(Archived) Food Access & Communications VISTA

The time to end food apartheid is now. Cincinnati seeks a proactive, organized, and justice-minded VISTA with a passion for food access to join us as we build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient city for all. In the GCP Food Access and Communications VISTA, OES seeks someone who is: outgoing, organized, critically thinking, proactive, solutions-oriented, social justice-minded, and interested in organizing the complex. Could this be you?

Cincinnati residents do not have equitable access to fresh, healthy food. The impacts of climate change in the form of heat and flooding are only making solutions to equitable food access more difficult to uncover. Recently approved for implementation and led by the City’s Office of Environment and Sustainability (OES), the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP) is Cincinnati’s community-led strategic plan for climate action to build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient city for all. Revised every five years, the newest iteration of the GCP was approved in April 2023. In the GCP, goals, strategies, and priority actions are established through deep community engagement in categories as diverse as buildings and energy, natural environment, mobility, food, and waste. Activating key portions of the GCP is the focus of this VISTA role.

The overall focus of the OES VISTA Project is to increase the capacity of the City and community partners to get the 2023 GCP fully activated so that residents and neighborhoods of Cincinnati can experience greater prosperity, health, and resilience. As a key member of the OES team, this VISTA will primarily work to implement strategies of the GCP that focus on increasing access to fresh, local, healthy foods in partnership with a constellation of community organizations. This role will help OES and partners to understand and address the issues of benefits access and healthy food availability. As funding and communications are essential to bringing the Plan as a whole to life, you will also support effective communications and ensure food-related strategies are well-resourced for implementation.

Based at Cincinnati’s City Hall, you will have 3 key functions as we work together to implement the Green Cincinnati Plan (GCP). First, you will work with residents and partners to understand and address issues of fresh, healthy, local food access. There are pilot efforts underway, and you will make them stronger so that more of those in need receive affordable, healthy food. Second, you will support the food system partners to better understand funding opportunities and devise systems to support increased grant submissions and responsible management of funds. Needed change will happen when resources flow. You will help make that reality. And third, climate action is among the most dynamic fields and frequent and effective communications are a must. OES and partners need your help setting up practices to ensure timely, compelling messaging. Through it all, you will bring fresh eyes and energy, design dynamic resources, talk with key stakeholders, expand partnerships, and lessen the burdens of food apartheid and the climate crisis in the process.

To apply, submit a brief statement of interest and a resume to OES@cincinnati-oh.gov. The position will be filled by early August, so apply soon!

Any benefits and terms and conditions of the Americorps VISTA program, are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information, and military service.