Clagett Farm Notes

Job Opening: Harvest for Health Program Director

Job Description

Job Title: Program Director

Department: Harvest for Health

Reports To:  Senior Program Director

Classification: Exempt

Basic Function: To provide direction and oversight for staff and all aspects of programming for projects in the Harvest for Health Department, including the Anacostia Farmers Market, From the Ground Up at Clagett Farm, Cooking Close to Home and activities relative to each of these, while maintaining focus on the organizational mission, budget and strategic plan.

Responsibilities:

· Sets and evaluate goals for programs and staff through written strategic plans, work plans and action plans in a format compatible with other CAFB departments;

· Regularly provides constructive feedback on performance of all department staff and interns;

· Facilitates planning meetings with CAFB and CBF staff to encourage ongoing communication and collaboration on FGU program development;

· Seeks opportunities for streamlining and integrating all CAFB programs related to fresh produce, and work to encourage a Community Food Security perspective and approach;

· Tracks and reports poundage distribution related to all departmental programs, and ensure a near 50% distribution of Clagett produce to low-income households;

· Tracks expenses and income related to the department 4 (market) and 5 (farm) budgets, and assist in creating a monthly reconciliation between CAFB and CBF accounting records;

· Collaborates on grant proposals and other development activities to source funds for current project costs and future program development;

· Maintains records and monitors project progress to ensure compatibility with the predicted outcomes of awarded grants;

· Supervises plan and messaging for all departmental marketing and outreach;

· Provides direction and focus for educational aspects of all programs;

· Forges relationships and suggests needed action for CAFB Advocacy on issues related to departmental programming;

· Represents department or identify a staff member to be present at relevant national conferences, regional forums and local neighborhood meetings when appropriate;

· Forges strong community partnerships with groups and organizations, CSA shareholders, and member agencies located near project sites;

· Works with the Local Food Alliance and other pertinent community organizations to identify and secure a long-term community organizer for the Anacostia Farmers Market;

· Serves as the on-site and behind-the scene Anacostia Farmers Market manager until a community partner has been identified to assume leadership;

· Responsible for securing market site annually and work with District government on obtaining any necessary permits and approval;

· Supervises the recruitment of new farmers for the Anacostia Farmers Market and manage existing relationships with current farmer vendors;

· Monitors effectiveness of EBT acceptance and look for opportunities to take this experience elsewhere to other markets within DC and the Metro Area;

· Ensures efficiency of the From the Ground Up at Clagett Farm Fresh Produce Grant distribution of donated shares;

· Works to initiate Cooking Close to Home classes and provide structure for volunteers and interns to assume a large part of day-to-day project responsibility;

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in related field
• 4 years work experience and training in the fields of project management, program development and/or community organizing
• Competency with Microsoft Office Software to include: Word, Excel, Outlook and Publisher; knowledge of website updating beneficial

Knowledge, skills, abilities:

• Working knowledge of sustainable agriculture, preferably in the operations of a producer-only farmers market, small farm and/or Community Supported Agriculture program
• Experience in planning, organization and time management in team-oriented environments.
• Ability to think creatively and strategically.
• Exhibits excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Experience in marketing, event planning, public relations, customer service, and/or related fields a plus.
• Ability to meet deadlines in a dynamic organization.
• Experience working in low-income communities and with diverse populations.

Physical requirements:

• The ability to lift heavy boxes up to 40 lbs

Working Conditions and Hours: This position will require a flexible 40-hour work week, and will be based at the Capital Area Food Bank office. Time in the Anacostia community of SE Washington, DC, and at the farm in Upper Marlboro, MD will also be required. Most work is during the normal working day but some activities will take place during evening hours or on weekends during the growing season. Position requires working outdoors in varying conditions during the growing season.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.

Please contact: Les Johnson, M.S.

Human Resources Director

johnsonl@cfoodbank.org

www.capitalareafoodbank.org

202-587-1330 - Fax

Book signing party--join us!

You're invited to the Capital Area Food Bank's first Grub Party!

Join us at Vegetate Restaurant in DC on Thursday May 18th to celebrate the release of Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry's new book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen.

Over half of the proceeds will go toward helping Clagett Farm raise and distribute food to low-income families. 

Anna will give a short address and book signing during the event.

Please visit the Capital Area Food Bank website at http://capitalareafoodbank.org/events/GrubPartyatVegetate_0506.cfm to learn more about the event and purchase tickets.

Hope to see you there!

A little help wanted

   Lately we've noticed that our leftovers from the Saturday pick-up aren't getting donated as quickly as we would like because the agencies we serve don't have access to transportation and volunteers on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings.  If anyone is willing to ferry some boxes of vegetables to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter on weekends, we might be able to get more of it into needy hands before it goes bad in our washing station (particularly tomatoes).  You can choose an agency near you or we'll link you with one we already work with.  We would be happy to count any hours of your help toward a work share. 
   Also, a Food Bank staff member and friend, Andrea Merritt, just moved to Austin Texas.  That's left us short-staffed at the Anacostia Farmers Market (3-7pm, Southeast DC).  If anyone would like to spend a few hours each Wednesday helping out at one of the farm stands re-selling some jams and sauces, or perhaps helping us with various errands during the market or closing down at the end, we would love the help.  And of course, that time could count toward a work share, as well.  The market is a 10-15 minute walk from the Anacostia metro.

Part-Time Job Announcement

Part-Time Youth Coordinator for Farmers Market Crew

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Seeking adult experienced in sustainable agriculture to mentor and facilitate a small group of urban youth in the harvest and packing of fruits and vegetables from our farm in Upper Marlboro, MD, and the set-up, sales and promotion of this produce at a small weekly farmers market in SE Washington, DC.

Duties will include training, educating and supervising high-school and college-age youth on farming, food and nutrition as well as vegetable marketing and community outreach. Qualified candidates will have a workable knowledge of gardening and/or farming, respect for people from all backgrounds, strong leadership skills, patience and a sense of humor. Valid driver's license required.

HOURS:
Approximately 12 hours/week, to be split between Tuesdays and Wednesdays as appropriate. On Wednesdays: Youth will be arriving at Clagett Farm by 10 am; set-up for the Anacostia Farmers Market begins at 2 pm; market runs from 3 - 7 pm; break-down and return of supplies to Clagett Farm takes place after close of market.

START DATE:
Tuesday, July 5.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
From the Ground Up at Clagett Farm (FGU) is a joint effort of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Capital Area Food Bank to bring nutritious, fresh produce to communities of all income levels throughout the DC area. In addition to raising vegetables in an environmentally sensitive manner on 15 acres in Upper Marlboro, MD, FGU works to educate the public about the relationship between agriculture, our environment, the food supply and social justice.

All fruit and vegetables from Clagett Farm are grown free from chemicals and genetic modification. Nearly half of our annual yield is designated for receipt by high-need communities, and the balance is sold through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and at the Anacostia Farmers Market. Clagett Farm also serves as a hands-on learning environment for children of low-income families from DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia through the FGU Sprouts education program, which allows urban youth the opportunity to participate in vegetable growing, meet farm animals, and share in some of the harvest while learning about their health and the environment.

Compensation is $10.00/hour.

If interested, please contact Andrea Merritt at merrita@cfoodbank.org.

2005 Update and Order Form

Greetings again, dear members!

At last, we have the brand new 2005 order form. Please note, space for former members is guaranteed until April 1, 2005.

Click here:Download 2005 CSA Order Form

Here are some updates...

Same prices, sites, new flexibility

Again this year we are offering shares at $385 at the farm and Anacostia, and $425 at Dupont Circle. As ever, the premium for shares at Dupont covers the extra cost of delivering those shares. We will also be keeping the number of full-paying shares at 215. One change this year, is that you can pick up your share at any site without prior notice. For example, you can pick up your share on the farm on Saturday instead of at Dupont that previous Tuesday without telling us in advance. Just make sure that you sign up for the day and location where you will pick up your vegetables at least 80% of the time. And if you can tell us in advance that you won’t be at your regular pick-up, that is still helpful and appreciated.

Good news about our financial stability

Did you know that 2004 was the first year that the income from full-priced shares, which was 60% of our harvest, covered more than 60% of our expenses? That means that if this were a private farm selling all shares at full price, we could pay our farmers a decent wage, invest a little into new equipment, be good stewards of our land, and still make a profit. Not only that, but the work environment has been so rewarding, that for the first year, everyone in our paid farm crew will be people who are returning from years past. There’s plenty of room for improvement of course, but we’re glad to be moving in the right direction. Congratulations to our members, volunteers and work sharers for supporting such a great endeavor. Hooray for successful, local, sustainable farms!

More vegetables to low-income families

Last year, in effort to reduce (but not eliminate) our reliance on the Capital Area Food Bank and Chesapeake Bay Foundation for extra income, we lowered the percentage of reduced-price and donated vegetables from 50% of our total harvest to 40%. Fortunately, since our total pounds of production was so much higher, the actual pounds we distributed to low-income families was still greater than in years past. This year, if we can increase production again, we are hoping to return that percentage closer to the 50%. So who gets these veggies? Some of our recipients are in summer camps for at-risk kids who visit the farm and go home with a bag-full of vegetables. Some will be elderly folks who come to the Anacostia Farmers’ Market with their senior center. Some have been patients at an HIV/AIDS clinic that offers alternative therapy and nutritional classes in addition to free produce from our farm. Some are families on disability who come to us directly for help, or individuals with weakened immune systems who work for their vegetables when they can. One agency that regularly picks up vegetables from the farm serves homeless men who are too sick to survive on the street. Any time you donate money to us above the cost of a share, or lend an extra hand to harvest or twine tomatoes, it helps us increase this outreach. And if you ever forget to pick up your share, we can donate a few extra pounds in your honor. Thank you!

Volunteers welcome

Speaking of lending a hand, help now and help often! We’ll be updating this weblog when we have particular needs, and we’re keeping an email list of people who would like to work for free or for food, so we can send those people special requests if we’re particularly desperate, or invite them to events in honor of our workers. We can use weekly help in the office (Tuesdays 1-5pm is ideal during the summer), endless help in the field Monday through Saturday until early evening, groups of volunteers can make arrangements any day or time, and we love it when people give us copies of good recipes to give our members. If anyone is willing and able to help us improve our website, this is a great time!

Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Capital Area Food Bank

Last, we would like to remind you of the special help that we get from the Capital Area Food Bank and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. In 2004 the Chesapeake Bay Foundation took 37,000 students on educational field trips, lobbied legislators to reach significant targets to reduce pollution in the Bay, planted thousands of trees as stream buffers and started oyster and underwater grass nurseries to improve the stability of the Bay’s ecosystem. Last year the Capital Area Food Bank distributed 20 million pounds of food to agencies serving the hungry in our area and picked up the slack when D.C.’s children lost their free school lunch for the summer. With all these tremendous efforts, both organizations still spend the extra time and money to support this little project that combines both missions—they remember that we must be stewards of our environment AND our community, all at once. They pay From the Ground Up’s expenses that are not covered by income from shares and donations. There are small ways you can help them, as well—by volunteering to sort food in the Capital Area Food Bank’s warehouse, or by joining the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s e-mail action network. And if the spirit moves you, perhaps you could send them a note telling them how important the farm is in your life—lest they forget about the farm amidst their other various needs. Thanks for making our jobs a meaningful, rewarding, joyful experience!