Food Inspired Resilience & Equity Internship
Photo above: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 FIRE interns at their final celebration.
Photo above: Fall 2022 – Spring 2023 FIRE interns at their final celebration.
2023 - 2024 FIRE Host Sites & Student Interns
Community-based food organizations and students work together on local food, community, and equity work.
“The internship has increased public visibility of our work, improved existing relationships and built new partnerships, and increased the number of food access points. Our current local food system and its ability to adapt to the changing needs of the community is stronger and more flexible.”
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Rutherford County Food Council, 2022 – 2023 Host Site
“I have gained a comprehensive understanding of food systems and health equity through interdisciplinary work and collaboration with professionals. My skills in research, content creation, data collection, and communication have improved. I have a deepened perspective on how community based non-profit work can make positive change in public health nutrition.”
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Noah Ashenafi, 2022 – 2023 CAFN Intern
Fertile Ground Food Cooperative & Preina Surti
Organization summary:
FERTILE GROUND FOOD COOPERATIVE is a multi-stakeholder (consumers, workers and producers) community-owned startup grocery store and community gathering space working to CULTIVATE a system of food security in Southeast Raleigh by investing in a community-owned grocery store and gathering space. NOURISH our historically Black community of workers, shoppers, and farmers by providing dignified jobs, fresh and affordable food, and wealth-building opportunities. And HARVEST a healthy, informed, engaged community with an enhanced quality of life.
Intern Bio:
As a Wake County native, it’s particularly fitting that Preina Surti (she/her) will be partnering with the Raleigh-based Fertile Ground Food Cooperative. Preina has deep roots in her southeastern Raleigh community, where she learned about food equity work through local organizations. These experiences led her to her interest in public health, which informed her decision to major in Nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon graduating next spring, Preina plans to continue her nutrition education and become a registered dietitian so she can continue to explore nutrition policy and engage with communities through outreach. She enjoys working at the intersection of nutrition education and community advocacy, which makes her the perfect fit for Fertile Ground Food Cooperative’s mission of fostering a food-centered community gathering space.
When not engaged in her studies, Preina volunteers with the Carolina Hunger Initiative, runs, and bakes increasingly ambitious desserts.
Scope of Work:
- Assisting with program coordination and logistics to develop and strengthen partnerships within faith, business and civic Southeast Raleigh community
- Compiling and synthesizing Fertile Ground Food Cooperative (FGFC) informational and promotional materials for community distribution
- Preparing and presenting Fertile Ground Cooperative information to community groups via in-person and virtual venues
- Collecting, cataloging and engaging SE Raleigh residents’ asset stories as appropriate
- Establishing/increasing an online or social media presence to enhance communication with prospective community partners
- Using analytics to maintain an online presence
The Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute & Alaina Shields
Organization summary:
The Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute is a project of GRRO. The Institute will be a repository for information, resources, education, program ideas, public policy and advocacy focused on rural communities and farmers. Also providing our rural neighbors with healthy food via the Healthy Opportunity Program and our work with other health-care providers and funders. Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO), was founded in 2012 with a vision to revitalize Henderson and Vance County, North Carolina. GRRO identified three critical issues that plague the community: poverty, food insecurity, and chronic diseases. It became clear that the other rural counties were impacted by the same issues. Partnerships were formed and GRRO now serves 11 rural counties in north-eastern North Carolina.
Intern Bio:
UNC-Chapel Hill junior Alaina Shields (she/her) may have a lot on her plate, but she’s not afraid to go back from second helpings. In addition to her studies in Public Policy, Environmental Studies, and Food Studies, Alaina will be collaborating with the Eva Clayton Rural Food Institute this upcoming academic year, and plans to put her passion for government policy and law to good use as she expands the institute’s capacity to support rural North Carolinians.
While Alaina hopes to continue on this track post-graduation – aiming to either pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration or attend law school – she doesn’t forget to stop and smell the roses – literally! Alaina is an avid gardener with a special interest in pollinator preservation and apiculture, as well exploring new culinary experiences.
Scope of Work:
- Develop community profiles
- Support development of website
- Research funding opportunities for rural communities
Lee County Extension & Sar
ah Beck
Organization summary:
North Carolina Cooperative Extension is a strategic partnership comprising NC State University, N.C. A&T State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), and 101 local governments statewide. N.C. Cooperative Extension partners with communities to deliver education and technology that enrich the lives, land and economy of North Carolina. Extension addresses some of our state’s and world’s grand challenges – from supporting safe food systems and promoting public health to protecting our natural resources and helping farmers feed, clothe, heal and fuel a growing population. In short, we improve the lives of North Carolinians and grow our state.
Intern Bio:
Recently returned from studying abroad in Scotland, UNC Chapel-Hill senior Sarah Beck will be partnering with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Lee County Center to help foster flourishing local food systems in the county. Sarah’s study of Political Science, Environmental Justice, and Spanish are fundamental to her interest in food justice, health equity, and local food systems, and she is excited to get hands-on experience through this internship. Specifically, Sarah is looking forward to learning more about health equity work as she works with the county Local Foods agent to lead the Sanford Agricultural Marketplace (SAM) project.
In between classes and study sessions, you can find her cooking and practicing with her fellow acapella enthusiasts in the Tar Heel Voices.
Scope of Work:
- Coordinate with community stakeholder groups to schedule and organize workshop sessions to present the Sanford Agricultural Marketplace (SAM) project and its spaces to the community and to collect feedback from residents about use forecasting, their impressions of the current design, and their interests to help inform content for educational programming
- Assist the Local Foods Agent with hosting the community engagement sessions and collecting data from workshop participants and from residents at public events
- Provide marketing support to promote community engagement sessions to stakeholder groups to encourage good participation
- Develop online surveys to collect community feedback on the SAM project
- Summarize data into reports to share with the SAM project team (City of Sanford, NC Cooperative Extension Lee County Center), city and county government entities, building architects, and the general public, including publications and presentations.
- Assist the Local Foods Agent/Sanford Farmers’ Market Manager with implementing SNAP/EBT at the farmers market (ex. creating a token and tracking system for recording EBT transactions and market matching funds if available).
- Program support for Local Foods programming as needed, including hosting educational trainings and workshops, marketing, educational content creation, etc.
People for Equity & Reva Kodre
Organization summary:
Intern Bio:
Virginian-turned-Tar Heel Reva Kodre (she/her) will be joining People for Equity in Durham – a perfect match for her food science and policy passions. A fourth year student studying nutrition at UNC-Chapel Hill, Reva is on a pre-med track and has been bolstering her experience working in an immunology lab and as a part-time Orange County EMT. She anticipates putting this knowledge and experience to work, as well as learning more about food systems and policies. At People for Equity, she will research policies around local food and health equity work, guide the work of the Youth Food Council, and engage in community outreach.
In her free time, Reva loves to read, play tennis, travel, and try new foods. She is particularly looking forward to doing the latter two during her gap year in Spain upon graduation.
Scope of Work:
- Researching issues, policies, communications, and practices around local food and health equity work
- Coordinating food council meetings with agendas, communication, and facilitation
- Establishing/increasing an online or social media presence
- Lead the storytelling of the process and work of the Youth Food Council
- Writing educational and promotional materials for community distribution
- Assisting with program coordination and logistics
- Using EFOD Principles to guide the work of the Youth Food Council
- Liaison with CEFS to activate resources and funding for the work of the Youth Food Council
A Better Chance A Better Community & Minerva Martinez
Organization summary:
A Better Chance A Better Community (ABC2) is a nonprofit organization working to provide resources and youth empowerment opportunities in Halifax County of North Carolina. For the past 11 years, ABC2 has focused on increasing youth and community engagement with opportunities for systemic change through three different focus areas: Healthy Living, Civil Engagement, and the World Changers Program. ABC2 empowers youth in the community to become leaders in these areas, supporting their community in initiatives including voting access, community farms, climate justice, and more. In 2015, ABC2 purchased the Dawson School, a local elementary school that closed, that will become the location for the region’s first resiliency hub. The Resiliency Hub will be a community center where youth can be at the forefront of climate justice and community health for Halifax and surrounding counties. The goal of the Resiliency Hub is to create a space where youth leaders will be able to organize, advocate, and build community resilience for critical climate and health issues impacting the community including flooding, safe drinking water, oil pipelines, and solar energy.
Intern Bio:
UNC-Pembroke senior Minerva Martinez (she/her) will be uniting with A Better Chance, A Better Community (ABC2) to strengthen community bonds and local food systems in Halifax County. During the school year, she will be balancing her internship with her studies in Biology and Spanish, with which she hopes to launch a career in surgery. Minerva is excited to support ABC2’s youth programs and help create a novel northeast NC food work database, and we’re equally excited to see the results!
In addition to being a NC certified EMT, Minerva is an enthusiastic traveler and animal lover, and frequently dotes on her 3 cats and betta fish.
Scope of Work:
- Create a NENC Database of Food Council and Food Systems work
- Attend Food Councils & Systems Meetings
- Support the growth of youth engagement in local food council (GROW-K and others)
- Create awareness and database of currently policy and systems change across the state
WNC Farm To Table & Sophia Norris
Organization summary:
WNC Farm to Table is a local food hub in Sylva, North Carolina. Our goals are to make local food affordable for everyone and to keep farmers farming. Multiple channels have been created in order to achieve this goal, including retail, wholesale and work with FarmsSHARE to provide food boxes to food insecure populations in our community and surrounding areas.
Intern Bio:
Originally hailing from Raleigh, Sophia Norris (she/her) now lives in the mountains, where she studies Environmental Science at Western Carolina University. Fortunately, she won’t have to travel far to reach WNC Farm to Table – a local food organization also based in Jackson County. Sophia is most excited to get a behind-the-scenes perspective of community-based organizations and engage in community outreach efforts – a passion that will help her fit right in at WNC Farm to Table.
When not busy with schoolwork, Sophia is an avid artist, traveler, hiker, and budding acrobat (try to beat her 3-minute headstand record).
Scope of Work:
- Assist in maintaining accurate inventory records for all incoming and outgoing food products.
- Monitor stock levels and coordinate with the procurement team to ensure sufficient supply.
- Conduct regular physical inventory counts and reconcile any discrepancies.
- Receive and process orders from various customers, ensuring accuracy and timely fulfillment.
- Prepare necessary documentation, such as invoices and shipping labels, for outgoing orders.
- Coordinate with the team to ensure orders are picked, packed, and staged for delivery.
- Maintain organized and up-to-date records of all logistics-related activities.
- Analyze data and identify areas for improvement in the logistics process.
Just Foods Collaborative & Emerald Izuakor
Organization summary:
Just Foods Collaborative is an inclusive body of people working to build healthy, equitable communities through local food systems. With over 100 members, we have a wealth of food policy, farming, sustainability and nutrition experience. Just Foods is currently going through the process of becoming a 501c3 nonprofit and we are looking forward to working with an intern to provide organizational support and conduct outreach to the Nash and Edgecombe communities. This outreach will aid us in providing financial, technical, and community-based support to local small and BIPOC farmers.
Intern Bio:
Emerald Izuakor (she/her) has been passionate about food and nutrition from a young age, so it’s little wonder that she found herself studying Nutrition – as well as Hispanic Linguistics – at UNC-Chapel Hill. Emerald is particularly interested in the intersection of food, culture, nutrition, medicine, and agriculture, which perfectly suits her talents for food writing and storytelling. She looks forward to furthering these skills during her partnership with Just Foods Collaborative, where she will work to conduct outreach to local farms, chronicle the organization’s mission, and recruit new stakeholders into the collaborative.
When not engaged in her studies, Emerald can be found reading, playing tennis, traveling, and exploring nature (especially when muscadine grapes are in season)!
Scope of Work:
- Conduct outreach to small, local farms, particularly BIPOC-owned farms
- Organizational support, such as bringing new members into the collaborative and attending community events
- Supporting the Just Foods newsletter
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council & Hope Ostane-Baucom
Organization summary:
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council exists to advocate for policies that build a sustainable, equitable, and healthy local food system. The goals of our Council are to enhance the health of our citizens, strengthen local economies & market opportunities and reduce hunger and food insecurity.
Intern Bio:
Miami-raised Hope Ostane-Baucom is passionate about a lot of things; food freedom, pollinators, plants, and agriculture are just the tip of the iceberg. Her enthusiasm led her first to the vice presidency of the Mitchell Community College Agriculture Club – where she majors in Agribusiness Technology – and now to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council (CMFPC). Hope’s desire to explore marketing methods for increasing farmer, community, and environmental outcomes will serve her well as she works with CMFPC to establish a social media presence for local farms and coordinate farmer outreach initiatives.
Despite her busy schedule, Hope still makes time for cultivating her backyard garden and volunteering at local schools and community centers.
Scope of Work:
- Research issues, policies, communications, and practices related to local food and health equity work
- Research various informative aspects of plant growth, pests prevention, growth maintenance, symbiotic planting, companion planting, etc.
- Utilize research to make informed decision about plant health
- Coordinate food council meetings
- Attend food council meetings and events
- Establish/increase an online/social media presence for local farm(s)
- Use analytics to increase viewership and social media presence for local farm(s)
- Volunteer at various local farmers
- Assist with coordination of volunteers
- Develop and maintain community partnerships
2023-2024 FIRE Internship Overview
Purpose:
- This program will host up to eight students or recently graduated student interns, during 2023-2024 Academic Year (September through April), to support local food councils’ community and equity work. These interns will support local food councils across the state with projects like research, meeting facilitation, logistical support, and communications.
Potential Projects:
The student interns may assist the councils with projects that support food council work, such as:
- Researching issues, policies, communications, and practices around local food and health equity work
- Coordinating food council meetings with agendas, communication, and facilitation
- Establishing/increasing an online or social media presence and using analytics to maintain an online presence
- Writing educational and promotional materials for community distribution
- Assisting with program coordination and logistics
- Researching and supporting funder/donor opportunities
- Developing and maintaining community partnerships
Student Benefits
- Interns will be paid $15/hr for approximately up to 15 hrs/wk from late September 2023 through April 2024, with an end of the year break. Interns must be able to commit to working at least 12 hours per week.
- Potential for internship extension based on grant and intern fit.
- Opportunity to connect with and learn from community leaders across the state.
- Ability to support grassroots food initiatives working to uplift their community assets.
Food Council Host Site Responsibilities:
- Must be engaged in the NC Food Network
- Create a scope of work for the intern
- Participate in intern candidate interviews
- Provide a supervisor or mentor for the intern for guidance, accountability, and support
- Complete an evaluation of the program for future improvements
Center for Environmental Farming Systems Responsibilities:
- Manage the intern administration, including hiring, tracking hours, and payment
- Coordinate orientation for host sites and new interns
- Hold bi-weekly check-ins with each intern and offer bi-weekly cohort calls for group learning and professional development
- Offer monthly check-ins with intern host sites
- Schedule one site visit with each host site and the host-site intern
- Coordinate one end-of-year intern presentation event to share successes and lessons learned
Timeline:
- Host site Applications open June 8th, 2023
- Host site Applications due July 7th, 2023
- Intern Applications open July 21st, 2023
- Intern Applications due August 18th, 2023
- Interviews week of August 28th, 2023
- Orientation September 15th, 2023
- Start date September 18th, 2023
- End date April 30th, 2023
Student Requirements:
- Enthusiasm for local foods and a respect for health equity work in diverse communities
- Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree program at any North Carolina university, college, or community college across the state, or have recently graduated in the past six months
- The interns will be chosen based on the communities and local food councils they will serve, as well as student interest and experiences.
Student Preferences: (Specific skills necessary will differ based on internship placement.)
- Must be passionate about local food systems (e.g. food, agriculture, health), are hard-working, self-motivated, and have a positive attitude.
- Ability to take direction, show initiative, and work well in a team as well as independently
- Excellent communication and organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to be flexible – to adapt to a changing work environment responding to community needs.
- Must be flexible and open to working with multiple mentors (Food Council leaders, CEFS staff, Community Food Strategies staff)
- Experience/study in agriculture or food systems related field, including Biology, Agriculture, Agriculture Business, Public Administration, Recreation, Social Work, Political Science, Health, or Criminal Justice
- Students who:
- Live or attend school in communities in close proximity to the host site organization of their choice
- Are from underrepresented communities
Background
Community Food Strategies works to inspire connections and amplify collective action so that community voices are heard and food policy shifts toward more equitable outcomes.
Our ultimate purpose is to help build an equitable, community driven food system that improves the quality of life for all people. Learn more here.
North Carolina Local Food Council serves as a collaborative network across various organizations, agencies, and groups whose statewide work supports vibrant farmers and fisheries, healthy people, strong communities, thriving local economies, and resilient ecosystems through a common aim: NC’s local food system. Learn more here.
CEFS envisions a future of vibrant farms, resilient ecosystems, strong communities, healthy people, and thriving local economies. CEFS is one of the nation’s most important centers for research, extension, and education in sustainable agriculture and community-based food systems. It is recognized as a national and international leader in the local foods movement, and celebrated for its work in building consensus around policies, programs, and actions that facilitate a vibrant local food economy.
CEFS was born from the shared conviction that a land-grant-university-based research, education, and extension program focused on organic and sustainable agriculture could have a significant and essential impact in North Carolina.
This internship program is financially supported by the NC DHHS.
