Community Food Educator

Title: Community Food Educator

Department: Urban Farm

Job Type: Part-Time; Temporary; 10 hrs./week.

Duration: May 5, 2025 – September 28, 2025

Pay Rate: $31/hour

Work Location: Randall’s Island Park and East Harlem

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Since 2020, the Randall’s Island Park Alliance (RIPA) Urban Farm has partnered with the Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service’s (LSA) Food Pantry in East Harlem, donating 3,000 lbs. of produce annually through weekly distributions from May - October. The Urban Farm provides seasonal, locally grown, fresh greens and vegetables that are otherwise rarely offered in food pantries and emergency food service settings, supplementing clients’ diets with hard-to-find culturally significant produce.

RIPA's Urban Farm seeks a Community Food Educator to lead and implement programming at LSA. The Community Food Educator will be responsible for leading and implementing cooking demos and conducting comprehensive outreach during LSA Food Distribution and Urban Farm Open Hours. Sampling easy-to-make recipes that feature the farm’s seasonal produce, they will act as a liaison between the farm and community, providing holistic community education on nutrition, healthy eating, and cooking. For four weeks, they will also facilitate K-5 cooking workshops at LSA’s Summer Enrichment Program. The Community Food Educator role is a hybrid position requiring both remote work and onsite work at the Randall’s Island Park Alliance’s Urban Farm as well as the LSA Family Health Services in East Harlem. Each week, the Community Food Educator is expected to perform a few hours of planning and preparation remotely and a few hours of work on site. The Community Food Educator will report to the Urban Farm Manager and take direction from the Urban Farm Lead.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• LSA Summer Camp Cooking Workshops
• Facilitate and lead 3 cooking workshops at the LSA Health Services’ summer camp (7/11, 7/25, 8/1)
• Prepare recipes and age-appropriate lesson plans for workshops aimed at students in grades K-5
• Prepare, set-up clean up, and breakdown the classroom space for workshops
• Coordinate with LSA K-5 Summer Enrichment Program staff

Cooking Demos

• Conduct biweekly tabling and cooking demos outside the LSA food pantry during Wednesday distribution hours (5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 8/27, 9/10?), as well as weekly cooking demos on the RIPA’s Urban Farm during Saturday open hours and at other RIPA festivals and events (7/12, 7/19, 8/16, 8/23 or (Thursday 8/21 if available), 9/6, 9/13, 9/20 and 9/28)
• Select and identify accessible recipes highlighting seasonally available farm produce to feature at food demos.
• Independently set-up and breakdown pop-up tent, folding table, and other materials for tabling and recipe sampling
• Maintain food safety, including cleaning and sanitation of all cooking equipment used in culinary demos

General Tasks

• Build and maintain relationships with the LSA community of clients, campers, volunteers, and staff
• Represent and promote RIPA programming and facilities
• Prepare and submit weekly purchase lists by deadlines
• Implement strategies for collecting meaningful feedback and data
• Support the RIPA Communications department by providing content for social media posts, when needed
• Complete other tasks as assigned

This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Relevant degree or degree in process and/or related work experience
• Excellent ability to work with and interact with the public with a friendly demeanor
• Confident kitchen and cooking skills, including experience with menu planning
• Knowledge of, and willingness to teach a variety of cuisines representing diverse, multi-cultural populations
• Interest or familiarity with sustainable farm practices, food systems, and other social and environmental issues
• Comfort with outreach and record keeping
• Self-motivated and detail-oriented with strong time management skills and ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks
• Ability to collaborate and maintain positive working relationships
• Willing to work outdoors in all types of weather and ability to perform physical labor
• Experience with children's programming, teaching, and/or working with youth
• Able to work well independently while maintaining strong communication with the larger team and staff.
• Flexibility and creativity, ability “to think on your feet” and find appropriate solutions to unique challenges
• Proficiency with computer applications, including Microsoft Office applications and Canva

PREFERRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS

• Certification in nutrition or studying for a master's in nutrition, food studies or public health
• Experience teaching cooking, healthy eating, food or nutrition classes
• Fluent or functional in Spanish and/or Mandarin
• First Aid and CPR Certification
• Food Protection Certificate/Food Handler’s License

The Randall’s Island Park Alliance, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and believes in a diverse and an inclusive workspace and environment

RIPA maintains confidentiality of all applications and therefore will never contact a present employer without prior consent from the applicant.