Company description

The Adams County Farmers Market is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit based in historic Gettysburg, PA, committed to fostering a vibrant farmers market which assists consumers in obtaining nutritious food while strengthening the bond between agriculture and the community. Our community-driven, open air farmers market features a great cast of vendors, seasonal produce, unique products, and a wonderful shopping atmosphere for visitors and locals alike!

Through strong community partnerships, the Adams County Farmers Market is also able to facilitate many food assistance programs that help address hunger-related and food access issues in Adams County. Our farmers market administers multiple incentive programs that assist lower income shoppers in buying locally produced food while promoting health and wellness in our community.

Additionally, the Adams County Farmers Market is proud to serve as a small business incubator. Our market has helped support the growth of dozens of small business startups and family farms, which strengthens the local economy, promotes agritourism, and cultivates a stronger regional food system here in Adams County, Pennsylvania.

Job description

Organizations' Backgrounds:

• Adams County Farmers Market: The Adams County Farmers Market (ACFM) was founded in 2008 with a mission to increase farmers market vendor services while helping develop various food assistance resources much needed by the community. Since then, ACFM has operated an open air, direct-to-consumer farmers market every year in historic Gettysburg, PA. The work of ACFM benefits dozens of small businesses as well as over one thousand lower income residents of Adams County every year.
• Healthy Options Program: The Healthy Options (HO) program is a local food voucher program for Adams County residents who are food insecure and cannot access other forms of food assistance. It currently serves 155 families and 75 senior citizens (over 600 people in total). The HO program is a project of the Adams County Food Policy Council, which is a task force under Healthy Adams County (HAC). 

 

Overview of Position:

The Food Programs Coordinator is a new position created through the collaboration between ACFM and HAC. The Food Programs Coordinator will have two sets of complementary responsibilities:

1. Assisting with the overall logistics and management of the farmers market
2. Direct oversight and management of the critical Healthy Options Program

 

The Food Programs Coordinator will support the Market Manager/Program Director with setup, transactions, vendor management, and other logistics on-site at the farmers market on Saturday mornings, as well as other administrative duties throughout the week. In addition, the Food Programs Coordinator will have direct oversight over the critical Healthy Options program and manage voucher distribution to participants, organizing the annual HO re-application process, inputting voucher spending data, and responding to questions or concerns about the program as they arise. The Food Programs Coordinator will also work closely with a group of HO Community Leaders who assist with the program. 

 

The Food Programs Coordinator will report to ACFM’s Market Manager/Program Director. All ACFM staff report to the farmers market’s Board of Directors.

 

This position provides many opportunities for a qualified candidate to build their skill set and broaden their knowledge base. Experience in all of the listed areas is not absolutely necessary, as long as the candidate expresses an interest in learning and adopting necessary skills. The position may grow in allotted hours and compensation over time. An excellent candidate will work with ACFM to help expand the Food Programs Coordinator position. An additional long-term goal for the Food Programs Coordinator will be to implement new activities for HO recipients such as nutrition education, cooking, personal finance, pot-lucks, farm visits, or physical activities.
 

Characteristics of a good candidate:

• Required: Bilingual (English-Spanish)
• Required: Reliable access to the internet
• Required: Must be able to work most Saturdays for the duration of the market season (April through October), mornings, and occasional evenings
• Excels at working independently
• Has a clear communication style and enjoys collaborative projects
• Demonstrates skill in planning, organizing, and decision-making
• Enjoys learning new skills, thinking creatively, and interacting with the community
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets 
• Familiarity with nonprofits, especially organizations based in Adams County
• Experience with event coordination and project management
• Physically able to stand over 2 hours and regularly lift 35 lbs.
• 2-year or 4-year degree from a College/University a plus

Position Responsibilities Include:

• Assisting on-site with farmers market transactions and customer service
• Planning activities for the farmers market with community partners, such as family-friendly events, educational resources, and public presentations
• Attending ACFM board and committee meetings, and assisting with strategic planning
• Assisting with various fundraising efforts, including solicitation of corporate sponsorships and developing fundraising literature

• Reviewing Healthy Options applications and confirming program participants for the Healthy Options program, annually
• Organizing and facilitating regular bilingual meetings with Healthy Options Community Leaders for feedback and program updates
• Collecting, counting, and inputting data for different food programs each season
• Compiling end-of-season data to share with relevant community organizations
• Creating and implementing activities for program participants 
• Attending all meetings of the Food Policy Council and the council’s Food Programs Committee to provide updates on the programs

 

Compensation:

• 1,600 hours/year
• $17.00 - $19.00/hour
• Negotiable with experience

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $17.00 - $19.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline