Food Access and Community Engagement Coordinator - Commonwealth Corps

The Food Access and Community Engagement Coordinator position at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Beverly, MA involves outreach to enhance food access partnerships, support local food distribution, manage volunteer engagement, and improve community programs such as the Mobile Market and Farm-to-School initiatives. The role requires a commitment of 1,500 service hours through June 2026 and participation in training and community events.
More info/apply: Employment Opportunities | New Entry Sustainable Farming Project

The Commonwealth Corps Members will assist in outreach and engagement efforts to grow our food access partnerships and provide local food distribution support.

Service members will perform the following:
• Mobile Market Program Improvement: engage food insecure communities and food access partners in a North Shore Mobile Market Coalition; direct Mobile Market operations; provide nutrition education; and track results to develop an enterprise model for New Entry’s mobile market program in low-income North Shore communities;
• Food Hub Logistical Support: support food hub warehouse packing and distribution logistics; volunteer training and management
• Food Hub and Farm Production Support: alongside farmer trainees and farmer training staff, support educational goals and experiential farm programming in demonstration training plot, support demonstration plot maintenance with Practicum participants and volunteers including planting, weeding, harvesting of crops for food access and food hub markets
• Volunteer Engagement: engage and lead volunteers on farm and in food hub;
• Farm to School Program Development: support planning and programming to improve Farm-to-School connection between New Entry and local schools in our region;
• Community Event Planning and Support: develop schedule of community engagement events on farm and volunteer roles needed, engage community partners to leverage outreach, and support execution of events and follow up services.

More About What You'll Do

Essential Responsibilities:

• Complete a minimum of 1,500 hours of service, serving through June 20, 2026.

• Attend a minimum of 6 Commonwealth Corps trainings and service events held by MSA post orientation.

• Participate in a minimum of 1 hour of MSA-related activities each week. This may include filling out timesheets, completing a bi-monthly reflection or check-in, or other MSA-related tasks or activities.

• Engage communities in New Entry’s new Mobile Market program and engage food access partners in the North Shore Mobile Market Coalition.

• Create resources to increase Farm-to-School adoption in public schools.

• Conduct community outreach to increase awareness and eagement in New Entry programs and services to build partnerships and generate community support for the mission.

• Recruit, engage, manage, track, and steward volunteers to support New Entry operations.

• Contribute to New Entry communication channels.

• Participate in Food Hub coordination and management, including share packing, volunteer supervision, marketing, CSA/Senior share newsletter development, and connecting low-income consumers to fresh locally grown food.

Marginal Responsibilities:

• Support planning and coordination of on-farm community events and tours for the public.

• Support Farmer Training team to prepare produce for market (harvesting, washing, and packing produce), support demonstration plot maintenance (planting, weeding, watering), and facilitate produce distribution to consumers.

• Support agricultural training courses and workshops.

• Facilitate project evaluation, collection of metrics, and tracking of project outcomes.

• Be a part of the greater Commonwealth Corps community, including participating in cross-site learning groups, writing a short profile for the CC newsletter, connecting with other members on our online platforms, and attending optional social/service events.

Who You Are

You must be:

• A Massachusetts resident with legal authorization to work in the U.S.

• 18 years of age at minimum (member age range is 18 – 70+ years old)

• Excited to give back to your community and interested in developing your skills and gaining new professional experiences

• Able to balance service internship commitments with personal commitments in a sustainable way

• Passionate about food justice, local food, farming, and building community connections to food and land

• Excited and able to be outdoors in all weather conditions, on uneven terrain in an agricultural setting

• Eager to interact with diverse individuals and plan engaging community events and activities for all ages

• Adept at computer programs such as Microsoft Office, Social Media, and willing to learn new skills

• Have access to reliable transportation to get to the farm/office each day

It would also be great if you:

• Have adult education and farm-based education experience

• Have experience with excel and data entry

• Have graphic design experience

• Have experience in community outreach, promotion, and marketing and are comfortable speaking in front of small and large audiences and giving tours

• Have experience in recruiting, managing, engaging, and supervising diverse volunteers of all skill levels

• Are able to lift at least 25 lbs. repeatedly to help move produce boxes and stack bins

• Are willing to drive a box truck or delivery van and have a clean driving record

• Speak a language other than English – multi-lingual candidates encouraged to apply

Please note that we do not expect applicants to meet all of these criteria. We will consider candidates who have a combination of the skills and experience listed.

More info/apply: Employment Opportunities | New Entry Sustainable Farming Project