Seasonal Genesis Gardens Assistant

Seasonal Genesis Gardens Assistant

About Mobile Loaves & Fishes

Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF) is a social outreach ministry that has been empowering communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless since 1998. Founded in Austin, Texas, the organization serves its homeless neighbors through three core programs: Truck Ministry, Community First! Village, and Community Works. Often referred to as the most talked about neighborhood in Austin, Community First! Village is a 51-acre master planned development that provides affordable, permanent housing and a supportive community for men and women coming out of chronic homelessness. We are now embarking on a new phase of community expansion, adding more than 1400 new neighbors over the next 5-10 years.

About the Role

The Mobile Loaves & Fishes Genesis Gardens program exists at Community First! Village to cultivate connection in a beautiful and hospitable environment by inviting all to the banquet table, serving opportunities for engagement, dignity, and good food. The Genesis Gardens Coordinator position is a key member of the team responsible for hosting large numbers of volunteers and neighbors who work together to plant, grow and harvest fresh produce that is distributed at our weekly farmer's market.

The right candidate is a hospitable, adaptable, and dependable team player who takes initiative, loves supporting others, and is energized by building meaningful relationships with the neighbors and volunteers who work and serve in Genesis Gardens.

This is a seasonal, non-exempt position reporting to the Sr. Programs Manager. Due to the nature and requirements of the position, hours are typically 7am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. We anticipate this seasonal role lasting through mid-August, though we can be flexible with the end date depending on the candidate's availability and the needs of the program. The Seasonal Garden Assistant will office at Community First! Village located at 9301 Hog Eye Road, Austin, TX 78724.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist the Garden Coordinator in leading out day-to-day agricultural operations, maintenance, and project planning across Community First! Village/ in Genesis Gardens
• Support volunteers and neighbor contractors in safely and correctly using garden tools and equipment, per safety policies and checklists
• Help lead farm harvest activities, including washing, packaging, and recording produce and eggs
• Help maintain the farmer's market so it is safe, friendly, and welcoming to all
• Support the animal husbandry program as needed, including feeding, basic care, and record-keeping
• Assist in welcoming and orienting volunteers, ensuring a positive experience and connection with neighbor contractors
• Help track and manage garden inventory and supplies; submit receipts for purchases as directed
• Attend team meetings and other gatherings as required
• Perform other duties as needed to support the mission and vision of MLF
• Other Duties & Responsibilities as needed

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Principles

• MLF is a faith-based organization whose ideals and philosophy come directly from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an organization, we strive to reflect this precept in our communications, both internally and externally.
• Commitment to serving those who have experienced homelessness and personal alignment with MLF's vision, mission, core values, and goals.
• Experience in small-scale sustainable agriculture or garden/farm settings preferred
• Strong relational skills and genuine enjoyment working with a wide variety of people
• Positive attitude, patience, and composure in a fast-paced, high-interruption environment
• Team player who is also self-motivated and takes ownership of tasks
• Basic comfort with email and spreadsheets for communication and record-keeping
• Must have a valid driver's license
• Must submit to and pass a criminal record background check and drug screen
• Must have a valid driver's license

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• Comfortable working outdoors in all Central Texas weather conditions
• Ability to frequently lift, move, and transport up to 50 lbs throughout the day
• Ability to operate a golf cart.

MLF VISION

We empower communities into a lifestyle of service with the homeless.

MLF MISSION

We provide food and clothing, cultivate community, and promote dignity to our homeless brothers and sisters in need.

GOALS

• Transform the way people view the stereotype of those who find themselves homeless
• Reconnect the homeless to self, family and community
• Help the chronically homeless rediscover and utilize their God-given talents to do purposeful work
• Connect human to human, heart to heart through the fellowship of food and hospitality
• Inspire people into a lifestyle of abundance by giving their best first

BELIEF STATEMENTS

The vision is supported by belief statements centered on our belief that homelessness is the result of a profound, catastrophic loss of family:

• God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life
• By virtue of being created by God in His image, we are all called to live in community and relationship with Him through each other
• The family is the original cell of social life
• You shall love your neighbor as yourself
• All members of the human family are equal in dignity
• The Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it. Gen 2:15

CORE VALUES

MLF is committed to fostering a culture that prioritizes relational connection. We believe there is opportunity in every aspect of our work to be relational in a highly transactional world. In this culture, transactions are means to relational ends, not the other way around.​

​​This begins with the countercultural love poured out by Jesus Christ and grows as imperfect individuals strive to show this love to each other human-to-human, heart-to-heart.​

​​Each individual's openness to the journey of their own personal growth is essential in building our relational culture, and we believe this culture flourishes as we each continuously strive to more fully embody these four core values:

• Faith: We define Faith as the foundational belief that our world and all our work belong to God. This allows us to engage our work with joy and lightheartedness, knowing that we are not ultimately in control.
• Humility: We define Humility as rightly viewing oneself as a single piece of a grander story. This humility leads to a view of oneself that is neither too high nor too low.
• Generous Spirit: We define a Generous Spirit as a readiness to give more grace, mercy, and hospitality than is necessary or expected. This posture allows us to see others for who they are, not what they do.
• Integrity: We define Integrity as a wholehearted commitment to doing right by God, ourselves, and others. This wholeheartedness shows itself in consistently choosing honesty, responsibility and ownership in all actions and decisions.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

MLF is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen based on ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation in accordance with federal and state law.

Salary : $20 - $21