Grow Ohio Valley (GrowOV) is recruiting passionate people to enroll in their AmeriCorps program to serve on their farm and education teams.
Jason Koegler, Grow Ohio Valley’s Executive Director, said, “We are eagerly preparing for the start of 2024 and anticipating the hiring and onboarding of new Americorps to join our team.”
Grow Ohio Valley serves its mission by operating four urban farm sites, several educational programs, and the Public Market, a natural food store and year-round farmers market in downtown Wheeling.
“Anyone passionate about local food and service should sign up to work with us,” said Grow Ohio Valley’s AmeriCorps Program Director, Chloe Lefchak. “We’re looking forward to adding new people to our team and continuing to support regional food sovereignty .”
Service terms include three-month, six-month, nine-month and year-long terms with living allowances disbursed bi-weekly. AmeriCorps members receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award after successfully completing terms of service and members can use the grant to repay qualified student loans and to pay current educational expenses at eligible institutions of higher education and training programs. Members also receive tuition waivers at West Virginia institutions of Higher Education once they complete a service term (or multiple combined terms) of at least 600 hours of service.
About the Education Team: The Education Team serves youth in on-farm and culinary learning experiences, like the Budding Wheeling program which has become a success over the past two years. They also serve community members in developing their at-home garden through programming like Backyard Gardeners.
About the Farm Team: The Farm Team serves on Grow Ohio Valley’s urban farm sites throughout Wheeling planting, tending, harvesting, and distributing produce to local sales outlets, like the Public Market in downtown Wheeling.
About Grow Ohio Valley: Grow Ohio Valley is a 501-C3 Non-Profit Organization located in Wheeling, West Virginia. Its mission is: to improve the health and economic opportunity of its region by building a robust, integrated, locally-owned food system.
About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps is a federal agency for national service and volunteerism. Its mission is: to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.
Learn more about Grow Ohio Valley’s AmeriCorps opportunities by visiting growov.org/americorps.