Agricultural and Community Outreach Specialist (Part-Time Contract)

Contract Opportunity: Agricultural & Community Outreach Specialist Part-Time | Winter–Spring | Flexible Schedule | $45–50 per hour Join a growing community effort to make dependable food rescue a lasting resource for our region. Fresh Rescue of Michigan (FRoM) seeks someone with experience and relationships in agriculture or food production who enjoys working with people, solving problems together and being out in the community. Our goal is to keep good, healthy food from going to waste by getting it quickly and directly to people who need it. When there's an extra-large harvest, produce with cosmetic flaws or more than the market can take, timing is everything. With arrangements made in advance, that food can go to its highest and best use, feeding people, while it is fresh and at its most nutritious. Without them, the choices come down to managing the excess as waste, simply because the logistics aren't in place to move it quickly to an agency that can use it the same day. Working alongside growers, farmers market managers and food businesses who share these values, you'll help put those arrangements in place. Hunger and food insecurity are growing. More nonprofits and agencies are adding food pantries to carry out their missions, because their clients are often facing food insecurity. Many of the nonprofits and agencies serve all three counties, and public and nonprofit funding is tight. FRoM is working to build a coalition across Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties, and it will take many people to make it work. Growers and food businesses decide what to donate and when. Volunteers, nonprofits and local units of government each bring something different. The all-volunteer rescue network is already doing this work free of charge, carried by people who want a community that looks out for all of us. Volunteers pick up and deliver directly to food pantries, shelters, community kitchens and faith-based organizations, timed for when each is open and able to keep food cold. For donors, it is one more dependable option to call whenever surplus is available, at no cost, alongside any donation arrangements they already have. Every grower or business that takes part adds to what the whole region can do, and we hope you will help us grow this effort. Credibility in the agricultural community and steady follow-through matter most. Connections with MSU or MSU Extension are valuable, as is experience in food access or food systems. Working and retired professionals are welcome. This independent contract is funded for about 100 hours over five months, or 5 to 10 hours a week. The hourly rate includes all expenses; travel is within the three counties. Funding is provided by a NextCycle Michigan SEED grant through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). #J-18808-Ljbffr Fresh Rescue of Michigan