and adults, from faith-based organizations, schools, and other community groups to teach them about food insecurity, local agriculture, and the work of Rachel’s Table, while harvesting local food and delivering it to soup kitchens and food pantries. The Coordinator will take initiative to outreach to farms and build relationships with farmers, community groups, and food service agencies. The fresh produce gleaned is a vital, healthy addition to the rescued food that Rachel’s Table donates. The Gleaning Coordinator reports directly to the Director of Rachel’s Table.

Rachel’s Table:

Rachel’s Table is the food rescue and redistribution program of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts. Since 1992, Rachel’s Table has been working to alleviate hunger and reduce food waste in Hampden, Hampshire and recently, Franklin Counties. Six days a week, 200+ volunteers collect food from local supermarkets, restaurants, caterers and bakeries, and deliver it to 50+ agencies, including soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters and recovery centers. Rachel’s Table’s daily work is enhanced by food specialty programs, one of which is the Gleaning program, which fuses food rescue directly from local farms with education and consciousness-raising about gleaning and food justice issues for volunteer gleaning groups, including youth groups and school programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Builds and maintains a network of farms that are interested and willing to have volunteers come and glean their produce.
• Schedules and communicates with volunteer groups about gleaning opportunities.
• Leads gleaning trips to farms: educates about gleaning and farming, oversees and coordinates the harvest, and delivers produce to a food service agency, ensuring that the volunteers get an opportunity to learn about the agency.
• Books buses for trips.
• Coordinates donation site and education on the site.
• Tracks and records what is harvested and donated.
• Collects boxes for each gleaning, keeps and maintains tools and gloves.
• Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  • Knowledge of farming in New England
  • Ability to come up with a plan for efficiently harvesting different crops, delegating, and transporting.
  • Skills in networking and program development
  • Comfort with public speaking.
  • Good communication skills.
  • Strong organizational abilities.
  • Ability to lift at least 30 lbs.

  Education and Experience:

  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Farming experience (at least 2 seasons).
  • Experience working with kids, youth, and adults, including in an educational capacity.

  Work Environment

  The work environment for the gleaning coordinator is primarily in the field, leading and harvesting with volunteer gleaners. Additionally, they accompany groups by bus to food service agencies. The various administrative duties can be completed remotely, using a personal computer and phone.

  Salary:

  The Gleaning Coordinator is an hourly, seasonal position, operating at approximately 150 hours for the whole season. Organizing gleaning activities occurs mostly in late Spring with gleaning activities primarily taking place in early Fall.

  To Apply:

  Please email a cover letter and resume to: jfalk@jewishwesternmass.org. Please include names and contact information of three work references. For any questions, feel free to call Jodi Falk at 413-733-0084.

  Interviews begin July 1 and will continue until position is filled.