Garden Development Specialist - AmeriCorps Position
Commonly known as the “Domestic Peace Corps,” AmeriCorps is a national service program that offers paid positions with significant professional development opportunities to individuals of all ages looking to make a difference in our community. Members spend their days face-to-face with community members and volunteers. The ICHD AmeriCorps State Program places members within Ingham County to work directly with neighbors in areas of food access and healthy lifestyle programming. Through member's community involvement and programming the AmeriCorps Program strives to alleviate hunger, install healthy habits within neighbors, reduce chronic diseases, and work towards a food sovereign community. AmeriCorps State members placed through the ICHD program will provide workshops to neighbors on gardening, nutrition and exercise to increase healthy lifestyles and reduce chronic diseases. Assist and organize food distributions, pantries, meal programs or manage the production of fresh produce for distribution to alleviate hunger, and support community garden programs through garden management, assistance to gardens & gardeners to work towards food sovereignty with neighbors.
Our Community Garden Coordinator is housed with the Ingham County Land Bank Garden Program. The Ingham County Land Bank established its Garden Program in 2009 to serve as a liaison between the Land Bank, the City of Lansing, local residents, and potential gardeners in encouraging and supporting community-based agricultural projects on the Land Bank’s vacant lots. The Garden Program not only provides access to land, but also helps to match our gardeners with valuable resources such as soil testing, rotortilling, compost, tools, and other items in order to make their garden more successful.
Role and Responsibilities: The Community Garden Coordinator will support and expand community agriculture projects and refugee gardens in Lansing’s most at-risk neighborhoods. The member will maintain ongoing communication with refugee garden leaders to ensure that all resources are sourced, transported, and delivered in a timely fashion. In addition, the member will maintain and expand our community U-pick plantings such as fruit tree orchards, berry patches, asparagus & rhubarb patches, pumpkin patches, and sweet corn fields. The member should be capable of serving with very little overhead, and should be very independent. Specific duties include:
- Source and coordinate resources gardeners need to be successful
- Provide insight & guide-by-the side education to inexperienced gardeners on agricultural best practices, health and nutrition, and ways to get more healthy produce from the garden to the table.
- Create and maintain strong partnerships with volunteers, community/neighborhood associations, neighbors and gardeners
- Maintain the garden database, ensuring smooth communication and awareness of our gardeners’ needs
- Solicit local businesses to provide resources that will help to further support projects and increase public awareness and community involvement.
- Member will be required to provide their own transportation to a variety of sites in the Lansing area, a reliable vehicle is a must
- Participate in the AmeriCorps Program’s data collection & analysis, trainings, and other tasks as needed.
Preferred Skills:
- Extrovert who is easily able to go into the larger community and possesses a strong desire to serve residents in low-opportunity neighborhoods
- Gardening knowledge including garden planning, soil preparation, vegetable planting scheduling, planting and weed maintenance is strongly encouraged
- Able to physically withstand the challenges of laborious garden tasks, lift 40 pounds, and work in heat and precipitation
- Comfortable with the safe, responsible use of tools and machinery
- Flexible in nature and well organized/efficient with time and schedule – ability to serve some evenings and weekends.
Minimum Qualification:
- Be at least 17 years of age. Minors must have guardian permission. Applicants must have HS diploma, GED or working toward the completion of one.
- U.S. citizen, U.S. national or lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
- Agree to and pass the following checks: State of Michigan background check, DHS Central Registry Clearance, FBI Fingerprinting, and State & National Sex Offender Registry
- Ability to complete office work remotely; computer, stable internet connection, Microsoft Office Suite experience, G Suite familiarity & the ability to learn new computer software as needed.
Compensation:
Members will receive a living allowance of $14,279 distributed bi-weekly from October 12, 2020 – September 22, 2021 and receive student loan forbearance for qualified loans. Professional development training given per program. Upon successful completion of service an education award in the amount of $6,195 will be issued. Members will serve ~36 hours/week. ICHD AmeriCorps Program is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations will be made for interview/service as needed. All interested candidates must be available to spend 40 hours in training the week of October 12th, submit a cover letter and resume to ICHD AmeriCorps Program Director, Andrea Villanueva at avillanueva@ingham.org no later than July 29th by 5pm.
This position is best suited for individuals who have graduated from school already, as this is a full time position.
Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, this position has critical infrastructure tasks and is a hybrid of in-person and remote service, with all hours needing to be served during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm. This is subject to change at any time due to new COVID-19 health & safety guidelines declared Nationally, State-wide or locally.
To learn more about the AmeriCorps Program and to view all open positions CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE.