FoodCorps Service Placement Descriptions
2014-15
Please use this document to learn more about service opportunities in each state.
Below you will find descriptions of the host site and service sites for each state
where FoodCorps serves, or plans to serve, in the 2014-2015 program year. Use
these descriptions to help you decide which states you will list as your preferences
on your application.
The information below includes a general description of the mission, goals, and
activities of the organization/school, followed by a description of what they expect
their FoodCorps service member will focus on while there. We are missing
information for some service sites. We have noted at the end of each state section
whether or not we expect to add more site descriptions soon. If you are interested
in serving in a state where we hope to add more service sites, please check back
on our website to download an updated version of this document in coming weeks.
In addition, the icons let you know, in shorthand, a few important things to note
about each location. Please read the key before you begin.
KEY:
n.b. Size of Service Site refers to number of employees
Small = up to 10
Medium = 11 - 25
Large = 26 and above
Host Site: The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (JHCAIH) was founded in
1991, based on a 10-year history of health disparities research and intervention
with southwestern Indian reservation communities. The Center’s mission is to raise
the health status, self-sufficiency and health leadership of American Indians and
Alaska Natives to the highest possible level through research, training and service.
The Johns Hopkins Center operates 11 field offices located primarily on the Navajo
Nation, White Mountain Apache Nation and Northern Pueblos in New Mexico.
Arizona FoodCorps service activities include:
1. Building, tending and creating school gardens: FoodCorps service members
assist with garden planting, maintenance, and harvesting, while working to
incorporate the garden into the school day and into the community. Service
members will work in partnership with students, teachers and the Host Site
Supervisor to create, enhance, and advocate for school-based learning that
revolves around school gardens.
2. Establishment of local food procurement by schools: FoodCorps members
assist in increasing student exposure to healthy, local food. Service
Members will encourage local purchasing by institutions by partnering with
AZ Food and Agricultural Policy Council, reaching out to local farmers,
conducting research on healthy food access issues and conducting tracking
and reporting activities to help demonstrate the financial benefit of
purchasing local.
3. Conduct food and nutrition education for students and community members:
FoodCorps members work with teachers and schools, teaching garden
curriculum, education workshops, classes and related nutrition and
agricultural programs at each site.
Service Sites:
1. Tuba City, Navajo Nation, Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
(JHCAIH)
The mission of The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health is to
work in partnership with the American Indian and Alaska Native communities to
raise health status, self-sufficiency and health leadership to the highest possible
level. Among the Center’s programs is the Feast For the Future program, which
engages students in third, fourth and fifth grade in school gardening, nutrition
education, and a youth-elder program. Tuba City is located within the Painted
Desert near the western edge of the Navajo Nation. Tuba City is the Navajo
Nation's largest community and is located about 50 miles from the eastern
entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. Most of Tuba City's residents are
Navajo, with a small Hopi minority in the town of Moenkopi which lies directly to its
southeast.
The service member will assist/co-teach the Edible School Garden sciencebased curriculum in the local elementary schools as well as assist in creating
community farms and local farmer coalitions to provide outreach and education.
Lastly, the service member will help establish farmers markets and sustainable
gardens/farm-to-market systems to distribute food within the community. This site
is looking for a culturally sensitive individual who is community minded with a
positive attitude.
City/Town Name: Tuba City
Population: 8,611
Helpful Additional Languages: Navajo and/or Hopi
Number of Partner Schools: 3
2. Community Visioning and Edible School Garden Program
The FoodCorps Service Member will work closely with the Program
Coordinator on the Edible School Garden Project at Cibecue Community School, a
public Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) school located in Cibecue, Arizona. The
service member will assist with teaching a science-based garden curriculum; help
with planting, maintaining and harvesting of school garden; assist with outreach
bringing produce to market; assist with local farmer outreach and education,
including but not limited educational workshops and related nutrition/agricultural
programs. The FoodCorps Service Member will also support local families to build
and maintain home gardens and organize the Whiteriver Farmers Market.
The service member will have a desk, phone and access to a computer at
the Johns Hopkins office in Whiteriver. The largest community on the Fort Apache
Indian Reservation, Whiteriver is located 30 minutes from Pinetop-Lakeside, the
closest option for off-reservation housing. Housing in Whiteriver is available as
well. The community of Cibecue, where the service member will spend a great
deal of his/her service is located 50 miles west of Whiteriver.
City/Town Name: Fort Apache Indian Reservation - Whiteriver, AZ
Population: 15,000
Helpful Additional Languages: Apache
Number of Partner Schools: 1
3. Sells, Tohono O’odham Nation
: Tohono O'odham Community Action (TOCA)
TOCA is an innovative, community-based organization dedicated to creating
a healthy, sustainable and culturally-vital community on the Tohono O'odham
Nation in Southern Arizona. Working with TOCA staff, FoodCorps service
members will combat the tribe's diabetes epidemic using tools such as school
gardens, improving school meal services, promoting traditional foods, cultural
education, nutrition education, traditional farming, wild food collecting, leadership
development and capacity building. Service members are encouraged (but not
required) to live in Tucson, which is located 60 miles east of Sells. While a car is
not required and carpooling is encouraged, service members living in Tucson will
have to make a 3- hour daily commute to the office and back.
Service members should expect to assist in development of curricula incorporating
nutrition, cooking, and growing of traditional and nontraditional foods; continuing to
promote serving Tohono O’odham foods and healthier options in schools by
communicating with the food service director; organizing the maintenance of
existing gardens as well as installations of new gardens in schools; and building
relationships with the community. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about
food systems change, growing plants, working with kids and opened to learning
and experiencing new things.
City/Town Name: Sells
Population: 6,000
Helpful Additional Languages: Tohono O’odham (not required)
Number of Partner Schools: 6
4.
Host Site: National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)
The National Center for Appropriate Technology (www.ncat.org) is a
national nonprofit with regional offices in six states, including Arkansas. Founded in
1976, NCAT’s mission is to help people by championing small-scale, local and
sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect
natural resources. We do this through a wide variety of renewable energy,
sustainable agriculture, and community development projects. NCAT offers
demonstration projects, research, engineering services, technical assistance,
publications, workshops, webinars, and websites. NCAT’s Southeast Office in
Fayetteville, Arkansas is actively involved sustainable community development,
local food, energy, and farmer education projects.
Since FoodCorps' inception, service members have impacted their
communities by building new school gardens or taking existing programs to the
next level. The farm to school landscape in Arkansas is growing rapidly; our
service members will progress this movement by building gardens, working with
local farmers, and leading programs that invest in healthy futures for youth across
the state. Want to know more about a day in the life of our service members? Visit
our state blog at http://arkansasfoodcorps.blogspot.com/.
Service Sites
1. Fayetteville Sustainability Office – Fayetteville Public Schools
Located in the Boston Mountains in the Northwest corner of the state,
Fayetteville is Arkansas' third largest city and home to the University of Arkansas.
A cultural center of Northwest Arkansas, the city has a thriving historic downtown
area, 70 city parks, over 30 miles of designated trail ways, and is a short drive to
two national forests, multiple state parks, and the Buffalo National River. For more
information about Fayetteville, please visit: http://www.accessfayetteville.org/
You will have the pleasure of building on the foundation built by two years of
FoodCorps members with Fayetteville Public Schools. You will utilize lesson plans
developed over the past years by FoodCorps members and teachers at a district
middle school, and identify and create opportunities to promote garden-based
education throughout the district. You will help expand and tend school existing
gardens and work closely with teachers to identify additional opportunities to utilize
the garden space as a teaching tool for reinforcing classroom curriculum. You will
help create a sustainable, model garden program that provides hands-on learning
opportunities and highlights the benefits of local food production. The Fayetteville
Public Schools Sustainability Office operates through partnerships; we’re looking
for a service member with a background in curriculum development,
gardening/farming knowledge, and a strong ethic of collaboration.
City/Town Name: Fayetteville
Population: 76,899
Number of Partner Schools: 14, though service member will not work directly with
all of them
2. Bayyari Elementary – Springdale School District
The second largest school district in the state of Arkansas, Springdale
School District serves over 20,000 students. The City of Springdale is central to the
Northwest Arkansas Corridor allowing access to beautiful national forests, multiple
state parks and the beautiful Buffalo National River. There is also easy access to
miles of paved bicycle and walking trails, the University’s entertainment district,
minor league baseball, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, outstanding local
dining, several full service shopping malls, libraries and much, much more. There
will be at least two FoodCorps service members serving in Springdale School
District.
Bayyari Elementary School is a neighborhood school that is central and focal to the
surrounding community. It is literally situated right in the middle of a residential
area. You will work closely with students, school personnel, and parents who are
eagerly anticipating your arrival and who are excited and motivated to provide a
community garden on school grounds. There are 590 students who attend Bayyari
School, the majority are English Language Learners, 402 are Hispanic and 117 are
from the Marshall Islands. Ninety three percent qualify for free and reduced lunch.
Our service member will focus on community outreach, and incorporating gardenbased lessons into school curriculum across all grades in the elementary school.
Bayyari seeks a compassionate self-starter with skills in gardening, cooking,
lesson plan development, leading/organizing events, and experience working with
elementary age students.
City/Town Name: Springdale
Population: 73,123
Number of Partner Schools: 1
4.0 Harp Elementary – Springdale School District
The second largest school district in the state of Arkansas, Springdale
School District serves over 20,000 students. The City of Springdale is central to
the Northwest Arkansas Corridor allowing access to beautiful national forests,
multiple state parks and the beautiful Buffalo National River. There is also easy
access to miles of paved bicycle and walking trails, the University’s
entertainment district, minor league baseball, Crystal Bridges Museum of
American Art, outstanding local dining, several full service shopping malls,
libraries and much, much more. There will be at least two FoodCorps service
members serving in Springdale School District.
Harp Elementary, a neighborhood school that is central and focal to the
community it serves. Six hundred and forty students attend Harp; the majority
are English Language Learners, 364 are Hispanic and 55 are from the Marshall
Islands. Seventy three percent qualify for free and reduced lunch. Besides
serving the students and staff at Harp, you will incorporate garden-based
education into our family literacy program, aimed at parents that participate in a
school program to learn English and other skills. Our service member will focus
on community outreach, and incorporating garden-based lessons into school
curriculum across all grades in the elementary school. Harp Elementary seeks
a hard-working visionary with experience relating to: teaching elementary
school kids, organizing lessons for various grade levels, writing grants, and
fundraising.
City/Town Name: Springdale
Population: 73, 123
Number of Partner Schools: 1
5. Marshall High School – Searcy County Schools
Searcy County School District is home to Marshall High School, Leslie
Intermediate School, and Marshall Elementary School; these three schools
serve most of the county, roughly 600 square miles. The town is two hours
north of Little Rock, and offers amazing opportunities for camping, hiking, and
fishing in the Ozark Mountains. The county is very rural and sits nestled in the
Ozark Mountains just miles from the Buffalo National River. Nearly 75% of the
students in the district are eligible for free and reduced price lunch and nearly
50% of them are obese. You will work with all three schools, though you will
work mainly on the campus of the middle/high school with the existing garden
and greenhouse.
You will step into an established program within a school environment
dedicated to the sustainability of our garden. You will dedicate time to teaching
students about food, sustainable growing, physical activity and healthy lives. You
will work with teachers to expand connections between garden based activities and
the academic curriculum. You would also work closely with the cafeteria staff
developing new ways to incorporate garden produce in the cafeteria. From taste
tests for the students to developing new recipes, you would serve an important role
in our school lunch program. We currently have numerous community partners
who are eager to help us sustain our garden program, and continuing to develop
relationships with those partners will be a vital and exciting part of your service. We
seek a highly independent and creative individual that is passionate about
cultivating the health of rural communities, and possesses experience in
community outreach, gardening/farming, and lesson plan development.
City/Town Name: Marshall
Population: 1,327
Number of Partner Schools: 3
Host Site: CAFF/Life Lab
Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is a
farmer-member organization whose mission is to advocate for California family
farmers and sustainable agriculture. To pursue our vision of a local food system
that creates resilient local economies and nurtures people and the earth, CAFF
operates four programs: Farm to School, Biological Agriculture, Local Food
Systems, and Policy. These programs work with growers and communities to reestablish connections that improve the environment, economy, and health.
Life Lab is a national leader in farm- and garden-based education. At the
Life Lab Garden Classroom in Santa Cruz, California, we promote experiential
learning for all ages through childrenʼs camps, field trips, youth and internship
programs, and teacher workshops. CAFF and Life Lab are active members of the
California Farm to School Taskforce, a diverse group of stakeholders working to
support Farm to School efforts across the state. The Taskforce's mission is to bring
together a diverse network of stakeholders that promote and create opportunities
to connect schools with their local farms in the classroom, in the cafeteria, and in
the community. Together, we envision a California where all schools teach about
and provide access to healthy, locally grown food, creating future generations of
healthy children and economically vibrant farms.
Service Sites:
1. North Coast Opportunities (NCO) Community Action Agency
North Coast Opportunities (NCO), Community Action Agency and The
Gardens Project of NCO www.ncoinc.org and www.gardensproject.org are
comprised of a team working on all things local food systems in the region and
a hub of creativity and energy. We have a close partnership with Ukiah and
Willits Unified School Districts and their garden and nutrition programs.
Additionally, we have a strong Farm to Fork program at NCO,
http://www.gardensproject.org/projects/farmtocafeteria, that has built significant
relationships and infrastructure to secure and serve local, farm produce in the
region’s schools.
Ukiah is a small city of 15,000 people located a two hour drive North of San
Francisco. Ukiah is Mendocino County’s main city and the heart of county
government, services, and commercial activity. The City lies in a large valley in
the coastal mountains, surrounded by fir and redwood forests to the West and
oak lands to the East. For more details and visuals, see: www.visitukiah.com
and http://willits.org/
FoodCorps member’s primary duties will be to build upon the work being done
by the school’s Garden Enhanced Nutrition Education (GENE) program, The
Gardens Project of NCO, and the Farm-to-Fork program of NCO. Members will
carry out a variety of activities to further encourage changes in school food
cultures by building student interest in and enjoyment of the healthier local
foods that their school cafeterias are offering. These activities will range from
the classroom- and garden-based nutrition education lessons to cafeteria taste
testing. As the focus schools build and develop their capacity to use local
produce, they will serve as replicable models for schools throughout the
community and the county. Members will also play a vital role at a broader level
by using the Gardens Project’s community building model to organize school
administrators, parents, and other community members to take ownership of
the school gardens that have been supported, until now, through the GENE
Project. Having a FoodCorps member dedicated to this effort will assist the
district in transitioning to full ownership of their gardens and farm to school
programs, to ensure that they continue to thrive. A successful FoodCorps
member is a practitioner of professional protocol (clear communication and
follow-through), takes initiative, works well with a team and numerous partners,
is outgoing, and works independently.
City/Town Name: Ukiah and Willits
Population: Ukiah is largest city in Mendocino County, with a population of
16,075 within city limits and about 40,000 in the service area. The rural City of
Willits and surrounding communities served by Willits Unified School District
(WUSD) have a total population of 13,300
Number of Partner Schools: All schools within Mendocino County’s school
districts – primary service districts: Ukiah (11), Willits (8)
2. Ventura Unified School District (VUSD)
Ventura County is a thriving agricultural hub where specialty crops have
been grown commercially since the mid-1800s on small to large scale farms.
Farming shapes the county’s landscape and culture that is unique in coastal
Southern California. VUSD’s Food and Nutrition Services Department has
been an active partner and leader in the Farm to School movement for over ten
years. All 25 schools within the district serve local produce daily on a salad bar
and nutrition and garden/farm-based education has been integrated into the
curriculum at 18 schools. Most recently, VUSD, in collaboration with 4 other
school districts within the county, received the USDA Farm to School Grant to
institutionalize a local produce procurement system within the county that can
be extended throughout the region.
The FoodCorps members will conduct common core aligned, hands-on
nutrition, cooking, and garden-based nutrition education at select elementary,
middle, and high schools. The member will actively engage in tending existing
school gardens alongside teachers, students, and parents, in addition to
supporting systems for garden clubs to sell produce to the cafeteria. The
member will also coordinate and lead the 2 acre, student farm, which was
developed and implemented by the 2013-2014 FoodCorps member in
collaboration with the University of California Hansen Agriculture Research and
Extension Center. Farm-based activities are connected to common core
standards and centered on the following themes: soil science, integrated pest
management, composting, markets & farm to school, crop planning, nutrition &
cooking, and local farm field trips. In order to help support local procurement of
produce, the FoodCorps member will work directly with VUSD Food and
Nutrition Services staff and the Ventura County Farm to School collaborative,
which consists of 4 school districts working on Farm to School, to meet annual
goals and objectives specific to the marketing and education committee.
Ventura Unified School District seeks a self-directed, organized, creative, and
team-oriented service member who is passionate about Farm to School and
has farming/gardening and youth teaching experience.
City/Town Name: Ventura
Population: 106,433
Number of Partner Schools: 25
4. Life Lab/CAFF
Santa Cruz County is home to around 240,000 people living in mix of dense
suburban coastal communities and more rural mountain and farming
communities. Service will be provided in the cities of Santa Cruz and
Watsonville, both more suburban than urban. Watsonville schools are
composed of about %80 Latino students followed by %17 of the population
being Caucasian. Santa Cruz schools are composed of %50 percent
Caucasian students and %40 Latino students.
During the school year the service member will generally spend three days a
week supporting CAFF’s farm to school program by conducting classroom
tastings/nutrition education, supporting cafeteria promotions, and supporting
the local procurement efforts of the school districts throughout the Central
Coast. Two days a week they will be working in Santa Cruz at the Life Lab
Garden Classroom supporting field trip programs. During the summer they will
work 5 days/week at Life Lab supporting garden-based summer camps. This
site is seeking an independent, self motivated, enthusiastic individual who has
experience working with various sized groups of elementary aged students in
and out of doors.
City/Town Name: Santa Cruz and Watsonville
Population: Santa Cruz – 60,000 Watsonville – 52,000
Number of Partner Schools: 5
5.0 Ventura Unified School District
6.0 Garden School Foundation
7.0 Center for Nutrition and Activity
8.0 Live Healthy Nevada County
9.0 North Coast Opportunities
10.0 Oakland Unified School District
11.0 San Diego Unified School District
12.0 UC Cooperative Extension Central Sierra
13.0
14.0
Life Lab
Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Host Site: University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System (UConn CES)
provides practical learning resources to address complex problems of families,
communities, agriculture, business and industry. Its mission is to create learning
partnerships that enhance the lives of adults and youths. Extension programs were
formalized in 1914 between agricultural colleges and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to provide agricultural extension work. Currently UConn CES has major
programs in nutrition education, food stamp education, production agriculture, land
use education, geospatial technology, 4-H youth development, aquaculture,
integrated pest management, master gardener training, and sustainable
landscapes. In addition to an abundance of UConn CES expertise, we maintain
strong collaborative relationships with the state departments of Agriculture,
Education, as well as the Connecticut Food Policy Council, the CT Farm Bureau
Association, the CT Northeast Organic Farming Association, and numerous nonprofit organizations working on food systems in CT.
FoodCorps Service Members in Connecticut will each play a critical role
bolstering efforts in communities that have emerged as leaders in changing the
school food environment. As FoodCorps Service Members make an impact on
school foodservice, garden opportunities, and nutrition education, we anticipate a
demonstration effect on many other communities in Connecticut that are
contemplating similar strategies. The FoodCorps program in our state will rely
heavily on broad collaboration between UConn, CT Dept. of Agriculture, CT Dept.
of Education, farmer associations, and community-based organizations; this
approach will provide a rich opportunity for FoodCorps Service Members to
understand the landscape of policy and issues surrounding efforts to improve
school food. All Service Sites have been carefully selected to match FoodCorps
Service Members with competent, local agents of school food reform. Expertise will
also be available through the UConn Cooperative Extension System Master
Gardener Program, 4-H Program, and Expanded Food Nutrition & Education
Program.
Service Sites:
1. New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. aka Common Ground
Founded in 1992, Common Ground is a center for environmental learning
and leadership located at the base of New Haven’s West Rock Ridge. Our mission
is to cultivate habits of healthy living and sustainable environmental practice
among a diverse community of children, young people, and adults. Through three
tightly connected efforts: an urban farm, an environmental center, and an
alternative high school, Common Ground seeks to explore urban ecology and
develop paths to urban sustainability within New Haven’s city limits.
The New Haven FoodCorps service member helps lead food related field
trips to Common Ground, and coordinates the School Garden Resource Center
project, disseminating information and school garden support to the greater New
Haven public schools. The service member works closely with the New Haven
School Nutrition Dietitian, gathering research from Farm to School procurement
studies for implementation with Food Service Directors at NHPS Central Kitchen.
She/he also participates in instructing Cooking Matter’s classes at area schools
and coordinating food related after-school programing at Common Ground High
School. The service member also builds capacity for food systems change
throughout the New Haven area by participating in the New Haven Food Policy
Council and associated working-groups.
City/Town Name: New Haven
Population: 130,000
Number of Partner Schools: 8
2. Windham Regional Community Council/Windham Youth Services Bureau
The Windham Regional Community Council (WRCC) is a community-based
agency committed to improving the well-being of residents in Windham and
Tolland counties through a broad range of self-help programs that support people
to help themselves toward a better future. The Windham Youth Services Bureau,
which will host the FoodCorps Service Member, is one of WRCC’s long-standing
programs. It provides a range of pro-active and intervention services for Windham
youth and families to promote health, well-being, and self-sufficiency.
There are three schools that the Windham service member cycles through
on a weekly basis. During the mornings, the service member reports to WRCC for
planning. Approximately three times per week, the service member joins the food
service personnel (and occasionally local dietetic students) at one of the schools to
support nutrition education and cooking demonstrations. Working closely with the
food service director, the service member also aids in procurement of locally grown
food and supports appropriate incorporation of that product into school meals,
along with taste-testings and other cafeteria support for new menu items. The
service member reports to each school one afternoon each week to conduct
garden-based afterschool activities. The service member also participates in local
food and youth gardening projects such as the Positive Steps Youth Program
garden located at WRCC, and the Community Food Advisory Council. The service
member also supports school wellness committee’s and implementation of healthy
school food initiatives through organization and grant writing.
City/Town Name: Willimantic
Population: 20,000
Number of Partner Schools: 3+
3. Norwich Public Schools
Norwich Public Schools consist of 10 schools, with 7 elementary, 2 middle,
and one small high school. There are 4000 students in the district, with
approximately 76% of them being severe need. Norwich is a small city, surrounded
by rural areas. The Food Service Department has 10 cooking kitchens, and the
food service director oversees the department. The FoodCorps Service Member
will be working directly with the food service director and the schools.
The Norwich service member works directly with the food service director,
dietetic students, and schools to conduct hands-on nutrition education experiences
in the cafeteria and classroom for students. Through building relationships with
area farmers, optimizing systems for transport of local produce to school
cafeterias, support creating and sampling new menu items to students, the service
member increases local produce usage and awareness in Norwich Public Schools.
The service member provides experience and organizational support in planning,
developing and sustaining physical gardens, and assists in curriculum
development and implantation of garden programming in interested schools and
classrooms.
City/Town Name: Norwich
Population: 36,600
Helpful Additional Languages: French Creole, Chinese
Number of Partner Schools: 10
4. Wholesome Wave
Wholesome Wave is a national non-profit based in Bridgeport, CT dedicated
to improving access and affordability of locally grown foods to underserved
neighborhoods and supporting the viability of local agriculture.
The Wholesome Wave FoodCorps member works within the Connecticut
program area that is responsible for hands-on implementation of Wholesome
Wave programming at farmers markets in Bridgeport, and relationship-building
across the state. The Bridgeport FoodCorps Service Member gathers information
(ie. through conducting an opportunities and constraints analysis of the Bridgeport
Public School Food Services system regarding local food access and
procurement) and explores opportunities for improving access and sourcing of
local, healthy food into school system. The service member develops strong
relationships with Food Service Directors, interested teachers, and after-school
programs to tie healthy school food initiatives together. Additionally, the service
member increases utilization and upkeep of already established school gardens,
and explores challenges to, and opportunities for, improving integration of school
gardens with school curricula and local food sourcing. Where needed and as
opportunities arise, the Bridgeport service member leads or supports nutrition
education programs in schools, and generates increases in community
participation through volunteer management and outreach.
City/Town Name: Bridgeport
Population: 139,500
Number of Partner Schools: 5+
5. Community Health Center, Inc.
Established in 1996, CHC of New Britain is the health care home for
residents of the City of New Britain and many surrounding towns of Hartford
County. CHC Inc. is one of the leading nonprofit health care providers in the state.
CHC has taken the lead helping to expand the role of schools in creating health in
the community by opening three school-based health centers; there are clinics in
Smalley Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and New Britain High
School.
The New Britain FoodCorps service members time is focused in (but not
limited to) Vance Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Smalley Academy
conducting hands-on nutrition education in the classroom through the USDA Fresh
Fruit and Vegetable Program. The service member also contributes to building and
supporting sustainable school gardens and programs with the help of Urban Oaks
Organic Farm. This includes the development and running of after school
programs at school sites. The service member also works closely with Food
Service staff from Whitson’s in and out of the schools to create healthier meals in
the cafeterias and educate the students about these changes. The service member
builds and maintains relationships within the community and across the state to
gather resources and bolster healthy school food initiatives already in place.
City/Town Name: New Britain
Population: 72,000
Number of Partner Schools: 3+
Hawai'i Host Site: The Kohala Center
The Kohala Center is an independent, not-for-profit, community-based
center for research, conservation, and education. By focusing on the needs of
island residents and the research interests of our university and agency partners,
three core areas of work have emerged: energy self-reliance, food self-reliance,
and ecosystem health. Through these partnerships and by recognizing that we
work in a model environment, we help communities on the island, in the Pacific,
and around the world thrive—ecologically, economically, culturally, and socially.
Our mission: to respectfully engage the Island of Hawaiʻi as a living model for
humanity. Our vision: a state of pono, in which individuals realize their potential,
contributing their very best to one another, to the community, and to the ʻāina (the
land) itself, in exchange for a meaningful and happy life.
Service sites (pending funding):
 The Kohala Center
 Malaʻai Culinary Garden at Waimea Middle School
 SustʻAina ble Moloka‘i
 Malama Kauaʻi
 WCRC MAʻO Organic Farm
Host Site: National Center for Appropriate Technology
NCAT is a national nonprofit with regional offices in six states, including
Iowa. Founded in 1976, NCAT’s mission is to help people by championing smallscale, local and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy
communities, and protect natural resources. We do this through a wide variety of
renewable energy and sustainable agriculture projects, most notably ATTRA, the
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. NCAT’s Midwest office in
Des Moines serves as the regional lead agency for the National Farm to School
Network to facilitate information sharing, training, technical assistance, and
networking among farm-to-school practitioners throughout the Midwest.
Iowa FoodCorps members serve in rural and urban school districts teaching
nutrition education, facilitating local food procurement, and building school
gardens. NCAT supports FoodCorps members by providing training and teambuilding opportunities, and fostering conditions for strong networks and
partnerships among stakeholders in the communities where FoodCorps members
serve.
Service Sites:
1. Department of Environmental Studies at Luther College – The Northeast Iowa
Food and Fitness Initiative
Luther's location in Decorah's Oneota Valley offers the perfect setting for
connecting with nature as well as a unique opportunity for student, faculty, and
citizen collaboration on environmental issues. The 1,000-acre Luther campus and
the surrounding area provide a natural laboratory for exploring the relationship
between human beings and the physical world.
As a FoodCorps service member with the Food and Fitness Initiative you
will spend a great deal of time embedded within 3 school communities in the
Northeast Iowa region. FoodCorps members will use their creativity, energy,
enthusiasm along with extensive resources from community partners to help enrich
school climates with wellness initiatives. FoodCorps service members will serve
directly with students, teachers, staff and administration on school developed
action plans that outline wellness goals for the year. Specific tasks may include
teaching lessons about food and nutrition through taste tests and classroom
lessons, developing nutrition, exercise and healthy lifestyle experiential learning
opportunities for students K-12, including creating cross-age teaching experiences,
facilitating wellness team meetings, helping food service with meal planning and
with local food procurement, developing after-school programming, helping to
embed more physical activity into the school day, and building/expanding school
gardens.
City/Town Name: Decorah
Population: 8000
Number of Partner Schools: 3 school districts
2. University of Northern Iowa, Center for Energy & Environmental Education
The University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy and Environmental
Education, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa is home to a dynamic and proven local
food systems working group - including Black Hawk county, and the six
immediately contiguous counties. The larger Cedar Falls/Waterloo metropolitan
area boasts a population just over 100,000 people, which is sharply contrasted by
the largely rural counties that surround it. Despite the rather limited impacts the
most recent recession has had in Northeast Iowa, the larger Waterloo metropolitan
area continues do wrestle with poverty and associated obesity and health
challenges largely induced by the farm crisis of the 1980s. FoodCorps service
members will work primarily in the semi-urban Waterloo schools, but also
experience the more rural aspects of Iowa in their dealings with Iowa food
producers.
Within each week of service, FoodCorps service members can expect to
spend direct hours serving within schools - both with food service staff and
students. Time spent with food service staff will include learning about existing
food service delivery methods, the realities of the National School Lunch Program,
and more local limitations and opportunities for local food procurement.
Additionally, service members can expect to spend time in the classroom and
garden involved in delivering nutritional education and curriculum to students.
Some time each week will be devoted to office time wherein which service
members can plan, learn, and administer to communication and office needs.
City/Town Name: Waterloo
Population: 68,000
Number of Partner Schools: 9 school districts
3. National Center for Appropriate Technology
NCAT is a national nonprofit with regional offices in six states, including
Iowa. Founded in 1976, NCAT’s mission is to help people by championing smallscale, local and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy
communities, and protect natural resources. We do this through a wide variety of
renewable energy and sustainable agriculture projects, most notably ATTRA, the
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. NCAT’s Midwest office in
Des Moines serves as the regional lead agency for the National Farm to School
Network to facilitate information sharing, training, technical assistance, and
networking among farm-to-school practitioners throughout the Midwest.
FoodCorps members serve in Des Moines school districts teaching nutrition
education, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health, facilitating
local food procurement, and building school gardens. NCAT supports FoodCorps
members by providing training and team-building opportunities among Iowa
members, and fostering conditions for strong networks and partnerships among
stakeholders in the communities where FoodCorps members serve.
City/Town Name: Des Moines
Population: 206,000
Number of Schools: 13 school districts
Host Site: University of Maine Cooperative Extension
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has been committed to healthy
kids, food production and building tomorrow’s leaders for over 95 years. With staff
housed in all 16 counties, they work closely with community partners to meet the
needs of Maine citizens using research-based knowledge. Maine has a very high
level of collaboration supporting its rapidly spreading Farm to School movement.
For video clips related to our programming, please click on the YouTube icon on
our home page: www.extension.umaine.edu. The University of Maine Cooperative
Extension’s mission is to help Maine people improve their lives through an
educational process that uses research‐ based knowledge focused on issues and
needs.
FoodCorps Service Members serve in schools with high poverty and obesity
rates to positively influence youth by teaching them to grow, harvest, cook and
enjoy healthful food. Members connect with food service staff and local farmers to
bring more fresh foods into school nutrition programs. School gardens in varying
stages of development are an integral part of all our Service Sites. Members in
Maine serve to integrate nutrition/food systems education and gardening skills into
many school/afterschool programs.
Service Sites:
1. St. Mary's Nutrition Center
Information coming soon.
City/Town Name: Lewiston
Population: 36,000
Helpful Additional Languages: Somali
Number of Partner Schools: 3
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
2. Washington County: One Community
Eleody Libby is the Executive Director of Washington County: One
Community- a Healthy Maine Partnership organization- serving the entire county.
Regina Grabrovac - the farm to school coordinator with whom the service member
will be serving with most - has been developing farm to school programs and
capacity in the region for over three years. Being employed half-time by Healthy
Acadia in partnership with Washington County: One Community, she paves the
way for our FoodCorps member to hit the ground running with at least 20 schools
that are interested in more support.
The FoodCorps member at Washington County: One Community will:
 Provide outreach and technical assistance to farms and any of the 40
 Washington County schools to help establish, sustain and strengthen Farm
to School programs that include local purchasing and food systems
education
 Provide more in-depth garden and integrated lessons to 3-4 primary schools
 Work with farms and schools to develop School Supported Agriculture
(SSA)
 agreements to solidify and expand local food purchasing
 Support Maine Harvest Lunch participation doing lessons and attending
lunch events
 Co-convene taste-testing/Cooking Matters events in schools
 Link schools with curricular resources for educational integration of Farm to
School concepts
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Support and provide resources for school gardens
Co-convene Washington County Farm to School meetings, mobilizing
parental and community support for farm to school, and collaborating with
community members and local organizations on projects as appropriate
Co-coordinate public information and outreach for Washington
County
Assist the Downeast FTS Advisory Board with resource development
activities, including program planning and reporting
Link, inform, and update Washington County: One Community coalition on
Farm to School activities by attending board and or staff meetings as
appropriate
Submit a monthly summary of work
City/Town Name: Machias
Population: 2500
Number of Partner Schools: 40
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
3. Healthy Communities of the Capital Area
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area is one of 26 public health
coalitions across the state of Maine that work to decrease tobacco use and
exposure, decrease substance abuse, improve nutrition, increase physical activity,
and develop chronic disease self-management. HCCA does this work primarily
through policy and environmental change strategies. The FoodCorps Member
Service Site Supervisor is HCCA's Assistant Director and the lead on physical
activity and nutrition objectives.. FoodCorps is being implemented in 2 high-needs
school districts within HCCA's local service area.
In one district the FoodCorps Member has started raised bed gardens at
two sites (one elementary and one middle school) as well as worked with
classroom teachers to do garden-based nutrition education and implemented a 6week teen cooking class at the Boys & Girls Club (year one) and middle school
(year two). The FoodCorps Member also works closely with the School Food
Service Director to develop local food procurement opportunities, revise menus,
and deliver nutrition education and teach cooking skills. In a second school district,
the FoodCorps Member works with middle and high school teachers and an
elementary after school program to deliver garden-based nutrition education.
The ideal FoodCorps Member candidate will continue to manage and enhance
these multiple projects, require little direct supervision, and will feel comfortable
cold calling to engage community partners, solicit donations, volunteers, press
coverage, etc. In this third year of FoodCorps implementation, a greater focus will
be placed on long-term sustainability.
City/Town Name: Gardiner
Population: 6,000
Number of Partner Schools: 2
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
4. Rippling Water Organic Farm
Through grants received over the past 5 years, Rippling Waters Farm has
been able to launch a grassroots initiative which combines community food work
with education to increase food security in 4 towns composing one of Maine’s
largest school district, MSAD #6: Buxton, Hollis, Limington, Standish). Students,
social service agencies, youth groups, senior citizens, and others are brought
together in a common effort to grow organic produce to increase the region’s selfreliance in providing for its own food needs. In addition to constructing a solar
greenhouse at the middle school, RWF has established gardens at 4 elementary
schools and at 3 low-income senior housing sites. More than 1,600 children are
currently engaged in hands-on learning activities connecting them to their food,
land, and local farmers. The farm has established a summer youth development
program which employs high school students, provides life skills, agricultural knowhow, and personal growth opportunities for local youth at risk of poverty. They
help staff grow 7,500 lbs. of fresh organic vegetables donated to area food pantries
each year.
The FoodCorps member will help maintain five different school garden sites
including the solar greenhouse at the Bonny Eagle Middle School. This involves
working with teachers and students to put up seed trays, transplanting, cultivating
and harvesting organic vegetables grown in the various garden spaces.
In addition s/he will work with elementary and middle schoolteachers to introduce
nutritional concepts into their existing curriculum. S/he will also conduct cooking
demonstrations and taste tests to encourage students to try more nutritious foods.
S/he will work closely with the MSAD 6 Food Service Director to encourage the
usage of more local foods in the school cafeterias. The FoodCorps member will
report to work each day at the farm before going to the various school sites. S/he
will be involved on a daily basis in maintaining the various garden sites and
working closely with students and teachers during the growing season. S/he will
also meet with teachers to determine how nutritional education concepts can be
introduced into the lessons taught in classrooms. S/he will develop and pilot
lessons at the elementary school level and at the middle school level as time
permits. As time permits, s/he will also contact local farmers to encourage them to
grow and sell fresh produce to the local food system. S/he will assist the farm’s
executive director in raising funds through grant writing and fundraising event to
help cover program cost. She will also work with students enrolled in the farm’s
summer youth development program to prepare a staff luncheon each week
featuring nutritional foods grown on the farm.
City/Town Name: Standish
Population: 9,500
Number of Partner Schools: 5
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
5. Roberts Farm — Oxford Hills School District
Located in the beautiful foothills of western Maine, Roberts Farm serves as
the educational nutrition and agriculture program of the Oxford Hills School District
and community. This 3 acre farm, extensive greenhouse collection and classroom,
provides students, teachers and the community with a variety of opportunities to
learn about: nutrition, food security, eco-systems, sustainable and organic
agriculture, and civic involvement. The student run Roberts Farm is part of the 180
acre Roberts Farm Preserve, located just a mile outside downtown Norway, Maine.
Working closely with the school district, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
and Healthy Oxford Hills, our FoodCorps member will focus mostly on several key
areas of Roberts Farm:
 Expand educational programming to students throughout the school
year and summer.
 Collaboratively work throughout the School District and community on
key childhood obesity prevention programs to engage students in
gardening, farming, nutrition education and integrated physical activity.
 Support intensive summer student leadership, service learning and
internship program.
City/Town Name: Norway
Population:
Number of Partner Schools: 5
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
6. Cultivating Community
Cultivating Community's mission is to strengthen communities by growing
food, preparing youth leaders and new farmers, and promoting social and
environmental justice. We use our community food work as an engine for highimpact youth and community development programs that reconnect people to the
natural and social systems that sustain us all.
We partner with schools who want to use food and gardens to teach about
nutrition, science, math and stewardship. In 2012-2013 we have ongoing school
partnerships with the Maine College of Art, Riverton Elementary, East End
Community School, and Presumpscot School.Our FoodCorps
program will focus mostly on engagement and knowledge through coordinating
school gardens programs as well as conducting established garden-based nutrition
and cooking programs.
The 2013-2014 Food Corps Member’s service will focus on several key projects:
 Directly responsible for developing and implementing school garden and
nutrition programming at two schools, and supporting the development of
programming at a third school.
 Directly responsible for teaching at least 12 classroom sessions per week,
following/adapting to an established 30- week series that teaches math,
nutrition and science in the garden
 Directly responsible for organizing at least two events for each school and
bringing in at least two outside experts
 Train and manage volunteers who will assist with classroom lessons
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Overseeing outreach and communication to other interested schools to
continue to grow the Farm to School effort in our area
Support intensive summer programming for youth and children, including
the Summer Youth Growers (garden-based training, leadership and service
program for teens) and school garden maintenance
Coordinate and assist with garden projects at urban sites and suburban
farm
City/Town Name: Portland
Population:
Number of Partner Schools:
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 2
7. RSU #3
The Walker School in Liberty is an elementary school in RSU #3. The
FoodCorps service member will work with the students, teachers, and the active
group of greenhouse volunteers to extend what is currently in place at Walker
School. Walker School has a greenhouse that functions as a hands-on lab for
student learning and as a source for food that is about as local as it gets. Food
produced in the greenhouse is used for daily snacks and for school lunch. The
Service Member will help solidify and expand the program that is currently in place,
with a focus on recruiting classrooms to extend, plant, and harvest a series of
raised beds next to the school’s greenhouse. Not only will the creation process will
be an integral part of the learning that is happening at Walker School, but it will
also lead to an increase in the local produce used in school lunch. The raised
beds will also be tied to a summer program that allows students to continue
learning into the summer by tending and managing the gardens and deciding how
to make the best use of what is produced. Student input in all processes related to
the school gardens will be central to the learning taking place at Walker School,
with students making decisions about what is planted and how it is used when the
produce is ready for harvest.
The program at Walker School will serve as a model for the other three
small elementary schools in the district, as well as for other schools outside of the
district. The service member would also work with these other schools to help
them plan out opportunities for creating school gardens and increasing their
capacity for local foods.
City/Town Name: Liberty/Montville
Population: 1,700
Number of Partner Schools: 4
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 1
8. University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Penobscot and Piscataquis
Counties*
*note: this service site may host two service members, pending funding
As a trusted resource for almost 100 years, University of Maine Cooperative
Extension is the only entity in our state that touches every aspect of the Maine
Food System. UMaine Extension helps support, sustain, and grow the food-based
economy. UMaine Extension also conducts the most successful out-of-school
youth educational program in Maine through 4-H. Today, 4-H is focused on
science and technology to help foster interest in these avenues to successful
careers.
In Penobscot county*, the FoodCorps Member will be collaborating closely
with the UMaine Extension Horticulturist, Agriculture Educator, 4-H Educator, and
EatWell Nutrition Associates. Extension staff will provide guidance with making
connections with school staff, local farmers, volunteers, and community partners.
Building on the solid foundation established by the 2012-13 FoodCorps Service
Member, the Penobscot County FoodCorps Member’s service will focus on the
following projects:
 Collaborate with the regional Farm-to-School Coordinator and other
community partners to offer networking, resource sharing, and professional
development opportunities for educators, administration, food service staff,
farmers and volunteers
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Increase awareness and utilization of existing school gardens
Assist food service directors through Maine Harvest Lunch participation,
developing School Supported Agriculture agreements, and offering taste
testing opportunities in the cafeteria and classrooms
Coordinate volunteers to assist with planning, planting, and maintenance of
school gardens
Propose creative ways to build parent engagement in school garden and
nutrition activities
City: Bangor
Population: 33,039
Number of Partner Schools: 2
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 1
The Piscataquis office* has recently experienced a growth of staff by adding
two full-time regular employees (Horticulture & 4-H Youth) who along with other
staff (Nutrition & Agriculture) are committed to healthy kids, food production and
building tomorrow’s leaders. The staff work closely with community partners to
meet the needs of Piscataquis County residents using research-based knowledge.
The office staff and advisory committee members have a very high level of
collaboration supporting the rapidly spreading Farm to School movement.
The FoodCorps Service Member will work in schools with high poverty and
obesity rates and positively influence the youth they serve by teaching them to
grow, harvest, cook, and enjoy healthful food. School gardens in various stages of
development in Milo and Dover-Foxcroft are an integral part of the service site
where the Member will continue to work to integrate nutrition, food systems
education and gardening skills into school/ and afterschool programs. The Member
will also continue the connection with food service staff and local farmers to bring
more fresh foods into the school nutrition programs by working with the Maine
Highlands Farmers. This group has pledged support to this FoodCorps project.
Town: Dover-Foxcroft
Population: 4,213
Number of Partner Schools: 2
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 1
9. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Somerset County
This position will be housed at the Somerset County Extension Office and
supervised by Extension Educator, Kathy Hopkins in collaboration with Bill
Primmerman, Greater Somerset Public Health Collaborative (GSPHC). Our
programming addresses the following priority issue areas. GSPHC has a
coordinated approach for school and community gardens, farm to school
collaborative work, expansion USDA nutrition programs, and implementation of
double dollars and EBT at the Skowhegan Farmers Market. Somerset County is
significantly poorer and needier than the state with 17.5% poverty rate (vs. 12.6%
for Maine) and 22.2% poverty rates for children under 18. 57.5% of Somerset’s
school children receive subsidized school and 36.6% of Somerset’s children
received SNAP. Our programming addresses the following priority issue areas.
The first five are also national priorities as defined in 2010 by USDA’s National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): global food security and hunger, food
safety, childhood obesity, sustainable energy, climate change, sustainable
community and economic development and sustainable youth, families and
communities.
Our FoodCorps service member will work with Somerset County Schools (57.5%):
 Work on greenhouse development in RSU/MSAD# 54 (59%) and Forest
Hills School in Jackman. Work also with the high school students at the
Goodwill Hinckley School and the Cornville Charter School on their
sustainable agriculture program.
 Coordinate procurement of local farm produce with local school food service
programs
 Coordinate garden‐ based nutrition education for schools
 Participate in weekly meetings with service site mentors
 Work with their service sites to post F2S efforts on the National Farm to
School Network site (http://www.farmtoschool.org/state‐ home.php?id=25)
Establish and coordinate school gardens in 3 locations in the county.
 Work with the service sites and related schools to publicize and post school
garden projects on the Maine School Garden Network website
(www.msgn.org)
 Participate in the Maine Farm to School Network communications and
events, at District and State levels
 Evaluate the impact of FoodCorps on Maine’s Farm to School efforts
Town: Skowhegan
Population:
Number of Partner Schools: 4
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 1
10. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Knox-Lincoln Counties
This position is housed at the Knox-Lincoln Cooperative Extension office
and is co-supervised by Extension Educator Ellie Libby and teacher Neil Lash,
Director of the Medomak Valley High School Heirloom Seed Project. The
Extension office boasts many employees with the capacity to support a FoodCorps
Service Member with expertise in horticulture, agriculture, composting, food safety,
marine education, climate change and 4-H youth development. The office location
also has 5 raised beds, a small garden plot, and young & old apple trees for the
Service Member to utilize for programming. The communities making up Knox and
Lincoln Counties, like many coastal counties, contain large variations in economic
and social factors. These two small mid-coast counties contain towns with high
personal incomes and extreme poverty - a region that exemplifies the "haves" and
"have nots." Our FoodCorps Service member will work with schools in Knox and
Lincoln Counties with over 50% free and reduced lunch eligibility rates: RSU 13
which covers the Rockland-Thomaston area (and the small towns in between) and
RSU 40 which covers Waldoboro in Lincoln County and four towns in Knox
County.
The FoodCorps Service Member will:
 Solidify, expand, and help to ensure sustainability of programming at
Medomak Valley High School's Heirloom Seed Project.
 Bring heirloom seed saving to all schools in service area.
 Utilize the three greenhouses at Medomak Valley High School to grow food
for cafeteria.
 Encourage student research of local grain and continuation of
"Breaducation" Talk Series with support of Waldoboro Public Library.
 Continue 4-H garden club started by FoodCorps Member at Warren
Community School and find ways for community to support it.
 Support Oceanside East High School Alternative Education cooking &
gardening program.
 Help to create and sustain school wide composting program at Thomaston
Grammar School.
 Support food service directors and staff in both districts to increase local
procurement and relationships with school gardens.
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Assist Prescott Memorial School Wellness Team to carry out monthly
"Wellness Days" that bring Let's Go! 5-2-1-0 education to every student in
the school.
Support teachers at South School and Rockland District Middle School to
construct and sustain a collaborative garden on shared land.
Serve as clearinghouse for other farm-to-school in RSUs 13 and 40,
connecting interested parties with resources and one another.
Coordinate with Rockland and Waldoboro communities to create Midcoastwide food systems awareness and change.
Town: Waldoboro
Population:
Number of Partner Schools: 8
Past years with a FoodCorps position: 1
Host Site: The Food Project
Since 1991, The Food Project has been providing the Boston area with
innovative community and youth programming based upon the belief that everyone
deserves healthy, delicious food. Following sustainable agricultural practices, TFP
farms on over 40 acres of land in urban and suburban communities in eastern
Massachusetts. The Food that TFP grows is intended to increase access to
healthy food; it is sold at Farmer’s Markets that accept EBT, WIC and senior
coupons, sold as CSA shares, and donated to local hunger relief organizations.
TFP youth engagement is integral to all of our programs. From maintaining our
farms and gardens, to boxing CSA shares and serving food at hunger relief
organizations, to providing food systems education for children, teens and adults,
TFP youth are both students of agricultural work and food justice, as well as local
and national real food educators and advocates.
FoodCorps Service Members in Massachusetts play a key role in expanding
and utilizing gardens at schools and afterschool programs as community centers
for real food. By building and maintaining these gardens, as well as facilitating their
use by teachers, students and families, Service Members play a key role in making
sure that the gardens are seen and used an integral resource for both communities
and schools. Members partner with community organizations to create access to
and offer knowledge about real food in the communities that they serve. Members
work to secure resources, create and foster community relationships, and to
provide a means in which to efficiently and effectively disperse resources to
schools and other community centers.
Service Sites
1. The Food Project
Since 1991, The Food Project has been providing the Boston area with
innovative community and youth programming based upon the belief that everyone
deserves healthy, delicious food. Following sustainable agricultural practices, TFP
farms on over 40 acres of land in urban and suburban communities in eastern
Massachusetts. In addition to growing food for others, TFP believes in the value of
children, youth and adults gaining direct experience and knowledge of sustainable
agriculture and the importance of healthy, local, sustainable food. Our youth
programs provide that opportunity for high school teenagers; our community
programs make gardening and healthy eating education available to children and
to adults in our communities.
Day to day service for Members in the 2013-2014 program will include
garden-based program coordination and implementation primarily for elementary
school students in classroom and afterschool settings, with some programming for
high school aged students. Garden planning will occur in collaboration with other
Service Members to ensure that the gardens reflect and meet the needs of year
round after school programming activities. In addition to garden and program
coordination, outreach to and collaboration with community partners, schools and
school families to organize events and resources will be frequent. Regular
participation in TFP staff meetings, trainings and shared work responsibilities are
also expected.
City/Town Name: Boston, Lynn
Population: Boston: 589,141 Lynn: 89,050
Number of sites: Boston: 5, Lynn: 3
Car: While public transportation is available, a car or bicycle may help you travel
between your assigned schools
Helpful Languages (not required): Spanish; Haitian Creole; Cape Verdean Creole;
Khmer
2. City Sprouts
CitySprouts makes hands-on food education part of the school culture:
Teachers get the support they need to incorporate food in their classroom lessons.
Children at every grade level have on-going experience harvesting and preparing
food in their school day, throughout their elementary and middle school years.
Fresh produce from the school garden is frequently incorporated in school
cafeteria events. The effectiveness of existing programs such as Farm-to-School
initiatives are supported and enhanced, increasing the likelihood of their success in
influencing children’s food choices and diet. In our partnership with The Food
Project and FoodCorps, CitySprouts is gaining traction as the ‘classroom’ element
of a wrap-around food education program in high-need, urban neighborhoods in
Boston and Lynn, MA.
Through the MA FoodCorps Initiative, CitySprouts will provide support to
FoodCorps service members in 6 schools: 2 schools in Lynn and 4 schools in
Boston. During the school year, CitySprouts will provide all-school training to
teachers in outdoor teaching methods, provide the resources necessary to extend
teachers’ classroom lessons outside to the garden, and ensure that teachers
receive on-going support from CitySprouts’ staff to implement these garden-based
lessons. CitySprouts FoodCorps service members will support teachers’ lessons in
the outdoor garden classroom, lead afterschool activities and assist with cafeteria
events that give students hands-on opportunities to learn about healthy food and
making good food choices. Regular participation in CitySprouts staff meetings,
trainings and shared work responsibilities are also expected.
CitySprouts anticipates outcomes in 1) students’ knowledge about food and
food choices; 2) the development of school gardens that serve as both a food
education resource and learning resource for students’ academic subjects; 3)
students’ engagement in academic learning. CitySprouts will measure outcomes
through a pre- and post-survey of students (using the survey tool developed by
FoodCorps), and a survey to all teachers (developed by CitySprouts) that will be
used to document the frequency and academic areas of teachers’ garden use.
The FoodCorps service members that serve with CitySprouts can expect clear and
consistent supervision as they work with teachers to integrate the school garden
into school culture and curricula. At the same time, service members will have
ample opportunity to develop and lead activities to foster students’ knowledge
about and engagement in healthy food choices and local food systems.
City/Town Name: Boston; Lynn
Population: Boton: 589,141; Lynn: 89,050
Number of Partner Schools: 6 partner schools, with 2 schools per service member
Car: While public transportation is available, a car or bicycle may help you travel
between your assigned schools
Host Site: Center for Regional Food Systems at MSU
The MSU Center for Regional Food Systems (formerly the C.S. Mott Group
for Sustainable Food Systems) engages communities in improving the access and
availability of locally-produced food. Its mission is to engage the people of
Michigan, the United States, and the world in applied research, education, and
outreach to develop regionally integrated sustainable food systems. Service
members across the state help support the goals of the Michigan Good Food
Charter.
Michigan’s FoodCorps members are serving in urban schools in Flint, Ypsilanti,
and Detroit, and in rural schools in northwest Lower Michigan. All of these areas
are struggling economically and benefit greatly from investments the members
make into the community. The areas of service that our members are focusing on
are:
• Expanding school gardens: by building new gardens and revitalizing existing
gardens & greenhouses
• Connecting students to nutrition: through innovative activities in the
classroom, after school, in the cafeteria and in the garden
• Increasing access to local food in schools: by working with school food
services and farmers to get more local and healthy foods in the hands and
bellies of students.
Service Sites
1. Michigan Land Use Institute
The Northwest Lower Michigan FoodCorps program operates out of the
Michigan Land Use Institute, a nonprofit organization established in 1995, whose
food and farm program works to build the local food economy. MLUI’s farm to
school program helps schools serve locally grown foods by connecting them to
farms and related resources and by assisting farms in selling to schools. MLUI also
convenes the Northwest Michigan Food & Farming Network, a coalition of
nonprofit, farm, health, human service, garden, school, economic development and
business interests working to double the value and increase the resilience of the
region’s local food economy by 2019. This region of the state is noted for its
forests, clean rivers, and Lake Michigan shoreline, along with a vibrant tourism
economy. Coupled with this natural beauty is a legacy of seasonal, low-paying jobs
and a large population of “working poor” families.
MLUI is the service site for two FoodCorps members who serve in the
positions of Farm to School Local Food Coordinator and Garden Coordinator.
Service members work collaboratively at schools in Traverse City, Suttons Bay and
Leelanau County. Service members provide on- the-ground staffing to assist
targeted schools in ramping up and starting new local food procurement; creating
new resources for food service, teachers, and after- school programs; and
launching garden, nutrition, and farm-centered education programs that will be
sustainable once launched. The two positions work both separately and as a team
with the assistance of MLUI.
The FoodCorps Farm to School Local Foods Coordinator will help MLUI and
its partner organizations learn from food services, farms, and others in the local
food system what hurdles they face in buying, selling and serving locally grown
food in schools, and help resolve them. Examples include helping food service with
seasonal menu planning using local food, calling farmers to let them know what
products a food service director wants, and tracking down opportunities for cold
storage. This Service Member also will help schools engage students, teachers,
and community volunteers in ways that showcase and support school local food
efforts and healthy eating among students, particularly at the elementary level.
Examples include student activities like tastings; and assisting teachers in carrying
out fun local food and farm curriculum, including farm visits. The Local Food
Coordinator will work closely with the Garden/Nutrition Educator, and will turn
farmer, food service, garden, and curriculum resources that you develop or collect
into easy-to-use Web-available resources. You also will develop and carry out a
communications plan to broadly raise awareness and use of new farm to school
resources, such as social media, school newsletters, school Web sites,
presentations and media outreach. This service member also will work with school
staff and others in the community to build program sustainability by integrating
farm to school efforts into the schools’ curriculum and food service programs and
by connecting it to other community resources.
The FoodCorps Garden/Nutrition Educator will provide technical support for
developing and maintaining school gardens. This service member also will produce
educational programming that emphasizes healthy food choices as well as organic
gardening (to students in classroom, afterschool and summer vacation settings).
You will assist in planning events that provide additional garden-based educational
opportunities for K-12 school communities and the wider public (school garden
tours, regional youth garden events, harvest dinners, etc). You will publicize school
garden successes and best practices with partner schools and the wider
community (via newsletters, websites, conferences, local media, etc). You will work
with school staff (teachers, food service and school administrators) and the Farm
to School Local Food Coordinator to build program sustainability by integrating
farm to school efforts (including gardening) into the schools’ curriculum and food
service programs and by connecting it to other community resources.
City/Town Name: Traverse City; Sutton Bay Village; Sutton Bay township
Population: 14,674; 618; 2,982
Helpful Additional Languages: Anishinaabemowin (traditional language of Ottawa
and Chippewa Indians) not required
Number of Partner Schools: 6
2. Crim Fitness Foundation
Crim Fitness Foundation
The Crim Fitness Foundation is a non-profit in
Flint, Michigan that has been serving the community with fitness and health
programming for over 35 years. The Crim contains four program areas: races,
adult programming, active living, and youth programming. The FoodCorps Service
Member will be serving with the CrimFit Youth Department, serving Flint
Community Schools. He/she will be working mainly on school gardens in
elementary schools with some work in nutrition education and continuing efforts to
bring farm-to-school to the Flint foodservice. This member would be concentrating
on a lot of infrastructure changes to the schools to allow students to experience
and understand the benefits of healthy food.
The FoodCorps Service Member will be working with 7 Flint elementary
schools, providing services to these schools as their capacity allows. This district is
a low- income district with a high turnover rate and decreasing enrollment. While
their have been obstacles with this district and the City of Flint, there are also very
positive initiatives in the city. The Flint Farmers' Market has won several national
awards and a number of local food groups are working to bring healthy, fresh food
to all populations in the community.
The FoodCorps member will be reporting to the Crim Fitness Foundation,
located in the center of Flint, each day and then branching out to the school sites
to provide nutrition education, school gardens, and farm-to-school work. This
position includes working with school staff, Principals, and some after-school
programs.
City/Town Name: Flint
Population: 120,000
Number of Partner Schools: 13
3. Food System Economic Partnership
You will report for service to Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP), a
non- profit serving southeast Michigan. The FSEP service area is a combination of
quiet rural and vibrant urban communities. Since 2007, FSEP has been providing
technical assistance for farm to school programs, focusing on bringing farmers and
K-12 school food service directors. The program has grown from 3 school districts
in our pilot year, to over 20 school districts in 2011. FSEP’s Farm to School
program is occurring in school districts with as few as 900 students to the largest
school district in the state with nearly 85,000 students. Among the school districts
we support, the average free/reduced meal participation is 50%. Many of the
children in our service area eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at school. You will be
provided with a desk, phone and computer at the FSEP office and will support food
service directors and work in the schools on local food days, several times a week.
Your term of service will be dedicated to local food sourcing. You will work
closely with school food service directors and farmers to build relationships, solve
barriers to local food procurement and promote farm to school within the school
district. You will also work closely with school and community based programs that
provide nutrition education, school garden support and opportunities for
collaboration around farm to school. You will work to build a strong vibrant farm to
school program in that will engage the cafeteria, classroom and community. As
part of your work, you will participate in local food days in the school cafeteria and
encourage students to try the highlighted food. You will work to recruit parent and
community volunteers to support the program. In addition to working with the
school food service director and students, you will work closely with area farmers
to help them develop and expand their business to meet the institutional year-
round demand for local food. You will help build links between the farmers and
school food service directors, farmers and students, farmers and community, and
community and school district.
City/Town Name: Ann Arbor; Detroit
Population: Ann Arbor: 114,000, Detroit: 706,585
Number of Partner Schools: 20
15.0
Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
DBCFSN has worked tirelessly for nearly seven years to contribute to the
public dialogue about, and practice of, food security and food justice in Detroit.
They operate innovative programs that grow fresh produce, train urban farmers,
sell food cooperatively, influence public policy, engage youth and address racism
within the food system.
Members will advance DBCFSN's mission to build food security in Detroit's
Black community by promoting urban agriculture and healthy eating habits and
encouraging young people to pursue careers in agriculture, aquaculture, animal
husbandry, bee-keeping and other food related fields.
Service members at DBCFSN work at 3 elementary schools in the city of
Detroit, working with the Food Warriors, a youth food security group and
developing curriculum and activities that promote health and wellness while
celebrating African American culture.
City/Town Name: Detroit
Population: 706, 585
Number of Partner Schools: 3
5. Wayne State University Center for School Health
Service members will help schools implement WSU’s Building Healthy
Communities program in schools in Southeast Michigan. Building Healthy
Communities is a comprehensive, school-wide program surrounding children and
families with healthy eating and physical activity. BHC’s multi-faceted approach
includes educating students through curriculum and providing a healthy, supportive
environment that makes the healthy choice the easy choice
The program encourages students to practice lessons learned in the classroom,
and provides access to physical activity opportunities as well as healthy, nutrientrich food and beverages.
Functioning as a Healthy School Coordinator, the FoodCorps service
member will teach nutrition lessons to students in grades 2, 3 and 4 and help
schools plan and carry out school-wide activities for families. Attending weekly
meetings is a key function to promote a cycle of continuous improvement with the
program.
City/Town Name: Detroit
Population: 706, 585
Number of Partner Schools: 20
Host Site: Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity Project
Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, Inc. (MRHE) is a non-profit,
community- based organization that is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
and the USDA. It has a primary focus on raising awareness leading to community
action where health and social disparities exist. The mission of MRHE is to achieve
health equity by advocating for changes within the community institutions that
influence people’s everyday lives. The goal is to change these institutions so that
they support and never inhibit the community’s efforts to be healthy. MRHA uses
an innovative, multi-pronged approach toward eradicating and/or minimizing the
structural or social barriers relevant to disparities in health among vulnerable
populations in Mississippi. Since it began in 2003, the organization has achieved
many successes, including the active support of school officials and food-service
workers, who, as a result of our influence on improving their health, have moved
closer to changing school food policy toward healthier, fresh ingredients for
students’ lunch.
FoodCorps service members hosted by MRHE serve with several partner
organizations in several communities around the state: Winston County Self Help
Coop in Louisville, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives in Petal and MRHE
itself in Jackson. Service members are provided monthly training opportunities
around the state to reconnect and build their Farm to School skillsets, as well as
monthly, topic-based Southeast regional calls to discuss challenges and success
with service members in other states. Service members hosted by MRHE
communicate most regularly with their service site supervisors and have consistent
access to phone calls and meetings with their state fellow.
Service Sites
1. Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity Project
Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, Inc. (MRHE) is a non-profit,
community- based organization that is supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
and the USDA. It has a primary focus on raising awareness leading to community
action where health and social disparities exist. The mission of MRHE is to achieve
health equity by advocating for changes within the community institutions that
influence people’s everyday lives. The goal is to change these institutions so that
they support and never inhibit the community’s efforts to be healthy. MRHA uses
an innovative, multi-pronged approach toward eradicating and/or minimizing the
structural or social barriers relevant to disparities in health among vulnerable
populations in Mississippi. Since it began in 2003, the organization has achieved
many successes, including the active support of school officials and food-service
workers, who, as a result of our influence on improving their health, have moved
closer to changing school food policy toward healthier, fresh ingredients for
students’ lunch.
FoodCorps Service Members serving directly with MRHE are each
responsible for maintaining or building at least 2 school gardens and using these
gardens as tools to teach the related school communities about healthy food
options. Through the development of school gardens and relationships with
teachers, students, parents, community members and others, service members
help conduct “action research” to understand and document the factors that
influence, and the resources that support nutrition and physical activity in their
service sites. By working with local farmers and school food service directors,
service members also encourage the development of farm-to-school sourcing
patterns across the state.
City/Town Name: Jackson
Population: 175,561
Number Partner Schools: 8
2. Winston Self Help Cooperative
Winston County Self Help Cooperative’s mission is to help small farmers
purchase and sell in bulk with a goal of creating sustainability in rural communities
by connecting with the USDA and other organizations to provide services in a
timely manner. WCSHC exists in a USDA Strike Force county, where the USDA
has determined special interest in providing nutrition education and small farmer
assistance. The cooperative is made up of local farmers and community members,
who work hard to organize informational conferences, assist at farmers’ markets,
bolster the youth 4-H groups and promote farm-to-school activities. Louisville is a
very small town with a sweet main street and a wonderful community of caring
citizens; it’s just a few miles away from the college-town Starkville, where
Mississippi State University is located.
Service members at WCSHC are responsible for maintaining 2-3
school/youth gardens and using these gardens as tools for teaching local students
and community members about home gardening, healthy food options and
strengthening connections to the town’s farmers. Service members are also
responsible for raising money through grant writing for expanding their school
gardens, and for promoting conversations with the school food service director
about sourcing items from local farms into the school cafeteria. Due to Louisville’s
close proximity to Starkville, service members have access to assistance from
many local extension agents and another very helpful nonprofit, Gaining Grounds
Sustainability Institute of Mississippi.
City/Town Name: Louisville
Population: 6,586
Number Partner Schools: 3
3. Mississippi Association of Cooperatives at Indian Springs Farmer’s Co-op
The Mississippi Association of Cooperatives (MAC) was established as an
affiliate of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives “Land Assistance Fund
(1967).” A nonprofit organization, MAC serves farmers, their families and
communities in increasing their livelihood, economic security and improving their
quality of life. Building from a tradition steeped in the Civil Rights Movement, MAC
provides technical assistance and advocates for the needs of its members in the
areas of cooperative development and networking, sustainable production,
marketing and community food security.
Service members placed with MAC serve in Petal, MS with one of the
organizations that MAC represents, Indian Springs Cooperative. Service members
are responsible for maintaining 3 school gardens in Petal and using these gardens
as tools to teach community members about local farming practices and healthy
food options. Service members are also expected to pursue conversations about
sourcing produce from Indian Springs Cooperative into local schools. The families
of farmers that make up Indian Springs Cooperative are very passionate about
sourcing local produce into local schools. Service members placed at Indian
Springs Co-op will need a strong background in agriculture. They will also have
many opportunities to learn about trying to change the structure of school food
systems in Mississippi, and compare this to school food reform in Louisiana as
Indian Springs Co-op works closely with the Edible Schoolyard in New Orleans.
City/Town Name: Petal
Population: 10,587
Number Partner Schools: 2
5. Magnolia Speech School
Magnolia Speech School is located on the West side of Jackson, Mississippi
among rolling wooded hills. The school attracts a very eclectic and charming group
of students, ages covering the entire range of 2-13 year olds, and the most highly
regarded staff specializing in speech, hearing, language delays and ASD. Their
dedication and service across Mississippi is unparalleled. Magnolia Speech School
is a nonprofit accredited early intervention school open to any child in need. This
is a place that you will be honored to teach and learn from truly amazing people of
all ages and stages. You will feel the love- and then generate more!
The FoodCorps member will enjoy maintaining an established vegetable garden
and fruit orchard integrated into the play yards. Biodynamic farming lends itself to
expand efforts to further pursue a balanced and self-sustaining ecosystem.
Established in the fall of 2013, the foundation for class integration has been well
received and the outreach has potential to grow significantly. The FoodCorps
Member should take the initiative to include the whole community as much as the
whole child. Parents, faculty and students are encouraged to join the team by
planting and harvesting, creating meals and taste experiments, accessing farm to
school programs, being and integral part of school programs; looking for seed
money and sponsorship. The FoodCorps Service member for Magnolia Speech
School should be Excited. Imaginative. Compassionate. Resourceful. Self Starter!
Happy!
City/Town Name: Jackson
Population: 576,800
Number Partner Schools: Magnolia Speech School has outreach satellite
programs from Mississippi’s coastal region to Mississippi’s Northern hill country.
Host Site: National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)
Since 1976, NCAT has been serving economically disadvantaged people by
providing information and access to appropriate technologies that can help
improve their lives. During the organization's rich and varied history, NCAT
projects have ranged from low-tech to high-tech, addressing complex issues of
housing, economics, and environmental quality. NCAT is the lead agency for
Energy Corps, as well as serving as a state-level FoodCorps host site in Iowa.
*Note that population stats accounts for the entire county.
Service Sites
1. Lake County Community Development
Situated on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Lake County Community
Development Corporation's Food and Agriculture Center has worked for the past
decade to reduce poverty by providing economic opportunities for area food
producers. A flagship of this effort is Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, a
USDA/ FDA inspected processing facility, which provides cost-effective processing
equipment and technical assistance for area food entrepreneurs, and processes
local fruits and vegetables for six local school districts and the University of
Montana.
FoodCorps helps MMFEC’s school-based work by focusing main on RonanPablo School District #30 (61% free and reduced lunch rate), Polson School
District #23 (50% free and reduced lunch rate), and St. Ignatius School District #28
(69% free and reduced lunch rate). From working with art teachers to afterschool
gardening programs to Montana-day meal events, the FoodCorps member here
divides her time generally as follows:
60% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
10% Engagement (school gardens)
30% Access (Farm to School)
Town Name: Ronan
Population: 28,947*
Number Partner Schools: 12
2. Kalispell District 5’s Farm to School Program
With a district-wide free and reduced lunch rate of 42% and 61% of the
Flathead Valley population being overweight or obese, the need for FoodCorps
programming here is imperative. Guided directly by Kalispell’s central kitchen,
FoodCorps here works with 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 2 high schools,
and 1 county school (Smith Valley).
The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a highlight of the Farm to School
efforts here, due in part to the appropriate funding allocated from the federal
government. As well, the fact that the snacks happen in classrooms makes it a
perfect opportunity to integrate food and education, by accompanying each of the
healthy, local foods with “snack facts” that go out to 2200 elementary students
each week.
The FoodCorps member here divides her time approximately as follows:
15% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
5% Engagement (school gardens)
80% Access (Farm to School)
City/Town Name: Kalispell
Population: 91,301
Number of partner schools: 11
3. Red Lodge Area Community Foundation
A community of 2,500 nestled beneath the Beartooth Mountains, Red Lodge
faces a short growing season and a significant distance from a major city. As well,
38% of Red Lodge students qualify for free and reduced lunch. However, with
burgeoning Farm to School efforts, cooking classes with after-school programs,
and a brand-new Youth Garden, Red Lodge is proving that local food is possible,
even at 5500 feet!
The FoodCorps member divides her time approximately as:
45% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
25% Engagement (school gardens)
30% Access (Farm to School)
Town Name: Red Lodge
Population: 10,028
Number Partner Schools: 3
3. 21st Century Community Learning Center
Boulder Elementary School is a K-8 school with 78% of students qualifying
for free and reduced lunch. In this rural town of less than 2000, FoodCorps
partners with local leaders and organizations to find creative solutions to a lack of
access to healthy, fresh foods available for school meals. Examples include
coordinating pick-up points with producers in Helena (30 miles away), working with
Sysco (a national food distributor) to provide Montana products whenever
available, incorporating school garden produce into the menu, and even
experimenting with year-round production in a new greenhouse.
The school gardens and a network of donated backyard gardens also serve
as a popular outdoor classroom for students and parents alike in the after-school
and summer programs provided by 21st Century Learning.
The FoodCorps member here generally divides her time as follows:
35% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
25% Engagement (school gardens)
45% Access (Farm to School)
Town Name: Boulder
Population: 11,381
Number Partner Schools: 2
4. Farm to Table
Glendive is a traditionally agricultural region with standard crops including
wheat, beef, beans and sugar beets. Similar to many rural communities, past
decades have seen a decline in the population of Eastern Montana, though recent
oil activity has created significant changes in the makeup and population of the
area. Community GATE leaders aim to offer agriculture as a economic opportunity
that will last beyond the inevitable cycles of “boom and bust.”
FoodCorps here works with 4 schools in the Glendive Unified School
District, which has a district wide free and reduced lunch rate of 32%. From local
beef chili in schools to a Boys and Girls Club summer gardening program, the
FoodCorps member here divides her time approximately as follows:
20% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
10% Engagement (school gardens)
60% Access (Farm to School)
Town Name: Glendive
Population: 8,989
Number Partner Schools: 7
5. Madison Farm To Fork
A Southwest Montana community of about 1,000, Ennis is sustained by the
ranching industry and summertime tourism. With fewer than 90 frost-free growing
days, local produce is rarely available, and most residents drive more than 100
miles round trip for groceries. Madison Farm to Fork works to provide good food,
community, and a nurturing environment to encourage success for Madison Count
food producers.
To that end, the FoodCorps member here worked with community
volunteers, teachers, parents, and administrators to plant a school garden, which
now serves as an outdoor classroom for weekly nutrition and garden education
lessons for 1st through 4th graders. As well, a budding Chefs Move to Schools
program is bringing those same lessons into the cafeteria through taste tests and
sampling activities. Nearly 30% of Ennis elementary and middle school students
qualify for free and reduced lunch.
The FoodCorps member divides her time approximately as:
35% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
40% Engagement (school gardens)
25% Access (Farm to School)
Town Name: Ennis
Population: 7,660
Number Partner Schools: 2
6. Rocky Boy Reservation (Stone College Extension)
Nestled in the Bear Paw Mountains, just 60 miles south of the Canadian
border is the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation, home to the Chippewa Cree Indian
Tribe. Like much of rural Montana, healthy and fresh foods are hard to find here,
and often expensive, making food access a serious concern. In schools where
between 78% (Box Elder) and 86% (Rock Boy) of students qualify for free and
reduced lunch, the FoodCorps member teaches after school cooking classes to
educate kids about healthy-eating while also providing a nutritious evening meal. In
the spring and summer, these skill-building classes will expand into the garden, as
the school district has recently allocated a plot of land for growing healthy, local
food!
The FoodCorps member here divides her time approximately as:
50% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
50% Engagement (school gardens)
0% Access (Farm to School)
City/Town Name: Rocky Boy
Population: 2,029
Number of partner schools: 3
7. Hyalite Elementary School
Situated in the Gallatin Valley and in close proximity to six stunning mountain
ranges, it’s no surprise that Hyalite Elementary emphasizes outdoor education and
a close relationship with nature through a rigorous “no child left inside,” initiative.
With 46% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, it also makes sense
that the school garden is a hub for both hands-on learning, as well as education
about healthy and affordable eating.
The FoodCorps member works with elementary students in almost every grade
level to incorporate classroom objectives into garden-based learning opportunities.
She divides her time approximately as:
50% Knowledge (hands-on nutrition education)
45% Engagement (school gardens)
5% Access (Farm to School)
City/Town Name: Bozeman
Population: 91,377
Number of partner schools: 1
Host Site: Rutgers University Cooperative Extension
Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative
Extension helps the diverse population of New Jersey adapt to a rapidly changing
society and improve their lives and communities through an educational process
that uses science based knowledge. Through science-based educational
programs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension truly enhances the quality of life for
residents of New Jersey and brings the wealth of knowledge of the state university
to local communities.
Service sites (pending funding):
 AtlantiCare Foundation
 Camden City Garden Club, Inc.
 City Green, Inc.
 Greater Brunswick Charter School
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Isles, Inc.
Philip's Academy Charter School
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Gloucester County
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County
Salem County Health Department
Salem County Vocational Technical School District
Host Site: The University of New Mexico Office of Community Learning and
Public Service
The University of New Mexico Office of Community Learning and Public Service
nurtures leadership for community capacity building in neighborhoods where the
social determinants of inequity result in major health disparities. Over 800
university students, community college and high school students have apprenticed
with local partners through CLPS AmeriCorps programs. Through civic
engagement and anti-racism training Corps Members gain an understanding of the
root causes of health disparities.
The focus of service at all sites will be on:
1. Community and school gardens: with hands in the dirt, FoodCorps Members
nurture community gardens and intergenerational community-building,
learning from strong community leaders, farmers and families
2. Food for well-being network: Members create systems for food access,
sharing ideas and lessons learned with the state-wide network of partners
3. Cooking up a healthy life-style: Service Members provide cooking
workshops and healthy recipes for children, youth and families, co-creating
nutrition and well-being curriculum with children, farmers, and school
personnel
4. Farmers of tomorrow: Service Members learn from community farmers who
connect to schools and youth programs for food access and nutritional
health
Service Sites
1. La Semilla Food Center
La Semilla Food Center's mission is to build a healthy, self-reliant, fair, and
sustainable food system in the Paso del Norte region of southern New Mexico and
El Paso, Texas. We work with children, youth, and families to build awareness
around food issues, provide informed analysis, and create alternatives for healthier
environments and communities. La Semilla works in four primary areas, including
1) educational outreach - through our Farm to School programming, we have
seven school gardens, and are also working with local producers to meet school
food needs; 2) sustainable agriculture - through La Semilla Youth Farm we are
engaging youth and families around food production, marketing, and cooking; 3)
policy/advocacy & food systems planning - La Semilla is leading efforts to establish
a Food Policy Council to advise city and county officials on food issues and needs;
and 4) youth engagement - working to teach youth about the links between food,
healthy communities, the environment, and our local economy.
Anthony offers the comfortable feel of a historic town with quiet evenings,
beautiful sunsets and a community life that is pleasant and friendly. Great scenic
views of mountainous desert, pecan orchards, horse ranches and cotton fields can
be enjoyed on a pleasant afternoon’s drive or on your way home from work. Yet
the rich cultural amenities of a metro area such as opera, theater, concerts and
nightlife are within a 20 minute drive. Anthony, NM is located on the New
Mexico/Texas state line in the Upper Mesilla Valley. Interstate 10 runs north and
south through Anthony, with I-25/I-10 Junction lying approximately 20 miles north.
The FoodCorps service member works with teachers, staff, students and
parents to establish and maintain a school garden as the School Garden
Coordinator. Additionally, the Coordinator will collaborate with La Semilla’s other
school garden coordinators to organize garden, nutrition and culinary activities to
support the development of La Semilla Food Center’s Farm to School program.
City/Town Name: Anthony and Las Cruces
Population: 9,360
Number Partner Schools: 7
2. Kirtland Elmentary School
Kirtland Elementary is a Pre-K through 5th grade school. We have three
gardens on campus. Through collaborative efforts we have created a new 3500 sq.
ft space that is utilized as an outdoor classroom. Work is being supported through
multi-faceted partnerships with the University of New Mexico, many community
organizations, our after school program, and a community school model. Service
members will report to the school each day and work with teachers and students,
develop curriculum for all grade levels, help with the day-to-day garden support,
and write grants.
Albuquerque is New Mexico’s largest city. It lies in the central part of the
state between the Sandia Mountains and flat mesas with the Rio Grande River
cutting through the city. This vibrant city offers its residents and visitors history,
culture, and outdoor adventures. Recognized as one of the most culturally diverse
cities in the country, Albuquerque's ethnic tapestry is reflected in its architecture,
artwork, cultural centers and cuisine. Countless customs and traditions passed
down over generations are a vibrant part of daily life in the city, and make
Albuquerque an epicenter of authentic Southwestern culture. Albuquerque is home
to more than the Native American, Hispanic, Latino and Anglo cultures for which
New Mexico is well known. Our multicultural city includes strong African American,
Asian, Middle Eastern and other ethnic communities, creating a unique and
modern Southwestern blend. In fact, more than 70 different ethnicities call
Albuquerque home. The city has a semi-arid climate and has four distinct seasons.
However, there are over 300 days of sunshine and stunning blue skies to welcome
you.
City/Town Name: Albuquerque
Population: 850,000
Number Partner Schools: 1
Languages: Spanish is helpful, but not necessary
3. La Plazita Institute
La Plazita Institute (LPI) is a non-profit grassroots organization in
Albuquerque, NM. LPI engages New Mexico’s youth, elders and communities in a
comprehensive, holistic and cultural approach. Designed around the philosophy of
"La Cultura Cura" or culture heals, La Plazita’s programs engages New Mexico’s
youth, elders and communities to draw from their own roots and histories to
express core traditional values of respect, honor, love, and family. LPI supports
them in leaving behind violence and a destructive lifestyle.
Albuquerque is New Mexico’s largest city. It lies in the central part of the
state between the Sandia Mountains and flat mesas with the Rio Grande River
cutting through the city. This vibrant city offers its residents and visitors history,
culture, and outdoor adventures. Recognized as one of the most culturally diverse
cities in the country, Albuquerque's ethnic tapestry is reflected in its architecture,
artwork, cultural centers and cuisine. Countless customs and traditions passed
down over generations are a vibrant part of daily life in the city, and make
Albuquerque an epicenter of authentic Southwestern culture. Albuquerque is home
to more than the Native American, Hispanic, Latino and Anglo cultures for which
New Mexico is well known. Our multicultural city includes strong African American,
Asian, Middle Eastern and other ethnic communities, creating a unique and
modern Southwestern blend. In fact, more than 70 different ethnicities call
Albuquerque home. The city has a semi-arid climate and has four distinct seasons.
However, there are over 300 days of sunshine and stunning blue skies to welcome
you.
The FoodCorps service member at LPI will engage all three pillars of
service. The member will help coordinate educational visits by local school children
to the seven community agricultural sites we cultivate. Additionally, the service
member will help coordinate the Agricultura Network, a collaboration of growers
uniting to provide local, fresh, healthy produce to the Albuquerque School District.
The service member will engage in all areas of La Plazita’s work in the South
Valley.
Location: Urban
City/Town Name: Albuquerque
Population: 448,000
Number Partner Schools: 8
4. The Guadalupe Montessori School and the Volunteer Center
The Guadalupe Montessori School (GMS) and The Volunteer Center (TVC) are
located in rugged and beautiful Grant County New Mexico, a limited resource
community in an area characterized by its rural nature, diverse population, and the
history of ranching, farming and mining industries in the region. GMS is a private,
non-profit school serving kids from 18 months to 12 years old with an established
school garden that grows vegetables for the lunch and snack programs and for
sale at the local Farmers Market. The GMS garden also hosts outreach and
educational programming for the larger community. TVC is located at the
Commons Center for Food Security and Sustainability, and works to mobilize
volunteers in Grant County with a focus on food justice and hunger issues. TVC
runs several community gardens and partners with area schools to do school
garden programming.
The FoodCorps service member in Silver City will split their time between the two
organizations. At GMS they will work closely with the Garden Supervisor to
maintain the school garden, care for the chicken flock, work the hot house, teach
garden enrichment classes to students of all ages, and develop and implement
education and outreach events. At TVC they will work with the staff and the
director to maintain the garden at the Commons that grows vegetables for the
Food Pantry, maintain current school garden programs, establish and implement
new gardening programs at partner schools, and organize community events
aimed at eliminating hunger and increasing awareness of food justice issues. We
are looking for a motivated and inspired individual who is self directed, excellent at
time management, and interested in working with youth and the larger community
toward creating healthier food options and food justice.
City/town Name: Silver City
Population: 10,000
Number of Partner Schools: 5
5. Albuquerque Public Schools
This district has 90,000 students in139 schools and covers an area that includes
urban-, suburban- and rural-like school communities. Almost half the schools (plus
private, parochial and charter schools in the area) have school gardens/outdoor
classrooms in some stage of operation. All are self-initiated projects, with no
formal policies and/or supports in place. A group of volunteers (the “Growing
Garden Team”) has provided support in the past and needs additional technical
assistance and a dedicated leader for their efforts.
Our service member will work intensely with 2 elementary schools and
develop solid relationships and exemplary lessons and activities with adults,
students and the gardens. Additionally, technical assistance will be given to
programs requesting specific supports for gardening problems, curriculum and
instruction, and grant writing. Curriculum development will continue with the
Growing Gardens Team and will be implemented at targeted schools. Consistent
district policies and procedures will be developed based on feedback from sites,
and a lending library and a toolshed will be created to serve all gardens. The
person serving here needs maturity to interface with a variety of people (students
and adults) and organizations, enthusiasm for the work, good physical and
emotional energy, a solid work ethic, and knowledge and interest in the field.
City/Town Name: Albuquerque
Population: 490,000
Number of partner schools: Approximately 65
6. Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
FoodCorps Members will work out of the Santo Domingo Office, which is located
on the Santo Domingo Pueblo Reservation and is about 25 miles south of Santa
Fe. Service members will be working closely with the Program Coordinators on
the edible school garden project at Santo Domingo School, a public school located
in Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is one of the best-known tribes of the
southwest, largely due to the traditional cultural practices, including crafts and
jewelry making. Some days, the service member will report to Albuquerque, NM for
time in the office setting. We will develop a weekly schedule to provide clear
direction for our service member and provide him/her opportunities to work in the
community at in our Albuquerque office.
The primary program areas that the Food Corps member will be working on is
Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health’s nutrition program. The
FoodCorps Members term of service will be dedicated to nutrition education and
school gardening at the Santo Domingo School. The FoodCorps member will
plant, maintain and harvest the edible school garden. S/he will work with the
project team to plan and provide regular hands-on garden lessons to ~100
students in grades 3-5. S/he will be teaching the science based gardening
curriculum to each class one time per week. S/he will assist the local elders/
farmers who come into the classroom once/ month to teach lessons. We are
looking for a motivated individual that loves to work with youth and gardens.
City/town name: Santo Domingo Pueblo
Population: 5,000
Number of Partner Schools: 1
Host Site: 4-H CEFS North Carolina
North Carolina 4-H and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS),
both programs of North Carolina Cooperative Extension--a partnership between
North Carolina State University and NC A&T State University--support youth
sustainable agricultural education, future food system leadership, and local food
system development. Whether digging in the dirt with youth or planning statewide
programming with partners, both organizations are dedicated to building a healthier
local food system that increases good food access for all across the whole of NC.
NC 4-H and CEFS will provide Service Members the opportunities to delve into
communities that are as diverse as the landscape they inhabit:
1. Getting Dirty: Members build brand new gardens from the ground up (down
if you are talking turnips) and teach in school gardens
2. Eating and Living Well: Members assist in cooking classes/clubs using
healthy food form the garden and local farms and helping children and
families deepen relationships to good food
3. Connecting Tractors and Cafeteria Trays: Service Members facilitate local
sourcing, creative distribution and processing projects
4. A State of School Gardens: Service Members contribute to statewide
capacity building by engaging in community food assessments, program
evaluation, and research of health impacts of gardens
All NC FoodCorps Service Members will develop leadership and teaching skills,
knowledge in food system literacy, food production, food system programming,
diverse communities, and advocacy for children’s wellness.
Service Sites
1. NC 4-H and CEFS
You’ll be sited in Goldsboro and will have office space access at the Small
Farm Office that is part of the CEFS research station. We will provide you with a
laptop Mac computer. You’ll be working almost wholly at Dillard Academy in
Goldsboro. Dillard Academy in Goldsboro is a small K-4 charter school where 99%
of the children receive free lunch. CEFS and Dillard have a long-standing
relationship and Dillard has an innovative cross-curriculum garden program that
has varied over the years depending on funding status but is ripe to be
documented and formalized.
This position will be sited in Goldsboro, a small city on the Neuse river in the
Eastern region of NC, a community with a rich agricultural history and a strong and
growing community-based food collaborative called the Wayne Food Initiative.
While Goldsboro is a city complete with shopping centers, super stores, and coffee
chains, it sits amidst deeply rural communities and has a rural culture and
community dynamic. Goldsboro is an hour’s drive from Raleigh, the capital of NC
and home of the state fair that boasts over a million visitors each fall and still
showcases great agricultural exhibits like giant pumpkins and watermelons, a bee
whisperer and many mama cows and calves. Goldsboro invites everyone to their
annual pickle festival. If it can be pickled, you can find it and eat it in Goldsboro.
Goldsboro is also the site of CEFS’s research station, a 2000 acre research farm
that offers numerous workshops for farmers and extension as well as an Ag
Discovery Extension program and the office where the local emerging leaders
program SWARM (Students Working for an Agricultural Revolutionary Movement)
meets. We are almost certain that housing will be provided at no to little cost
through CEFS in the rather rustic accommodations where we house our
Apprentices as well as summer Interns. If this free housing does not come through,
rentals in Goldsboro are at rural price scale and we’ll assist you in securing
housing to find the best arrangement for you.
At Dillard you’ll manage their Jr. Master Gardner certification, plus help craft
their cross curriculum successes into a replicable model and curriculum for their
new outdoor learning center; this will help maximize the impact of the work Dillard
has been doing for years, build the capacity of their gardening program, plus
potentially offer an essential standards correlated tool beneficial to numerous farmto-school efforts statewide. Prior to the cross curriculum gardening program at
Dillard, all students were working under grade level and all are now at or above
grade level. (http://tinyurl.com/dillardgarden- check out the Dillard kids’ song and
they have now have new ones!) At Dillard, you will primarily teach gardening and
nutrition education.
With the guidance of a support team of Ms. Cheryl, Liz, and Tes, you will
document your teaching efforts with Dillard’s current and past work into a program
curriculum. You will also assist the school garden (3 acres) manager in developing
a volunteer recruitment plan. As much as possible, you’ll integrate your the schoolbased service in ways that support the general community work of the Wayne
Food Initiative. During the summer you’ll work with the CEFS interns to implement
the community-based Jr. Master Gardener summer programs. Occasionally and as
needed, Member will participate in efforts to advance nutrition education, school
gardening, and Farm to School programming beyond their Service Site, such as at
the state, regional or national level.
City/Town Name: Goldsboro
Population: 36,743
Number Partner Schools: 1 school
2. Good Food Sandhills
Previously called CIS First School Gardens, Good Food Sandhills is a
network of more than 14 school gardens throughout Moore County that educates
and inspires students to make healthier choices. In 2007, NC ranked 5 th nationally
for childhood obesity; where 42% of Moore County students are overweight or
obese. While the resort town of Pinehurst has manicured lawns and golf greens,
Moore County is populated by many low-income communities struggling to access
healthy food. 12 of our rural, public schools with GFS Programs are Title I (54% of
their students are qualified for free or reduced lunch). Our program started in
2007, and currently serves 6,000 students in developing lifelong nutrition and
fitness behaviors; through intensive garden-based learning where students
discover what it takes to get the food they eat to their plate. We impact and instruct
more than 600 students per week in the gardens teaching nutrition education,
integrated learning, environmental awareness and life skills across the curriculum.
Our program is comprehensive as well as replicable. You will work in all of our
school gardens, on pilot Farm to School efforts, and community initiatives that
impact health, access and social justice. There will be office space, including desk,
phone, and computer for your use.
Moore County is a rural county with 11 municipalities. These 11
municipalities illustrate a paradoxical disparity. Moore County is "The Home of
American Golf", "Horse Country", and a popular retirement location. Moore County
is truly a place of many faces. In the words of The Pilot, "Poverty in Moore County
has more than doubled in just three years, making it one of the five hardest-hit
counties in the country with a population of 65,000 or more." In the town of
Robbins, the childhood obesity rate has exceeded 50%. Two communities, East
and West Southern Pines merged in 1931 to become the town of Southern Pines
and are a prime example of this disparity. Prior to that annexation, West Southern
Pines, was one of the few -- and among the first -- incorporated African American
towns in North Carolina. Today, it is a discrete, long-term, low-income minority
community, with all of the food & health issues of a more urban inner city where
the nearest food outlet is a gas station.
Since 1980, Moore County has depended on golf courses; with an economy
that catered to a market of retirees and golf resorts. The economic downturn and
the decrease in a viable work force have caused many manufactures to leave the
county making it a community in transition. Moore County has a cosmopolitan feel
in a small community setting surrounded by lakes, pine forests, equestrian trails
with a full range of educational, cultural and recreational activities such as live
music and theater, local community college, hiking, biking, as well as canoeing
readily accessible. The natural, scenic beauty reveals itself in the over 20 parks,
more than 15 miles of greenway trails and at the Weymouth Woods Nature
Preserve, 900-acres of natural Sandhills terrain with walking trails. Southern Pines’
“Horse Country” has the Walthour-Moss Foundation, an unspoiled 4,000-acre
preserve with miles of riding trails and the Pinehurst Harness Track is an 111-acre
equestrian and training center where events such as harness races, dressage, and
polo matches.
Moore County boasts a wide range of apartments for rent with price range
from $450 for 2 BR/1BA to some located in the heart of historic Southern Pines for
1 BR unfurnished $450. There are 4 housing complexes in Southern Pines and 1
in Aberdeen that are income-based housing. There are upon request, many homes
with guest apartments but availability varies. For non-income based apartments,
http://sarvismanagement.com/contact.htm can be a good resource for rentals in
the three most populated municipalities. The Service Site is willing to help with
relocation logistics. Moore County is 70 miles from Raleigh and the RaleighDurham airport.
Your term of service will be dedicated to nutrition education and school
gardening at multiple schools. In addition, you will provide service in the context of
community food system development. Under the supervision of Kathy Byron, Good
Food Sandhills Director, you will work with Moore County Schools’ staff in all
gardens focusing on the pilot Farm-to-School projects and community members as
part of local food system development. You will facilitate project coalescence and
movement forward to intensify the process of bringing fresh healthy food into
schools, building and maintaining gardens, educating our most vulnerable students
in K-12 about better nutrition, and making real and permanent changes in the
health of our community. The activities and scope of the position will focus on
supporting students in developing lifelong healthy eating and physical activity
behaviors as part of an effort to improve children and community health. This
involvement will include: engaging children in planting gardens, tending gardens,
harvesting gardens, and teaching children healthy ways to consume the gardens’
bounty as well as serving in specified areas of the community where students live.
There will be training and ongoing professional development as an integral
part of the job. Occasionally and as needed, you will participate in efforts to
advance nutrition education, school gardening, and Farm to School programming
beyond their Service Site, such as at the state, regional or national level.
City/Town Name: Moore County
Population: 89,352
Number Partner Schools: 14
3. Guilford County Cooperative Extension
In Guilford County, you will work with 10 Title 1 Elementary schools (schools
where over 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch): Kirkman Park,
Union Hill, Fairview, Oak Hill, and Johnson Street, Parkview, Northwood, Oakview,
Montlieu, and Allen Jay). These schools are all in High Point, NC, about 20 miles
south west of Greensboro. Guilford County Extension is helping develop a
leadership team at each of the schools to include the principles, school social
workers, PE teachers and other key staff. All of the school gardens have been
recently built, leaving many opportunities to continue to grow the gardens and their
communities. The Extension office has also have begun working to connect
with the surrounding neighborhood to gain support from churches and in some
cases the boys and girls clubs so that they can continue this effort into the summer
and ensure that the food produced is harvested and utilized.
Located about 20 miles from Greensboro, High Point is a city that exists
within four counties. The city is home to High Point University, a liberal arts
institution with approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 52
countries and 36 states. While High Point may be known for its manufacturing, it is
also tied to religious freedom beginning as early as the mid-eighteenth century as
a refuge for Pennsylvania Quakers who came to the region in search of affordable
land, good climate, and an opportunity to create a principled and ordered
community. There are many apartments in the area, renting for approximately
$600/mo and because High Point is a college town, there is opportunity to find
roommates to share in this cost. And if you need new furniture, the High Point
Furniture Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world! The
Service Site is willing to assist with relocation logistics.
As a FoodCorps service member, you will be working directly with each
school’s leadership team— who will offer a wide range of perspectives and
specialties—to take curriculum directly to children and into the classes. You will
report to the Guilford County Extension office one day per week where you will
have office space and computer access provided, and the other four days you will
spend at one of the project schools. To cover all five schools, you will work on a
schedule where you will reach each school at least every other week with both a
curriculum for the garden as well as an activity for inside the classroom. You will be
trained by Extension staff on curriculum to be used but will also have the ability to
take it upon yourselves to develop further curriculum and activities, building your
knowledge base.
You will work with Guilford County Schools Child Nutrition Director to help
source healthy local food for school cafeteria and spotlight local farmers and their
seasonal produce. You will provide in-service training with teachers from each of
these schools so that the teachers will be able to continue with this program into
the future, making it the impacts possible here sustainable. Occasionally and as
needed, Member will participate in efforts to advance nutrition education, school
gardening, and Farm to School programming beyond their Service Site, such as at
the state, regional or national level.
City/Town Name: High Point, NC
Population: 495, 279
Number Partner Schools: 10
4. Feast Down East (Southeastern NC Food Systems Program, UNC Wilmington)
Feast Down East, also known as the Southeastern NC Food Systems
Program, is an economic development project, spanning an 11-county region.
SENCFS is bringing together public and private agencies to create a regional food
system that supports local limited-resource farmers.
You’ll report for service each morning to either one of the four elementary
schools or the community center; Snipes Academy, Rachel Freeman School,
Lincoln Elementary, Supply Elementary School or the UNCW Hillcrest Community
Center. Snipes Academy is a 491-student K-5th grade public magnet school. 90%
of the students receive free or reduced-price school meals. Rachel Freeman
Elementary is a 350-student K-5th grade public magnet school with 86% free or
reduced-price school meals. Both schools are located in under-served
communities of Wilmington. Lincoln Elementary is a 497-student PreK-5th grade
public school. 85% of students in the school receive free or reduced-price school
lunch. The school is located in Leland, a small town 10 minutes from downtown
Wilmington. The Supply Elementary is a 635-student PreK-5th grade public school
with 75% free & reduced meals. The school is located in Supply, a small town 30
minutes from downtown Wilmington. The UNCW Hillcrest Community Center is
located in Hillcrest Public Housing Community and includes an after-school
learning program and resource center, administered in partnership with UNC
Wilmington and Wilmington Housing Authority. The center provides after school
programs for students attending Snipes Academy and Rachel Freeman. A
workspace and computer will be provided for you at the community center and
each school will provide a workspace.
Wilmington is an urban city with a small town feel. You’ll enjoy easy access
to university resources and activities, beautiful coastal beaches and historic
downtown attractions. With just over 100,000 people, Wilmington is a coastal
community with beaches and water activities, outstanding local seafood, downtown
theater & arts community and nightlife. Apartments rent here for between $540 for
a 1BR, up to $995 for a 3BR. The Service Site is happy to help with relocation
logistics and may have sponsor housing available.
You will serve with the principals, teachers, Child Nutrition Director and
support staff at each of the schools. With guidance and supervision from the
classroom teacher designated to lead the project, and Jane Steigerwald, you will
nurture and maintain raised bed plantings at five gardens. You will help generate
community donations of garden materials and supplies from area businesses, and
recruit and train volunteers to care for the garden. You will work to provide handson garden lessons, which may involve preparing healthy snacks harvested from
the garden and coordinating lessons involving farm fresh foods being served in the
cafeteria. You will schedule farmers and chefs to be guest speakers to help
students learn and connect with local foods, agriculture and healthy eating. You
will assist the cafeteria manager in sourcing and marketing local fresh farm foods
featured in the cafeteria. You will assist in strengthening the relationship between
the Child Nutrition Program and local limited-resource farmers through developing
a farm-to-cafeteria campaign. You will help develop and promote a Chef to School
Program. Occasionally and as needed, the service member will participate in
efforts to advance nutrition education, school gardening, and Farm to School
programming beyond their Service Site, such as at the state, regional or national
level.
City/Town Name: Wilmington, NC
Population: 108,297
Number Partner Schools: 4
5. Warren County Extension
You’ll report each morning to the Warren County Extension Center. A desk
and a phone will be provided to you at the Extension Center and the host orgs will
provide you with a Mac laptop computer. You will have a wide variety of partners
and your tasks will take you to schools (primarily Warren County High School and
Miriam Boyd Elementary School), farms, and district administrative offices.
At Warren County High School, the Career and Technical Education Director for
the School District, Ernie Conner, is working to develop a Sustainable and
Renewable Agriculture and Technical Program that will dovetail nicely with the
mission of FoodCorps. The greenhouse at the high school has been completely
refurbished through the efforts of our FoodCorps service members and the team of
teachers and volunteers they have assembled. A state of the art hydroponics table
is in its first year of use for cultivating lettuce, which has been used for taste-testing
with the students. An adjacent 30 x 75 foot underutilized garden space is now
planted half traditionally and half with raised beds. A tractor shed is currently being
renovated into an outdoor learning space. At the elementary school, a raised bed
garden has been resurrected and a culinary club for 6th graders is underway.
Although most days you will be working in Warren County, there also may be
opportunities to travel to work with researchers in Chapel Hill or to learn from other
farm-to-school and school garden initiatives in the region.
Warren County is a large rural county covering 428 square miles. The
county seat, Warrenton, has a population of 811 people; there are approximately
residents 20,000 county-wide. Warren County is the birthplace of environmental
justice through its history fighting the placement of a PCB dumpsite in the county in
the early 1980s. Formerly tobacco-dependent, the county is home to the Ridgeway
ridged cantaloupe. There is a cantaloupe festival in July, and Warren County has a
burgeoning local food movement. Two nearby lakes provide access for nature
enthusiasts (Gaston and Kerr), and the city of Durham is an easy 45 minute drive
for cultural activities and shopping. Rental apartments can be sparse. Many Teach
for America teachers rent summer homes on Lake Gaston. The service site
supervisor and support team will assist with relocation logistics. You must have a
reliable personal automobile to work in this rural site.
You will collaborate with the agriculture program at Warren County High
School to expand the scope of the greenhouse and garden and help to develop
and implement the new Sustainable, Renewable Agriculture Curriculum that is in
line with FoodCorps’ mission. You will lead workdays in the garden and assist
teachers in making the garden an experiential part of their curriculum. You will
work with teachers and volunteers to lead a culinary club at Miriam Boyd
Elementary School. You will also be encouraged to develop other sustainable
agriculture gardening and nutrition initiatives that you are interested in leading,
which could include starting a CSA or farm stand. In cooperation with the 4-H
Agent, you will work to incorporate 4-H School Enrichment, Special Interest, and
other 4-H Delivery Modes into the overall FoodCorps program.
You will also work with the Child Nutrition Director, Robert Parker, to
conduct the Tasting Tables program at Warren County High School and Miriam
Boyd Elementary School, and to expand this initiative, help market the featured
fruit or vegetable including creating displays on school bulletin boards and other
marketing avenues. Additional farm to school work will find you will be building
connections between farmers and the Warren County school system with support
from local community organizations. Some of these responsibilities may include
researching current school system food purchasing practices; conducting
interviews and focus groups with students, farmers, and school personnel to
identify opportunities; and assisting in producing a multi-year plan for increasing
the amount of healthy food served at school. Occasionally and as needed, you will
participate in efforts to advance nutrition education, school gardening, and Farm to
School programming beyond your Service Site, such as at the state, regional or
national level.
City/Town Name: Warrenton
Population: 20,861
Number Partner Schools: 2
6. Gaston County Cooperative Extension
You will report for service at the Gaston County Cooperative Extension
office. Gaston County contains communities rich in farming and industrial
businesses contrasted with peri-urban communities situated just outside the city of
Charlotte. You will be working with Master Gardener Volunteers and third grade
teachers to deliver our gardening and nutrition program, Harvesting Healthy Youth.
The program is currently delivered in 22 classrooms in 9 schools, reaching over
1000 students year. Most of the participating elementary schools will be Title I
(greater than 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch) within the
Gaston County Public Schools system.
Gaston County has 15 municipalities, each with its own personal flair. Two
rivers and a State Park run through the county, providing a host of recreational
activities. Combining the charm and civility of small-town life with easy access to
the modern conveniences, major events, and amenities of a big city, Gaston
County truly presents the best of both worlds! Charlotte, NC is a quick 20-mile
drive from the town of Dallas, where the Gaston County Cooperative Extension
Office is located. There are close to 300 rental options in the area, both apartments
and houses, ranging from $500 to $1000 a month and the Service Site is willing to
assist you with relocation logistics.
From nurturing the germination of peas to fostering wonder in the minds of
3rd graders, you will be sharing your ideas through hands-on gardening and
nutrition lessons. A significant amount of your time will be spent delivering and
assisting Master Gardeners in delivering weekly classes held with students in at
least 9 different schools in both the fall and spring for 15-week sessions. Class
topics range from planting, maintaining and harvesting raised bed vegetable
gardens, preparing healthy snacks, and learning food safety. You will work to
strengthen the program’s volunteer support, develop school gardening teams and
strengthen community awareness and involvement. Building upon school garden
experiences, you will be able to lead summer camp sessions with community
partners to provide youth with opportunities to dig deeper. You may also work with
schools to design and prepare new garden beds. You will be called upon to share
your ideas for strengthening and expanding the current program. Occasionally,
service members participate in efforts to advance nutrition education, school
gardening, and Farm to School programming beyond their Service Site, such as at
the state, regional or national level.
City/Town Name: Gaston County, NC
Population: 207,031
Number Partner Schools: 9
Host Site: Oregon Department of Agriculture
ODA has been involved in Farm to School programming for over five years.
They currently have a full time Farm to School Program Manager who brings over
16 years of experience in implementing and evaluating farm to school and school
garden programs. In the past five years they have grown from a handful of schools
procuring locally to more than 70 school districts that have expressed interest.
There are also about 200 school gardens across the state. The breadth of Farm to
School and school garden activity in Oregon ensures that FoodCorps members
directly connect their service on the local level with state, regional and national
efforts.
FoodCorps Oregon is hosted by ODA’s marketing department in Portland.
ODA’s Farm to School Program Manager oversees the Fellow and the sites.
FoodCorps Service Members develop and maintain edible gardens in Oregon
schools and neighborhoods. The gardens serve communities where over 60% of
all students are eligible for free or reduced price meals. FoodCorps Members
provide over 8,000 culturally rich and diverse students with hands-on gardening
and nutrition education, integrated into summer enrichment programs, in school
and after-school programs, and summer garden clubs. Oregon is the only program
overseen by a state department.
Service Sites
1. Salem-Keizer Education Foundation
Salem-Keizer Education Foundation (SKEF) provides before and after
school programming in 8 K-12 schools in Salem, OR. SKEF received grants that
will allow the foundation to build 4 more school gardens in the 2013-2014 school
year. SKEF supports schools by creating curriculum that teaches core standards
that either the teacher or SKEF School Garden Coordinators can use to engage
students in how to grow and eat healthy foods.
As a FoodCorps service member you will have the opportunity to teach all
ages of students how to grow, harvest and prepare an amazing assortment of fruits
and vegetables; share your passion for healthy foods with kids that love to spend
time in the garden setting; take students on field trips to farms; serve delicious
foods at tasting tables; coordinate volunteers in garden build work days; network
with the community; and recruit volunteers so you can leverage your energy to
reach even more students. And you will get to do all this in Oregon's beautiful
Willamette Valley--only an hour from mountains, waterfalls and the ocean!
City/Town Name: Salem
Population: 156,000
Number Partner Schools: 7
2. Corvallis Environmental Center
The Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) was founded in 1994 as
grassroots effort to take action on environmental issues. Each year we reach
10,000+ people and businesses through programs and activities in energy
conservation, environmental education, and food and agriculture.
The FoodCorps member will serve with the Edible Corvallis Initiative, which
is a program of the CEC. The Edible Corvallis Initiative educates the public about
gardening, food, and food issues in our community. The ECI includes our Farm to
School program, two community gardens, Edible Summer Camps, and the
educational programs and services offered at the Starker Arts Garden for
Education, where we grow fresh fruits and vegetables that are donated to families
with limited access to fresh food. The Edible Corvallis Initiative mobilizes Corvallis
to make local, fresh, healthy produce available to all.
While there are many projects the Service Member will support throughout
the school year, day to day tasks will vary based on the season. Yearly projects
include: supporting the Farm to School Coordinator with the Tasting Table
Program through procurement, food preparation, and planning, offering Farm to
School Classroom Lessons connected to other Corvallis Farm to School projects,
coordinating Corvallis School Garden Network and helping maintain the SAGE
Children's Garden. During fall, the Service Member will focus his/her efforts on
executing our Farm Field Trip Program for 1st-3rd graders at Starker Arts Garden
for Education (SAGE). Additionally, he/she will help complete special Farm to
School Month (October) projects. During the winter months, the focus of our
FoodCorps Service Member will be on Farm to School Classroom visits, curriculum
design, and school garden development support. In the spring, they will again
execute the Farm Field Trip Program and also run after school cooking clubs.
Summer tasks include running educational programming at SAGE and potentially
coordinating a food education program connected to Corvallis School District's
Summer Feeding Program. Home base is the CEC office located in downtown
Corvallis. There you will have a desk, computer and phone in an office space
shared with the Edible Corvallis Initiative branch of the CEC staff.
City/Town Name: Corvallis
Population: 55,000
Number Partner Schools: 13
3. Growing Gardens
Our FoodCorps service member will serve our Youth Grow programs. Youth
Grow programs encourage the next generation of veggie eaters and growers to be
healthy. Our programs improve nutrition and decrease the risk of food insecurity by
teaching children at risk lessons in where food comes from, the importance of
eating fruits and vegetables and how to grow food through fun hands-on activities.
Most programming takes place in low-income school, in undeserved communities.
Growing Gardens promotes home-scale organic food gardening to improve
nutrition, health and self-reliance while enhancing the quality of life and the
environment for individuals and communities in Portland, Oregon.
The FoodCorps service member at Growing Gardens will fill the role of
Youth Grow Educator. In this position he/she will lead after school garden clubs at
up to four elementary schools per week. The YGE will also teach occasional inclass and in-school workshops, collaborating with classroom teachers at each of
our sites. The service member will also work with an early childhood group.
City/Town Name: Portland
Population: 2.5 million
Number Partner Schools: 4
4. Food Roots
Food Roots is located in Tillamook, on the beautiful North Oregon
coast. Serving rural Tillamook County and the North Oregon Coast, Food Roots'
mission is to cultivate a healthy food system in our region through serving as a
catalyst and advocate for change. We do this through our programming, by forging
fruitful partnerships, and by empowering communities and individuals to be more
food self-reliant. Food Roots has provided resources and support for community
and school gardens throughout Tillamook County and continues garden
development throughout the region. Food Roots’s gardens serve as an outdoor
classrooms and community meeting places for folks of all ages, while producing
fresh vegetables year round.
Our FoodCorps service member introduces students directly to our
community’s food and farmers (bringing farmers into the classroom, or as a farm
field trip), teaches fun hands on nutrition and cooking lessons, teaches students
during school and after school in the school gardens, and involves other
community volunteers in this great work. The FoodCorps service member also
does community organizing, gardening/farming, and participates in professional
development opportunities.
A day in the life of Food Roots’ service member could include teaching preschool aged through high school aged students in a school garden; organizing
local fish tasting tables; public speaking at community events; teaching kids how to
cook cranberry sauce (with Oregon coast cranberries); collecting kelp on the beach
for a school composting lesson; or even visiting a dairy farmer who will lead the
next farm field trip. The service member will be able to teach in all 4 school
gardens in town and help other school gardens within Tillamook’s 80 mile-long
coastal county.
City/Town Name: Tillamook
Population: 4,400
Number Partner Schools: 4
5. North Powder Charter School
The FoodCorps service member will serve in a small rural school in far
Eastern Oregon that has an established Farm-to-School Program. School board
members voted 2 years ago to provide healthy nutritious meals to their students
and do away with all processed foods. The school cafeteria now serves two
purposes: to feed students and community members, as well as acts as a
classroom in a brand new kitchen.
North Powder runs on a 4-day work week. While at our school, the
FoodCorps member will be assisting teachers on a daily basis in nutrition
education, gardening, and composting, and s/he will work alongside our Farm-toSchool committee. S/he will assist in field trips to local farms, community events
and training activities. S/he will be involved in organizing community events that
combine local producers and promoting their products. Assistance with procuring
items at a local Farmer's Market and making connections via Food Hub is
expected.
City/Town Name: North Powder
Population: 445
Number Partner Schools: 1