Sunshine Garden Peer Assistant

We are currently seeking to fill the position of:

Sunshine Garden Peer Assistant

FoodShare is a food justice organization advocating for the right to food and working to challenge the systemic barriers that keep people from accessing food. We support communityled food initiatives and work alongside those most impacted by poverty and food insecurity including Black and Indigenous people people of colour people with disabilities and those living on a low income.

Overview

The Sunshine Garden Peer Assistant plays a vital role in maintaining and enhancing the Sunshine Garden and Greenhouse at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). In close collaboration with the Community and Market Gardens Coordinator the Peer Assistant will cultivate vegetables our local farmer market stands support with volunteers and tours manage and maintain the compost system ensure that the space is clean and inviting and actively engage with both volunteers and visitors to foster a welcoming and educational environment

**This position is only open to those who are current or past clients of the Sunshine Garden.**

Duties include (but are not limited to):

• Support Garden Maintenance: Perform essential gardening tasks such as pruning weeding watering seed starting harvesting mulching and soil preparation to maintain a thriving and productive space.
• Support with Volunteer Engagement & Mentorship: Create a welcoming and inclusive environment for volunteers by providing guidance mentorship and handson learning opportunities.
• Support Community Interaction & Outreach: Engage with the public by offering garden tours interacting with visitors and potentially speaking at events or with the media about the gardens impact.
• Workshop Support: Assist in organizing and facilitating communitybased workshops sharing knowledge about sustainable gardening and food justice.
• Support Produce Distribution: Help distribute fresh garden produce through a biweekly market stand community cooking programs and takehome packages for volunteers.
• Support to maintain the compost program by turning and keeping inputs clean and organized.
• Support Organizational Participation: Take part in FoodShare staff meetings training sessions boardstaff retreats and fulfill reporting requirements such as timesheets.
• General Support: Handle other duties as assigned to ensure the smooth operation of the Sunshine Garden and its programs.
• Assist with recordkeeping (planting logs crop yields volunteer hours etc. and ensure the volunteers engagement is participating.
• Maintaining programming in line with FoodSharess Food Justice principles and Body Liberation principles
• Ensure all relevant documentation/records are maintained and kept in a secure location
• Adhere to FoodShares policies and health and safety procedures
• Participate in FoodShare staff and team meetings all staff training and reporting requirements (such as timesheets) and handle other duties as assigned
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications Knowledge and Experience

• Lived Experience: Must be a current or past participle of the Sunshine Garden program.
• Strong Interpersonal Skills: Ability to create a welcoming and inclusive environment energize groups and effectively communicate with volunteers and visitors.
• Effective Communication: Able to follow verbal instructions clearly express observations and proactively propose solutions to challenges.
• Cultural Competency & Respect: Experience working respectfully with individuals of diverse ages genders abilities and cultural backgrounds including those who have faced marginalization.
• Commitment to Food Justice & Equity: Demonstrated dedication to principles of food justice antioppression and communityled solutions.
• Independence & Teamwork: Demonstrate ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Reliability & Accountability: Demostrarte Strong organizational skills with a commitment to punctuality dependability and the successful completion of tasks.

Requirements:

• This position is required to work from the Sunshine Garden based at 1000 Queen Street West Mall with some inperson meetings at the main FoodShare office at 120 Industry St. or other partner locations across Toronto as needed.
• Repetitive tasks such as bending crouching lifting and reaching.
• Full shifts standing and working on your feet.
• Use of hand tools and mechanized equipment.
• Regularly lifting over 40 lbs.
• Working outdoors in all kinds of weather (heat sun rain cold).
• Must be legally authorized to work in Canada

**If any of the physical requirements listed present a barrier we encourage applicants to discuss potential accommodations**

Total Compensation:

• Salary: $46800.00/ Annually* prorated based on start date $24/hr 18 hrs/wk)
• Contract Type: Part Time Fixed Term
• Vacation: 4 weeks paid vacation per year prorated based on start date
• Anticipated Start/End: May 2025 Nov. 2025

Additional Leave:

• Personal Leave Days: 10 paid personal leave days per year prorated based on start date
• Wellness Days: 20 paid wellness days/sick leave per year prorated based on start date
• Reports to: Community and Market Gardens Coordinator
• Location(s) of Position: Sunshine Garden 1000 Queen Street West)

*Note: As part of FoodShares commitment to equity salaries and benefits are nonnegotiable.

FoodShare is committed to providing accommodations throughout the hiring process and employment. If you require accommodations please let us know when applying.

TO APPLY: Please submit your resume and cover letter by 5:00pm on April 18 2025 by clicking the Apply Now below.

Selection Process:

• FoodShares recruitment process involves the anonymization of all resumes prior to their being screened by the hiring committee. This step removes applicant personal details (names email addresses) educational & employment institutions years of work experience and personal interests to reduce potential for bias. Please make sure to detail your experience in your resume/cover letter to ensure the committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role. This process takes at least 3 weeks from the application deadline.
• The hiring committee will review anonymized versions of the applications that pass the initial screening and decide which to invite to interview. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome but not expected or required to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview. These usually occur about 4 weeks after the application deadline.
• In recognition of the time and labour of preparing for and attending an interview FoodShare financially compensates interviewees at a fixed rate of $75 per interview.
• HR will conduct reference checks for the candidate they intend to extend an offer to. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• HR will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement which the candidate will have at least 3 business days to review and return.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team! FoodShare is a food justice organization. This means that we are committed to working to identify and dismantle systemic forms of oppression that cause and perpetuate food security inequities.

Racialized people and others from equityseeking groups are overrepresented in food insecurity and poverty statistics but are significantly underrepresented in community based food organizations. We believe that those most affected by an issue must have access to paid positions in organizations tasked with challenging poverty and food insecurity. FoodShare strives to create a workspace that reflects the diversity of identities and lived experiences that exist within the communities we work alongside. If you see yourself reflected in 80 of the requirements for this role please consider applying.

If you require accommodation when navigating the application process please contact: