CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
April 17, 2020
Job Postings
Dig In! Yancey Community Garden
www.diginyancey.org
JOB POSITION: Food For All Coordinator
LOCATION: Yancey County, NC
JOB CATEGORY: Hourly (30 hours/week)
Job Summary
The Food For All Coordinator works with individuals and organizations in Yancey County to
increase local food access and community food security. This person will organize and
implement Dig In!’s food sharing programs (Food For All programs) that include deliveries to emergency food providers, community food programs, and share markets called Harvest Tables. Additionally, they will co-facilitate growing food in public gardens with established partners, and work with organizations, institutions, and individuals to discern additional community food growing opportunities. This is a leadership position that will complement the roles of Dig In’s current Executive Director and Farm Manager.
Essential Responsibilities Responsibilities of the Food For all Coordinator, as they relate to the organization’s goals to ensure access for all food insecure community members to fresh, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food:
Plan and help coordinate Dig In!’s program to distribute fresh produce from our
gardens and farms, and partner gardens and farms, to people and community
partners in Yancey County
Coordinate with partner agencies to implement community food programs that
provide local produce to low-wealth households during the growing season
Support existing and cultivate new relationships with organizations, churches, and
individuals to grow gardens that increase individual and community food security.
Recruit, organize, and support volunteers who are willing to share skills, knowledge
and resources with each other in the garden, while sharing and preparing food, and
other community events organized by Dig In!
Qualifications
Minimum three years professional experience in an organization and/or business
related to agriculture or food system development
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills
Knowledge of, connection and commitment to communities in Yancey County, NC
Minimum of 3 years experience growing vegetables using organic, sustainable, and
resilient methods .
Resourcefulness, creativity and strong problem-solving skills
Desired proficiency in writing and speaking Spanish
Valid driver's license
Physical Requirements
This position requires the applicant walk unaided up and down hills and over uneven terrain, bend, stoop, reach above their head, and have use of fine and gross motor skills. The applicant must have normal visual acuity at near and far distance with correction and hear the spoken word with correction. The applicant must be fluent in English. The position demands frequent exposure to inclement weather. The applicant is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or touch objects, tools, or controls and to talk fluently. The applicant must occasionally lift and/or move heavy objects weighing up to 75 pounds.
How to apply
Prepare a cover letter and resume specifically tailored for this opportunity and email
them as a Word or PDF document to kwood@diginyancey.org; the subject line of the
email should include your name and the position title
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will remain open
until filled
For questions not covered above, contact Kathleen Wood, Executive Director, by
emailing kwood@diginyancey.org
Paycheck Protection Program
PRESS RELEASE: April 9, 2020
Media Contact: Erica Allison, Formation PR + Brand
erica@formationpr.com / 828-329-5089
Mountain BizWorks, Dogwood Health Trust Partner
to Provide Access to Paycheck Protection Program
for Nonprofits, Rural, Minority and Women-Owned Small Businesses
in Western North Carolina
Asheville (April 9, 2020) – Mountain BizWorks, working with Dogwood Health Trust, announced today a targeted effort to provide increased access to the highly anticipated Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for nonprofits and small businesses in the region, with a focus on rural and minority and women-led organizations. The PPP was created to provide loans to organizations impacted by COVID-19 and are forgivable if they are used to cover payroll, mortgage, rent and utility costs over an eight-week period after the loan is issued. The Mountain BizWorks regional application process opens for nonprofits on Wednesday, April 8 and will open on Friday, April 10 for small businesses. Information and application materials can be found at mountainbizworks.org/ppp/.
Dogwood Health Trust is supporting this effort with an initial investment of $2 million paid back to the Trust when the loans are funded through Mountain BizWorks. For many banks in the region, the requirement that they advance the funds for these loans before receiving the funds from the SBA can be prohibitive. As a U.S. Treasury certified non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI), Mountain BizWorks is an ideal partner to facilitate the targeted distribution of these much-needed funds to diverse-led nonprofits and small businesses in the region.
“Many small businesses and nonprofits in WNC are not getting access to PPP funds at this critical time, especially rural and diverse led ones. This vital partnership with Mountain BizWorks will help advance equity and address disparities in accessing federal emergency funding,” said Antony Chiang, CEO for Dogwood Health Trust. “Similar to our Leverage Fund, this initiative will help WNC attract more emergency funding resources to our communities that otherwise might not have been drawn down from the national level.”
“Small businesses and nonprofits across our region are facing unprecedented challenges and need immediate relief to navigate the COVID-19 health crisis,” added Matt Raker, Executive Director of Mountain BizWorks. “PPP loans are an essential part of the needed response, and through Dogwood Health Trust’s leadership and financial commitment, we will be able to broaden access to PPP loans and bring more federal relief to Western North Carolina.”
It should be noted that each applicant is only eligible to receive one PPP loan. If businesses and nonprofits in the region are interested in applying through Mountain BizWorks, they are directed to withdraw their original application before applying to Mountain BizWorks.
Mountain BizWorks is a US Treasury-certified community development financial institution (CDFI) that provides tailored small business lending and peer-learning programs to help grow local businesses and expand economic opportunities in Western North Carolina. For more information on the PPP loan and other COVID-19 resources available for area entrepreneurs and organizations, visit mountainbizworks.org.
Dogwood Health Trust is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust became operational upon the sale of Mission Health’s assets to HCA Healthcare and is the recipient of the net proceeds of the sale. To learn more, please visit www.dht.org.
Would you like us to forward your business items of interest to other Chamber members? Submit your items weekly via email no later than 8am each Tuesday for inclusion each Tuesday. Email to jaime@yanceychamber.com. Chamber Office Telephone 682-7413. WEBSITE
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