Internship
Market Ambassador
Organization
GardenShare
88 NY-310
Canton, NY 13617
About the Organization
GardenShares' mission sees that the county has a vibrant, local food system where our food choices are healthy for us, for our communities, and for the environment. Farmers can make a living that supports their families and contributes to a robust local economy, and everyone in the County has access to enough nutritious and affordable food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Their office is in Canton, and their markets are in Potsdam, Canton, Gouverneur and Hammond. Their staff includes Carlene Doane as their Executive Director, Erin Cuseo as their Program Coordinator and Market Manager, and Jackie Card as their Community Engagement Manager. On top of their office staff, they have a wonderful group of Board Members.
Duties
During your work week with GardenShare, you start in the office. When you are at the office, you are there to help with any given task, whether that is cleaning or sorting paperwork. Sometimes, side tasks are assigned that can also benefit others. For example, GardenShare builds close relationships with other businesses and non-profits, such as SNAP Education. You might be tasked with an assignment to help them. Most days at the office start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. at the latest. At the end of the week, you work at the markets. At the markets, you have a table set up where you are to help the public understand GardenShare’s mission and work on the tablet to help people take out tokens to use at the markets. Depending on the month, sometimes there will be events where you will set up an activity tent. Outside the normal work week, there are also fundraising dinner events where you will also be expected to help set up and work at. Some tasks might be serving dinner or desserts, and taking photos. Overall, this is a paid internship within the Presidential Internship Program.
Summary
Working with GardenShare has made my summer internship experience feel absolutely fulfilling. As a market ambassador, I spend my days in both the office and at the market. I enjoy my time interacting with my team and the community. In the office, I help out in any way I possibly can, whether it be organizing paperwork or designing market signs for GardenShare events. I have learned how to work on professional documents and how to properly file them. At the markets, I spend my time working side by side with the vendors and learning more about their daily lives and the work that they do. I help with distributing market tokens, making lives easier for everyone! The market tokens help the community with eating healthily and locally. Our double-up food tokens are a wonderful addition as well! GardenShare has allowed me to get to know the different people in our county and has boosted my yearning to switch over to a local diet and future goals of having my own farm to produce my own goods!