Food Recovery Driver, Greater Boston

Spoonfuls keeps good food from going to waste. Through food recovery and distribution, education, and advocacy, we work to address the health, environmental, and economic impact that wasted food has on people and the planet.

To learn more; visit spoonfuls.org

The Food Recovery, Non-CDL Driver is responsible for driving a defined route each day to collect, inspect, load perishable and nonperishable food products from vendors and deliver the food to community organizations Spoonfuls partners with. The Food Recovery Driver is responsible for maintaining positive relationships with vendors, beneficiaries, and the community as a whole. The Food Recovery Driver is the face of our organization and as such must be committed to our mission.

Responsibilities:

• Drives a medium duty truck (non-CDL), following all Spoonfuls safety protocol, including all US Department of Transportation (DOT) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation regulations as well as company regulations related to company vehicles and general safety.
• Collects prepared, perishable, and other rescued foods from retail stores, farms, and wholesale partners; informs supervisor of any problems or issues in a timely manner.
• Inspects the product to be donated following food safety guidelines and refuses donations if the product doesn’t meet stated criteria.
• Delivers food to community organizations; informs supervisor of any problems or issues in a timely manner.
• Collects and delivers all product following all state and federal food safety handling guidelines.
• Following the completion of the day’s route, comes back to the office to accurately records all collections and distributions in our inventory system by 4 PM of the same business day. Also records all information pertinent to food recovery operations.
• Completes and submits weekly reports in a timely manner.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with our partners; maintains positive relationships with all Spoonfuls staff.

Job Requirements

• Acceptable motor vehicle report (MVR) with no accidents in the past 3 years
• Possess or ability to obtain current DOT physical card per state and federal regulations
• Effective customer service skills
• Ability to learn computerized data input technology
• Willing to move between the aspects of the job that involve driving in the community and those that require an in-office presence at the Spoonfuls office
• Ability and desire to relate to and work with individuals of various age, economic, racial, and ethnic groups.
• Ability to communicate in English
• Ability to obtain a safe food handling license (ServSafe)

Education & Experience

Formal education or special training required:

• Valid Driver’s License with at least 5 years of driving experience.
• Commercial driving experience, like box trucks/van or refrigerated trucks, is strongly preferred.
• Food Handling experience preferred
• Previous customer service and/or grocery retail experience preferred

Hours

Full-Time: Must be available 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though schedules vary day to day. Mandatory paid break during the workday. Minimum 36 hours worked per week.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands, reach, climb stairs, stoop, kneel, climb in and out of a dock-high vehicle, talk and hear clearly
• Ability to perform moderate to heavy physical labor (lift or maneuver up to 50 lbs repeatedly and loading and unloading a total of approximately 2,000 lbs to 3,000 lbs on a daily basis)
• Ability to navigate the Boston metro area and/or use a GPS

Work Environment

This job requires the ability to:

• Operate in an enclosed box truck or commercial van on a daily basis, both alone and with another driver/assistant.
• Work outdoors while loading and unloading product. Work indoors while driving or filling out paperwork.
• Be exposed contaminants such as fuel or exhaust
• Wear protective gloves daily (discretionary)
• Sometimes being exposed to hot or very cold temperatures while working inside (including refrigerated areas, coolers, or freezers) or outside
• Occasionally get into cramped positions to reach workspaces, such as the back of a truck.
• Occasionally being exposed to whole body vibration when driving a truck.
• Sometimes dealing with sounds or noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable.
• Working close to others, especially when unloading trucks and 2-3 days/week enclosed in a box truck or commercial van.
• Handle and sort through produce and other food products that are close to, at, or past expiration, or may be opened
• Use of hand-trucks or two-wheel dollies, and U-boats for moving, loading, and unloading product
• Additionally, this role uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones