Food security, Food justice, Social determinants of health 

Job Title: Grocery Run Operations Coordinator
Organization: Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative
Location: Edmonton (9538 - 107 Avenue), Alberta

• Duration: Mar 2025 – July 2025, 5-months term with option for renewal pending on funding availability.
• Regular working Hours: Tuesday 2- 4 pm, Thursday 8 am- 5 pm, Friday 12 pm- 5 pm (in person) with some in-person/ remote hours during the week
• Hourly Rate: $18.00-$23.00/hr (depending on experience)
• Hours: 15- 20 hrs/ week
• Reporting to: Food Justice Action Coordinator and Executive Director

Submit resumes and CV’s to: Celia@mchb.org . Feel free to send along other material that you feel support your application. Please send cover letter, resume, and other materials in attachments (please don’t put your cover letter in the body of the email text). Please mention you saw this at FoodWork.ca. Application deadline: Mar 14th 2025 or open until a suitable candidate is found

About the Multicultural Health Brokers (MCHB) Cooperative:

Supporting the health and socio-economic wellbeing of ethnocultural families, breaking the poverty cycle, and helping people reach their potential in a peaceful, just, and inter-culturally strong society is what the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative (MCHB) works to achieve. Representing over 30 cultural and linguistic groups, the MCHB team of 104 Health Brokers (community health workers) have delivered responsive programs and services to Edmonton’s ethnocultural communities for more than 25 years. Supporting the social fabric of our city, the MCHB has achieved significant outcomes reflected in its stellar reputation, progressive track record and position of community leadership.

About the Grocery Run (GR):

The Grocery Run is one of the MCHB’s food security strategies responding to urgent family needs for food access. The GR operated in partnership with the Edmonton Food Bank, Leftovers Foundation YEG and volunteers. Working together, GR currently provides weekly essential hampers to over 100 newcomers, refugees and immigrant families and seniors who are experiencing chronic poverty & food insecurity in Edmonton. The Grocery Run, a weekly food hamper program, began as an interim response program to help families and seniors struggling with crisis or chronic poverty, while more innovative solutions can be pursued. It is an emergency food hamper program whereby families and seniors of different cultural backgrounds receive fresh produce & pantry staples.

About the Role: This position is for someone who is passionate about food justice and food dignity, working with ethnocultural populations and would like to cultivate diverse skill sets. Important qualities include a person who is self-directed, works well independently and among a large dynamic team, able to work in a fast-paced environment, comfortable learning new skills/trouble shooting, appreciates ambiguity and uncertainty, patient and highly flexible.

Full Job Descriptions:

Grocery Run Operations Coordination & Support

• Delegate tasks to Grocery Run team members to ensure efficiency and safety
• Assist volunteer drivers with confirming number of food hampers and loading food hampers into vehicles
• Coordinate with stakeholders to ensure excess hampers are redirected to reduce waste
• Ensure food safety standards outlined by Alberta Health Services are met during operations, through proper space set up, food handling & distribution
• Support Grocery Run team members to oversee and facilitate volunteers processing, packing and portioning foods according to health & safety & food safety standards
• General clean up: sweeping, mopping, sanitizing materials, and common touch points
• May required heavy lifting of 50lb

Volunteer Management:

• Support onboard and orientation of new volunteers to ensure understanding and compliance with safe food handling, MCHB COVID-19 procedures, and protocols and MCHB privacy and confidentiality of clients accessing Grocery Run
• Support engagement & delegation of volunteers during operation

Food Donation Coordination & Delivery Receival

• Coordinate with volunteers and building management to receive food donations
• Seek additional opportunities for other food donations
• Maintain inventory, cleanliness and organization of storage room and operate pallet jack as required
• Document inventory and food donations received to plan food purchasing
• May required heavy lifting of 50lb Food & Material Purchasing & Program Budget
• Purchase food and program materials according to program budget
• Maintain regular communication with Brokers – work with brokers to improve Grocery Run food hampers for most relevant and priority food items, identify Grocery Run accessibility barriers, and support other program continuous quality improvement efforts
• Build and maintain strong working relationship with suppliers and vendors
• Conduct basic bookkeeping and budget projections
• Maintain clear and organized invoices to track expenses

Overall Program Coordination and support

• Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders & external stakeholders
• Support Food Justice Action Coordinator and Executive director with additional tasks such as program reporting, evaluation, program fundraising, grant writing, social media etc. as needed
• Support Grocery Run team members to provide social media content, create, schedule and post social media to share information on Grocery Run (operations, Broker impact stories, food insecurity), to recruit volunteers, solicit donations, advocate on food justice, food security and food dignity issues etc.

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• Class 5 Driver's license with regular access to personal vehicle
• Safe Food Handling Certification is required or the willingness to complete the training
• CPR and First Aid Certification is required or the willingness to complete the training
• Ability to communicate effectively via phone, video conference, or electronically with supervisor, key stakeholders, and clients
• High attention to detail, especially pertaining to efficient and accurate documentation
• Experience working in a complex, busy organizational environment and meeting deadlines
• Proficiency in Microsoft applications particularly Microsoft Excel
• Excellent communication skills and resourcefulness ▫ Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• General knowledge about social determinants of health and food security

Knowledge, qualifications, and experience in the following would be considered valuable assets of the candidate:

• Broad understanding of community-based organizations, city and provincial programs that support individuals living in poverty, especially in the areas of food security and food rescue
• Connections with community health organizations and agencies
• Experience working with newcomers to Canada and individuals with refugee status
• Understanding of pre-migration challenges, resettlement barriers and experience

The Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative is committed to employment equity and strives to employ a workforce that reflects the communities it serves. We value applications from individuals who are rooted in movements for equity and justice, and will give preference to applications from those who identify with equity- deserving groups (including racialized groups, newcomers & refugees, Indigenous communities, 2SLGBTQI+, people living with disabilities, and those with lived experience of food insecurity).