Farmers’ Market EBT Program Assistant II

EXPECTED HOURLY COMMITMENT: Part time. 20 hours/week 

COMPENSATION: $18.20/hour

BENEFITS:

3 weeks’ vacation/PTO annual accrual (amount increases with length of service)

10 paid holidays annually

1 day paid volunteering time off

5 sick days accrued annually (up to 120 hour accrual limit)

“Hybrid” partially remote options

SCHEDULE/LOCATION: Work schedule is 7:30am-12:30pm Thursdays in South Sacramento, 7:30am-12:30pm Saturdays in various locations and additional program tasks to be completed in Oak Park office as-needed or done remotely.

START DATE: May/June 2023

ABOUT US:

Alchemist CDC is a 501c3 non-profit serving the Sacramento Region. Our mission is to connect the community to land, food and opportunity. Our three program areas include CalFresh access at farmers’ markets, a food business training and incubator program, and community garden/green space development. The CalFresh at Farmers’ Markets Program is our longest operating program and strives to make locally grown and produced foods accessible and affordable to food insecure households. Farmers’ Markets are a great asset to communities, and can lead to improved health for area residents. By making it easier for lower-income populations to purchase food at farmers’ markets, these community assets will become more equitable and accessible to all individuals. 

We deliver this program at 8 farmers’ markets and partner with other market operators in the region to implement food benefit access and nutrition incentive programs. This program’s team is comprised of: 3 Program Associates, 2 Program Assistants, 1 Program Coordinator, and 1 Program Manager. We also rely on volunteers to support our small but mighty team.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Program Assistant is responsible for the preparation and implementation of CalFresh/EBT payment processing, Market Match Incentive services and a new Fruit and Vegetable Incentives pilot at various farmers’ markets in Sacramento County as assigned by Program Manager. CalFresh/EBT offers qualifying lower income individuals financial assistance in purchasing food for themselves and their families. This position provides an opportunity to learn more about food access and nutrition issues, engage directly with low-income individuals and small to mid-sized California farmers. Note: this description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions, it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

MAJOR TASKS:

  • Ensure vendor and customer compliance with federal guidelines for accepting CalFresh.
  • Setup, staff and take down CalFresh distribution booth weekly at various farmers’ market locations.
  • Support Program Coordinator in volunteer recruitment and training tasks.
  • Promote participation in the program through outreach activities that may include presentations to community groups, attending outreach events, creating social media posts, etc.
  • Complete sales and customer data tracking reports weekly.
  • Provide CalFresh eligibility information and application assistance both at program sites and remotely.

SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS: 

  • Must be fluent in spoken and written English. Bi-lingual a plus (especially Spanish, Dari/Farsi, Pashto or Chinese.)
  • Must be courteous and outgoing, and enjoy meeting and talking with new people.
  • Basic math skills are very important.
  • Detail oriented and highly organized.
  • Self-motivated and able to stay on task with minimal supervision.
  • Must have reliable verifiable transportation.
  • Must be able to transport and operate a pop-up canopy tent, folding table, chairs and an equipment bin that may weigh up to 30lbs.
  • Familiarity with community, its geography, demographics and community resources is beneficial.
  • Must be computer literate.

TO APPLY:

Send resume and brief cover letter explaining why you are interested in this position to apply@alchemistcdc.org

Alchemist CDC is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion among its workforce and is an equal opportunity employer:

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, reproductive choices, national origin, disability, and/or status as a protected veteran.

Alchemist CDC anonymizes all resumes and application responses before making the first level decisions of which applicants to invite to interview, in order to mitigate any implicit or subconscious bias.

Alchemist CDC provides reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. Please notify us if you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process.

**Note that Alchemist CDC has a COVID-19 vaccine mandate policy in place. The selected applicant will be required to show proof of full vaccination and 1 booster – (or valid verifiable exemption) before their employment begins.

**You will be required to complete a criminal background check after a conditional job offer is made. Alchemist CDC will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Alchemist CDC is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Rights Department Fair Chance Act webpage.