Feeding Our Future Assistant

Second Harvest•Etobicoke, ON

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Second Harvest is Canada’s largest food rescue organization and the expert in perishable food recovery. They rescue surplus, unsold food from across the supply chain and redistribute it to non-profits across the country to feed communities. Demonstrating their values of Innovation, Impact and Integrity, they strive for No Waste. No Hunger. Second Harvest is a renowned leader in perishable food redistribution across Canada, with a mission fueled by a no-waste, no-hunger ethos. Their strategic approach aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Feeding Our Future program is an eight-week initiative running from July to August, designed to ensure children who rely on meal programs during the school year receive at least one nutritious meal during the summer through their camp program. The Feeding Our Future Assistant position will support the daily operations of this program, assisting in the coordination of volunteer teams, communicating with social service agency partners, and supporting the organized delivery of supplementary food and resource kits.

Requirements

Be Youth between 18 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment.
Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment.
Have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.
Available to work for the entire contract duration.
Communicative: you have a knack for making complex ideas seem clear and simple; team members and peers always know what you’re up to.
Quick Learner: Willing to hit the ground running, learn on the job, and resolve situations with a positive attitude.
Naturally Curious: you are willing to participate in various tasks and activities, developing a range of skills; you have a keen interest in developing volunteer management skills, food literacy skills, and public speaking skills.
Process-oriented: you are always assessing what works best and are proactive in suggesting more efficient ways of making things happen.
Socially Conscientious: Apply principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessible customer service (AODA).
Environmental Stewardship: Support sustainable practices that advance Second Harvest’s No Waste. No Hunger.
Physical Requirements: Able to be on your feet for up to 5 hours at a time, and lift and move a minimum of 25-50 lbs.

Nice To Haves

Completion of a minimum of one-year post-secondary education preferably in a related field of study such as Food & Nutrition, Agri-Food, Volunteer Management or Social & Community Services.
Previous work or internship experience in the Agri-Food sector, food preparation, nutrition education/food literacy, food distribution, volunteer management and/or community services assisting people with food insecurity.

Responsibilities

Support the Ontario Operations team with daily food production, including production planning and controls of up to 1,500 healthy sandwiches a day, and communication with receiving social service agency partners.
Help oversee teams of 6+ volunteers at a time, providing daily orientations and demonstrating enthusiasm and leadership throughout shifts.
Learn about Second Harvest's environmental mission to reduce food waste and share that mission during presentations given to volunteers before each shift.
Support in the receiving of food orders and coordination of food inventories twice per week.
Transport completed food kits and cases of individual food items (25-50lbs) between cold/dry storage and the production area throughout each shift while maintaining high safe food handling standards.
Aid in the effective cleaning and sanitation of production area before, during, and after volunteer shifts, including the breakdown of all cardboard boxes and other recyclable waste.
Help mitigate the negative environmental impact of food waste by identifying and redirecting surplus food to our camp lunches.
Create online inventory tracking documents to ensure we are storing food safely and not contributing to food waste.
Maintain positive relationships with program partners, including corporate volunteer supporters of Second Harvest and other external representatives.
Ensure ongoing communication with social service agency partners regarding upcoming production schedules collecting media content and program data for reporting purposes.
Participate in a 'Food Drop-off Ride Along' to learn first-hand how Second Harvest reduces food waste by supporting NFP organizations across the GTA.
Perform other related duties as required/assigned to support the overall goals of the organization.