We are HIRING!

Job Title: Distro and Garden Coordinator

Location: In-person at Martin Luther University College on Laurier’s Waterloo campus

Wage: 20 hours a week at $28.62/hour 

Duration: Temporary contract position, May 2025 to October 2025

Work Transportation Coverage for Mileage: Coordinator will be reimbursed for up to $0.66 per kilometre up to a maximum of $30 per week for completing work duties with their vehicle.
Benefits: This is not a unionized position and so does not come with any benefits

Note: We are prioritizing a candidate who can fulfill requirements for both the Distro and Garden programs but the position may be split into two depending on the quality and skill sets of the applicants.



Overview

The Distro and Garden Coordinator is a temporary contract position responsible for assisting in the operation of the Distro and Food Justice Garden programs. The Free Weekly Distro program (“Distro”) combats food insecurity for Laurier students by providing free groceries to students who need them. The Food Justice Garden is a large educational garden, in partnership with the Centre for Earth Consciousness and Gender Justice, that provides students and community members with the opportunity to learn how to grow food as well as the importance of food sovereignty, environmental justice and its intersections.

This position will be directed and overseen primarily by the Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator but reports to the Board of Directors. The days of work have some flexibility between Monday to Friday but some weekday evenings and the occasional weekend task is required.

LSPIRG welcomes the contributions that individuals from marginalized communities bring to  our  organization,  and  invites  Black,  Indigenous  and  racialized  people,  poor  and working  class  people  and  those  on  social  assistance,  women,  Intersex  people,  gay, lesbian,  bisexual,  and  queer  people;  transgender,  nonbinary  and  gender  diverse people, Two-spirit people; single parents, members of ethnic minorities, newcomers and immigrants,  people  from  non-academic backgrounds  and  disabled,  chronically  ill  or neurodiverse  people,  people  with  Acquired  Immune  Deficiency  Syndrome  (AIDS)  or AIDS-related  illnesses,  people  with  experiences  of  incarceration  and/or  records  of offences except where it relates to bona-fide employment qualifications, people involved in  or  with  experiences  in  s 3 x  work to  apply.

 In addition, this position also prioritizes students from the Laurier’s Waterloo campus. We encourage  applicants to  describe  the contributions and experiences they would bring to LSPIRG in their cover letter.

Requirements

  • Availability on Wednesday 7:30pm-9:30pm and wide Thursday availability is non-negotiable

  • Safe food handling certification is an asset

  • G level Driver’s license and access to a reliable vehicle is an asset

  • Comfortable regularly lifting up to 50 lbs

  • Experience in grassroots social justice work, subsistence farming, greenhouse management and/or running food and/or environmental justice-oriented programming

  • Familiar with intersectional anti-oppressive, decolonial, anti-racist and anti-capitalist frameworks

  • Proficient with the use of computers, especially Zoom Pro, SLACK and Google suite platforms

  • Ability to work as a team member with a variety of staff and volunteers and ability to switch between independent self-directed work and collaborative work

  • Comfortable networking with new people and organizations and nurturing existing relationships

  • Excellent organizational, planning, and reporting skills

  • Leadership skills and experience coordinating volunteers is an asset

  • Familiarity with the Laurier and Kitchener-Waterloo community

Tasks and Responsibilities

  • Develop events, workshops and general programming for Distro and the Food Justice Garden in collaboration with the Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator

  • Assist in training, supervising and and coordinating volunteers at Distro and the Garden

  • Plan, implement, maintain and harvest the crops in the garden alongside volunteers

  • Assist with the set-up and management of a greenhouse

  • Problem-solve any issues that come up during the growing season

  • Coordinate and conduct pickups and deliveries of large quantities of supplies as needed

  • Assist in the development and implementation of an outreach plan to members, students, youth, and community groups, to ensure participation from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, genders, abilities.

  • Initiate and develop new and existing relationships with students, aligned organizations, community groups and members, particularly those who are Black, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis and/or from or work with food insecure communities tackling the root cause of food insecurity and intersecting social and environmental issues

  • Assist the Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator in the maintenance of a volunteer database

  • Develop work plan and report work progress to the Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator and Board of Directors on a bi-weekly basis

  • Submit a job evaluation and exit-report at the end of their work term

To Apply

Please send a cover letter, a single-page statement on your views of power and oppression, and resume to info@lspirg.org with the subject: Distro and Garden Coordinator by Monday, May 12th. If you require accommodations regarding your application, you may also submit a video or audio recording in place of a cover letter detailing your suitability for this position. For further inquiries regarding accommodations and this position, please email info@lspirg.org