VISTA Position

GARDENS PROJECT CHAMPION

NCO GARDENS PROJECT

North Coast Opportunities, Inc. (NCO) is the Community Action Agency that serves Lake and Mendocino Counties, as well as parts of Humboldt, Sonoma, Del Norte, and Solano Counties. NCO was established in 1968 as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty, with the mission of assisting low-income and disadvantaged people to become self-reliant. NCO provides a safety net of emergency assistance, employment, and training services for low-income individuals and families.

The Gardens Project of North Coast Opportunities seeks to relieve hunger and inadequate nutrition throughout Mendocino and Lake Counties by creating access to community-based food  production and local, nutritious food. Over the last decade we have worked with local government and private landowners to lease underutilized land around low-income neighborhoods for the creation of 45 new community gardens. Much of our current work focuses  on supporting existing gardens and gardeners through leadership training, food production workshops, advocacy and organizational support.

Check out our websites and Facebook page for more information: www.gardensproject.org

The VISTA member will work with an existing community garden network to build capacity and enhance sustainability of the gardens and program. A primary focus of this VISTA position will be assisting with setup of a data management system and the creation of systems for efficient and accurate data collection and analysis. They will develop resources for garden leaders to ensure effective management of community gardens and will work with the leaders to strengthen their management teams and set up systems of communication and idea sharing between all garden leaders. They will collaborate with the Mendocino Gardens Project VISTA to develop a fundraising plan to raise money for garden scholarships, garden development and workshops. They will recruit and manage volunteers for ongoing garden development and support. Along with the Mendocino Gardens Project VISTA, they will be responsible for outreach and promotion of the program through social media and will be instrumental in helping brainstorm and implement projects that tell the stories of our gardeners and importance of our program.  The VISTA member will partner with local organizations, businesses, clubs, and groups with complementary visions to Gardens Project’s to support funding and projects and promote Gardens Project’s work. This position will be based part time out of our Ukiah office and part time in Lake County.

Service term: April 15 2019- April 14 2020

Benefits include: biweekly living allowance, education award upon successful completion of service, training, relocation allowance, health coverage, childcare assistance if eligible, choice of education award or end of service stipend

Please send a cover letter and resume to Ava Ryan at aryan@ncoinc.org by February 15th 2019