Job Opportunity - Food Access Support Coordinator
Request for Qualifications to Food Access Support Coordination in Montgomery County, MD
March 1, 2022
The Maryland Market Money (MMM) Program, a program of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD), and jointly administered in partnership with the Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO), is seeking Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) for a food access support coordinator for the coordination and startup of an e-incentive pilot in Montgomery County, Maryland for an e-incentive system for the MMM Program with participating farmers markets and direct marketing farmers. The goal of the pilot is to assess stakeholder needs, evaluate existing stakeholders’ capacity and capabilities, and to implement a rollout plan for the pilot at MMM-participating access points in Montgomery County.
MMM is a statewide currency distributed to shoppers at select farmers markets and farm stands who participate in the following federal nutrition benefits programs:
Farmers Market Nutrition Program – Seniors and WIC (WIC-FMNP & SFMNP)
eWIC FVB (Women, Infant, and Children Fruit & Vegetable Benefit)
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/EBT formerly known as Food Stamps)
Pandemic EBT (P-EBT)
Shoppers who spend these benefits at participating access points can receive additional Maryland Market Money in the form of dollar-value tokens (typically up to $20 per shopper per market day in Montgomery County) to match their federal nutrition benefits purchases. These tokens can then be spent on any SNAP-eligible foods at the market, helping to increase customers’ food budgets for purchasing fresh, healthy, local foods at farmers markets while also directly supporting local growers and producers.
The selected coordinator will work with MMM staff and grant partners, FRESHFARM and Crossroads Community Food Network, to coordinate and implement the e-incentives pilot which will transition the MMM token economy at farmers markets to an app-based digital wallet available to shoppers on their smart devices, as well as an app-based SNAP and e-incentive processing capability for farmers market vendors. In addition to assessing project needs and evaluating current capacity to meet the needs, the contractor will assist the MMM staff in prioritizing those needs and providing on-site training and troubleshooting support for farmers market managers, farmer/vendors, and shoppers. The project deliverable will be to see that the new e-incentive technology is rolled out at all Montgomery County MMM farmers markets, farm stands, or CSA programs and is working well for all stakeholders. Additionally, the coordinator will be responsible for data management and reporting from the project.
Contractors interested in being considered should prepare a statement of qualifications including:
Contractor’s resume(s) and level of immediate availability for the project.
At least three references specific to this line of work.
Strong interest in working on farmers markets and food security
issues.Excellent planning, ability to proactively pursue projects, and organizational and time management skills.
Ability to work independently and effectively and regularly communicate efforts and progress to supervisors.
Willingness to travel around the County to attend markets and events, in
accordance with local public health guidelines. Reliable access to transportation and valid driver's license will be necessary.
Ability to work outside of weekday 9 am to 5 pm hours to accommodate evening or weekend workdays as project requires. Many farmers markets occur on weekends.
Previous experience in community engagement as well as any previous experience working with English language learning communities. Fluent Spanish language ability is a plus.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, and comfort in reaching out to people by phone or in person.
Mid-level or advanced aptitude with Microsoft Office products such as Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. Significant work with spreadsheets in Excel will be required.
Other pertinent information the contractor feels should be presented to SMADC/TCCSMD so that it has the best opportunity to make an informed decision.
RFQ open until filled. Electronic mail responses to this RFQ are due to the following address:
Heather Hulsey, MMM Program Manager
Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission
Please view the complete Request For Qualification (RFQ) for more details.