Location of Service: Beardsley Community Farm – 1741 Reynolds Street, Knoxville, TN 37921
About Beardsley Farm:
CAC Beardsley Community Farm is an urban educational farm that promotes food security and sustainable agriculture. Beardsley’s goal is to increase food security in Knoxville through produce donations, accessible education, and land and resources for gardening. Beardsley Farm grows over 10,000 pounds of produce on about four-acres of productive land with the help of over 2,000 annual volunteers.
Position Summary:
- Support the maintenance of gardens at elementary schools and after school programs
- Assist with planning and leading lessons on gardening, healthy eating, cooking, and nature education
- Help with programming at each site, including during after-school
- Host structured garden time as an alternative to recess and as after-school programming
- Perform cooking and nutrition lessons with students that include taste tests with produce from Beardsley Farm and produce purchased from local farmers
- Aid community gardening volunteer days at each school
- Work with partner sites (including Nourish Knoxville, Knox County Health Department)
- Harvest, clean, transport, pack, and distribute produce to schools
- Provide produce information and seasonal recipes, videos, and other accessible information to encourage cooking and healthy eating
- Distribute gardening resources, including seeds and plants
- Carry out assessments and surveys to mark progress of the school programming
- Preserve seasonal produce for distribution during Beardsley’s offseason
- Assist with creating a sustainable model for future programming (funding sources, program manuals)
- Assist with organizing and packing educational materials
The member(s) in this position will have the opportunity to gain the following skills/credentials:
- Organizing and facilitating garden-based education for elementary aged children
- Organizing and facilitating cooking classes (with nutrition information) for elementary aged children
- Leading volunteers
- Nurturing community partnerships
- Public speaking
- Event planning and promotion
- Building written communication skills
Site Preferences/Qualifications:
- Interest and enthusiasm in working with elementary school kids
- Ability to speak to groups
- Must enjoy and be capable of working outdoors in all weather conditions (sun, rain, heat, cold)
- Capable of working with people from a variety of backgrounds
- Solid organization and leadership skills
- Commitment to honesty, excellence, and professionalism
- Ability to motivate others to change habits and behaviors
- Ability to multi-task and adapt in a fast-paced environment with many weekly scheduled events
- Enthusiasm for learning and engaging with new communities
- Ability to adapt in an ever-changing work environment
- Ability to lift 40 pounds, team lift 100 pounds
- Kneeling, pushing a loaded wheelbarrow uphill
- Ability to use garden tools
- Must have clean driving record and willing to drive a work vehicle (provided)
The Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will take action to ensure that members and employees are treated equally without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender, romantic/sexual orientation, age, handicap, cultural or religious convictions. CAC AmeriCorps provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees. Applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation at any point in the recruitment / employment process.