ABOUT THE PRINCE GEORGE’S FOOD EQUITY COUNCIL:

The Prince George’s County Food Equity Council (FEC) is a local food policy council, housed within the Institute for Public Health Innovation, that works to help local residents grow, sell, and choose healthy food. We are a group of hometown leaders and changemakers committed to bringing better food to every fork. Our council is made up of anti-hunger direct service and advocacy groups, government agencies, community-based organizations, civic associations, urban farms, universities, grocery stores, health care providers, and residents who care about where their food comes from.

Since 2013, our council has been a voice for County residents at the policymaking table. We work with County leaders to find permanent solutions to improve our food system. We focus on systematic and sustainable changes to Prince George’s County’s public health challenges (i.e., hunger, diet-related chronic disease, and food deserts that lack healthy food options) by advocating for policy that creates a more equitable local food system.

FEC sets policy priorities on an annual basis and establishes committees to support these priorities. We have additional ad-hoc committees to support our organizational needs, such as an event planning committee or a marketing strategy committee. Our policy committees identify specific food, nutrition and farm policies and programs, conduct research on each issue, gather input from a wide range of public stakeholders not represented on the FEC, and present findings to the full Council for a vote.  FEC’s current committees are:

• Residential Composting Pick-up Program Committee
• Values-Based Food Procurement Committee
• Healthy Food Priority Area GIS Map Committee
• Produce Rx Pilot Program Committee
• County-based Food Policy Director Position Committee
• COVID-19 Food Assistance Providers Committee
• COVID-19 Long-term Food Security Planning Committee

The intern will have the opportunity to play an important role in many aspects of FEC’s committee work. The Food Equity Council Director will oversee the intern’s work on specific projects for 10 to 25 hours per week for at least three months. The intern will conduct research and analysis for committees, provide outreach and education through social media and other strategies, assist with writing publications, provide event support, and help with some administrative tasks.

INTERNSHIP BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A few things you should know about the internship:

• The internship is 10-25 hours a week from June 2020 through August 2020.
• Though the majority of intern’s time will be spent working on specific project(s), the intern may spend as much as 25% of their time on administrative and other office duties.
• This is an unpaid internship without benefits. A $2,500 stipend will be awarded to help cover expenses. Credit is available to students participating in a college or university program.
• The intern will work remotely with flexible hours; however, a minimum of 50% of hours must be during business hours.

POLICY INTERNSHIP SCOPE OF WORK

The intern will work with the FEC Director to create a customized internship that blends research, outreach, and education tasks and projects:

Research

• Support ongoing research needs of FEC’s policy and programmatic priorities.  Potential projects include:
• Developing a community outreach plan for a Healthy Food Priority Area GIS Map;
• Researching and writing a white paper on policies to support Black-owned food businesses;
• Develop a strategy to connect physicians with a guide detailing healthy food resources such as food pantries and nutrition education providers;
• Research long-term food security strategies and present them to FEC members for discussion.
• Assist in strategy development and create talking points and presentations for residents and stakeholders to advocate for policy priorities during committee and public hearings;
• And, assist in impact evaluation efforts

Outreach and Education

• Assist with committee and monthly FEC meeting preparation and logistics, including scheduling and note taking;
• Craft customized messages and conduct outreach to key stakeholders and campaign targets;
• Draft content for advocacy action alerts, social media, and e-mail newsletter;
• Assist with compiling press kits and informational packets;
• And, assist with updating FEC’s website.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter and resume to: Jgroenfeldt@institutephi.org. We will not accept resumes without cover letters.  Please place “FOOD POLICY INTERNSHIP” in the subject line of the email when applying. Applications will be accepted through June 12, 2020. No phone calls, please. Due to the large number of applicants expected, only successful candidates will be contacted.

The Institute for PublicHealth Innovation values a diverse, respectful, and collaborative work environment. We establish and maintain trustful relationships with all staff, contractors, funders, partners, and communities. We believe that hard work, a focus on quality, and a passion for the public health are required to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. IPHI looks to all staff and contractors to contribute to the effective implementation of programmatic activities.