One Meal a Day Field Organizer
Start date: By August 15, 2018. 1 year contract position with possibility of extension.
Location: The Triangle region of North Carolina
Objective:
Our overarching campaign objective is to reduce meat and dairy consumption and increase access, production and consumption of plant-based foods globally, reducing the detrimental environmental, social and health impacts of corporate animal agriculture.
To complement our movement, One Meal a Day (OMD) is launching a pilot campaign program in North Carolina – ground zero for climate and food justice. Our aim is to deepen engagement and impact in diverse communities to get more plant-based food served in K-12 schools and restaurants.
Responsibilities:
Working closely with our Campaign Manager and Communications & Social Media Manager, the OMD Field Organizer will manage the pilot program in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Through coalition and base building, direct engagement with schools and restaurants, and identifying storytelling opportunities in communities impacted by factory farming and food deserts, the One Meal a Day organizer will build a local movement to increase access to healthy, plant-based food, being mindful of the social and economic barriers many communities face.
Suzy Amis Cameron’s book, One Meal a Day: The Simple, Plant-based Program to Save Your Health, Save Your Waistline, and Save the Planet, looks at the impact of industrial animal agriculture on the environment and our health, and how to incrementally change how we eat. The book and campaign have a specific tone embodying empathy, non-judgement, warmth, openness, and positivity that we’re trying to hit in all of our work.
The OMD Field Organizer will work with the OMD Team to adapt our existing North Carolina campaign plan based on his/her skills and knowledge of the community and execute plans accordingly. The ideal candidate is a North Carolina native, passionate about building a healthy, equitable, climate-friendly food system, and representative of the diverse communities OMD is looking to reach. We’re seeking someone with a strong network of relationships on the ground, who is excited to work with people from all backgrounds and a variety of stakeholder groups. We’re also looking for someone who is self-directed, works well independently, is an excellent and proactive communicator, and skilled with remote communication tools.
Specific Duties:
The OMD Field Organizer will build a local OMD campaign informed by and reflective of the intersectionality of the local plant-based food movement. The projects and responsibilities will include the following:
- Event planning: Work with the OMD Campaign Manager, local allies and volunteers to plan and execute an OMD pilot program kick-off event in partnership with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in late October. The event will have an outreach and education focus, feature Suzy and her new book, as well as local leaders speaking on a panel, a plant-based film screening, and a plant-based food tasting.
- Recruitment: Design a recruitment plan and do outreach at local college and university campuses such as UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina State University, Duke University, and ten of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Shaw University, to build a core team to regularly activate volunteers on the ground.
- Coalition building: Build a coalition of regional support, including environmental, climate, health, labor, animal rights, food justice, vegan and/or other organizations in North Carolina to tap expertise and advise on local campaign strategy.
- Restaurant engagement: As part of a national restaurant campaign, use our OMD toolkit to engage restaurants directly, and working with a local base of allies and volunteers, support food institutions throughout North Carolina in serving more healthy, plant-based entrées. Organize low-lift actions (positive pressure) at target location(s) in the region, and potentially nationwide, with our restaurant campaign partner Center for Biological Diversity’s Ignite Change grassroots network.
- School engagement: As part of a national healthy, climate-friendly school lunch campaign with Chef Ann Foundation, Friends of the Earth and PCRM, use our OMD toolkit to engage school foodservice directors and expand access to healthy food. Through a partnership with Earth Guardians, inspire and support youth to lead the charge towards advocating more healthy, climate-friendly school food options.
- Communications and storytelling: Work with the OMD Team and North Carolina allies to identify leaders and gather their stories to highlight the negative impacts of CAFOs on communities, human health and the environment. The organizer doesn’t need to be a strong writer, but should feel confident conducting interviews and recording audio as well as coordinating with local photographers to get portraits of local leaders and their projects. These photo essays and audio stories will highlight stories of resistance, community leaders working on environmental and racial justice, and/or healthy food access issues in North Carolina to tell the story of our broken food system through a local, intersectional lens and offer community-led, plant-based solutions.
Compensation and Details
$45,000-$58,000, commensurate with experience, plus health care benefits, cell phone reimbursement and monthly stipend for office space if needed. Work from home. OMD remote offices in Berkeley and Los Angeles, California. Must use your own computer equipment.
How to Apply:
Please send a resume and cover letter to info@omdfortheplanet.com.
One Meal a Day (OMD) is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. People of color, women and LGBTQ folks are especially encouraged to apply.