Hiring Summer Horticulturalist

Farmers on 57th|Assistant Urban Farmer & Horticultural Therapy Program Coordinator

Vancouver, BC

Name of Facility: Farmers on 57^th: A Community Integrated Urban Farm

Location: Main location at 57^th @ Cambie Street; second satellite location at 7710 Nanaimo Street

Start Date: Flexible start date, 8 weeks of full time employment (30 hours/ week). Start by July 1, 2019.

Hours offered: 30 hrs/week

Compensation: $13.85/hour. This is a 30 hour/week position for 8 weeks.

This is a Canada Summer job posting, so the successful applicant must:

• be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment
• be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
• have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations

Company Website: www.farmerson57th.ca

Company Description:

Farmers on 57^th is a therapeutic, educational and productive organic urban farm on the grounds of George Pearson Centre, a long-term care facility for people with disabilities in Vancouver, BC. Over 10 years, Farmers on 57^th has grown into a thriving 40 CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) market garden, offering courses and tours to the public. We also run a weekly enabling garden program for Pearson residents, allowing those living with disabilities to grow, harvest and enjoy their own food and flowers. And in our satellite garden in Southeast Vancouver (adjacent to the South Vancouver Family Place) we run a summer garden-based program for newcomer/refugee mothers and their young children. We are listed as an example of best practice by the City of Vancouver.

Job Description:

As our summer student, you would play an important supportive role to all of our programs. In this way you get to experience the productive, therapeutic and educational components of this thriving community integrated farm! It is a wonderful way to spend a summer.

Your responsibilities would include:

Market Garden Farm team member at George Pearson Centre

Heather Street and 57th Ave

This component of the job involves working in a productive market garden with a fabulous team of urban farmers. You will learn many aspects of growing & harvesting market vegetables and flowers for a CSA box program. Tuesday is CSA harvest day, so Tuesday morning is an important and busy time in the garden. Mondays are flower harvest.

• work with the market garden team & independently to accomplish the week’s field tasks including weeding, seeding, transplanting, tilling, amending, composting, watering, mulching, trellising and pruning
• harvest, trim, wash, process and package vegetables and flowers with the Tuesday harvest day crew to prepare CSA harvest boxes for pick-up & delivery
• interact with Pearson residents, CSA members & general public

Living Smoothies Coordinator in Garden Club (an enabling garden for people with disabilities).

Cambie and 57^th Ave

• Create smoothie recipes that incorporate harvest from the garden, using a Vitamix.
• coordinate with volunteers to harvest ingredients at the start of each Garden Club
• make smoothies of varying thicknesses for various swallowing abilities (some need pudding thick) and dietary requirements (some are lactose intolerant)
• coordinate the serving of smoothies to residents, helping to create an enjoyable "juice bar" experience where people get to enjoy the flavours and nutritional benefits.
• set up and cleanup
• write up/posting recipes on blog-- if there's time!

Growing Eden Community Kitchen Support

Nanaimo and 62^nd; SATELLITE LOCATION

This is a family-based program for newcomers, refugees and low-income folks in South East Vancouver. We use the Family Place kitchen (right next door), have use of their barbeque and kitchen, and eat outdoors. We eat nutritious food, explore food from one another's cultures, enjoy eating together, and use what's in season to inspire our cooking.

Duties here include:

• Take a lead in preparing a shared meal each week, with knowledge of what's ready to harvest in the garden.
• Work creatively with a $50/week food budget to feed up to 15 adults and a pile of children each week. There are various cultural eating habits and the varying tastes of children to consider in the meal planning...
• Prepare lunch in Family Place kitchen/barbq, bring out to garden. Help coordinate clean up. Garden participants also help with this!

Part of the fun is to promote conversation about food among participants of all ages: asking for recipes, sharing recipes, talking about nutrition in ways that are accessible and fun. Perhaps the school aged kids help each week in the harvest and processing (they have loved that in years past). Perhaps we do blindfolded taste testing of different tomatoes?

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Karen Ageson, Market Garden Field Manager, at

karen@farmerson57th.ca

Thank you!