Food Bank Orchard Assistant 2026-2027 Academic Year

Chatham University • Matthews, NC

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank (GPFB) is looking to pay students to assist in managing their orchard located on the Eden Hall campus of Chatham University. In this role, a student will be monitoring the orchard weekly and reporting findings to Laura Livingston and Marc Rattay of the GPFB. Additionally, the student will observe prior and prospective weekly precipitation trends and irrigate the trees accordingly. Students will use Integrated Pest Management practices (IPM) and scouting materials as a part of orchard management best practices. After conducting the IPM and irrigation work, the student will send a short email with the IPM report, irrigation hours, and any other important details to Livingston and Rattay. The student participating in this position will learn about orchard management, specifically the topics of IPM, phenology, and irrigation. Specifically, students will learn to observe fruit trees and weather conditions across the growing season, paying attention to insect, disease, and weed pressures as well as beneficial populations. The student employee will have the optional opportunity of visiting the GPFB to shadow Rattay and learn more about the organization.

Requirements

• Must be certified to drive university vehicles
• Must be above the age of 20
• Must have a valid driver's license
• Must pass the university driving approval process
• Notify other manager(s) if working multiple jobs on campus
• May not work more than 20 hours per week (combined between all campus jobs) during the academic year
• May not exceed 980 work hours per calendar year

Nice To Haves

• Optional opportunity to visit the GPFB to shadow Rattay and learn more about the organization

Responsibilities

• Monitoring the orchard weekly
• Reporting findings to Laura Livingston and Marc Rattay
• Observing precipitation trends and irrigating trees accordingly
• Using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and scouting materials
• Sending a weekly email with IPM report, irrigation hours, and other important details

What This Job Offers

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