Community Health Worker VeggieRx (Chicago, IL)

Chicago Botanic Garden • Chicago, IL

just now

About The Position

Windy City Harvest is looking for a dedicated community health worker to support its growing produce prescription program. The community health worker will be part of a collaborative team environment working closely with the VeggieRx manager to oversee operations at multiple VeggieRx distribution sites.

VeggieRx is a produce prescription program for families experiencing diet-related disease living in communities experiencing food insecurity. VeggieRx healthcare partners refer their patients to get produce at VeggieRx distributions and WCH farm stands. Windy City Harvest and our VeggieRx healthcare partners share the belief that access to fresh fruits and vegetables can transform individual and community health. The community health worker plays an integral part in this mission by assisting with programmatic, logistic, and educational aspects of VeggieRx distribution.

The ideal candidate for this position has deep connections to the communities where we work, is bilingual (English/Spanish), is comfortable driving SUV-size vehicles, and is motivated to find creative ways to help families increase their fruit and vegetable intake.

Please visit our website for details about Windy City Harvest programs: chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture/veggierx [https://www.chicagobotanic.org/veggierx]

Requirements

• Two years of education experience in urban communities
• Commitment to the mission of Windy City Harvest
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• A valid driver’s license
• Willingness to drive SUV-sized vehicles for distribution
• The ability to work independently to coordinate a developing program and as part of a dedicated urban agriculture training team
• A detail-oriented, flexible, dependable and punctual work ethic
• Excellent communication skills: email, phone, in-person, etc.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of federal benefit programs, particularly SNAP, preferred
• Experience tracking data in MS Excel
• Commitment to being a supportive resource for program participants, community residents, and project partners

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of produce boxes to thousands of families.
• Provide program support for Spanish-speaking participants. Ensure that all flyers, recipes, and educational material are appropriately translated into Spanish.
• Coordinate with our healthcare partners to schedule and refer patients to the program.
• Coordinate with Real Foods Collective staff to prepare culturally conscious recipe cards, nutrition information, and handouts for each distribution, creating new educational materials as needed.
• Distribute, collect, and enter programmatic knowledge assessments.
• Receive produce deliveries, conduct inventory, and maintain high standards for produce distribution.
• Develop creative ways to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles through the integration of fresh produce into day-to-day diets.
• Support and facilitate data entry and reporting to grant funders.
• Create weekly report of program activities for the team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed