Community Health Worker VeggieRx (Chicago, IL)

Title: Community Health Worker, VeggieRx

Exemption Status: Non-exempt

Department: Windy City Harvest

Reports to: Manager, VeggieRx

Year-Round, Full-time

Year-Round Full-time employees of the Chicago Botanic Garden are eligible for the following Benefits:

2026 A Guide to Your Benefits JP.pdf

Compensation Philosophy:

At the Chicago Botanic Garden, our compensation philosophy is rooted in our core values: Growth, Understanding, Resilience, and Trust through Transparency. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and appreciated.

Our objective is to create compensation and growth opportunities for our employees that are highly competitive, internally equitable and transparent. The foundation of our efforts is a straightforward approach that can be easily communicated by managers with defined pay ranges for all positions. When posting job openings, we share the minimum salary up to the budgeted amount.

The starting salary for new staff members is determined by considering the salary range assigned to the position and by reviewing the candidate's qualifications for the job as compared with job responsibilities. Prior work experience should be considered in determining the salary offer, provided that it is relevant to the job. Additional factors such as secondary language proficiency or advanced degrees that enhance performance may also be considered. A candidate's salary may exceed the minimum amount based on factors such as experience, additional skills (e.g., secondary language proficiency), or pertinent degrees that enhance the individual's contribution to the role but are not required. Opportunities for increased compensation are provided through referral bonuses, shift differentials, Thank You Pay, promotions, and periodic pay increases based on the Garden's overall performance and financial budgets.

Our total compensation and benefits package is people centric. We prioritize employee wellness across three pillars: physical, mental, and financial. Our goal is to offer innovative total rewards that support continuous professional growth, personal development, and provide the flexibility needed to balance personal and professional commitments.

Position Overview:

Windy City Harvest is looking for a dedicated community health worker to support its growing produce prescription program. The community health worker will be part of a collaborative team environment working closely with the VeggieRx manager to oversee operations at multiple VeggieRx distribution sites.

VeggieRx is a produce prescription program for families experiencing diet-related disease living in communities experiencing food insecurity. VeggieRx healthcare partners refer their patients to get produce at VeggieRx distributions and WCH farm stands. Windy City Harvest and our VeggieRx healthcare partners share the belief that access to fresh fruits and vegetables can transform individual and community health. The community health worker plays an integral part in this mission by assisting with programmatic, logistic, and educational aspects of VeggieRx distribution.

The ideal candidate for this position has deep connections to the communities where we work, is bilingual (English/Spanish), is comfortable driving SUV-size vehicles, and is motivated to find creative ways to help families increase their fruit and vegetable intake.

Please visit our website for details about Windy City Harvest programs: chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture/veggierx

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

• Support the delivery of produce boxes to thousands of families.
• Provide program support for Spanish-speaking participants. Ensure that all flyers, recipes, and educational material are appropriately translated into Spanish.
• Coordinate with our healthcare partners to schedule and refer patients to the program.
• Coordinate with Real Foods Collective staff to prepare culturally conscious recipe cards, nutrition information, and handouts for each distribution, creating new educational materials as needed.
• Distribute, collect, and enter programmatic knowledge assessments.
• Receive produce deliveries, conduct inventory, and maintain high standards for produce distribution.
• Develop creative ways to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles through the integration of fresh produce into day-to-day diets.
• Support and facilitate data entry and reporting to grant funders.
• Create weekly report of program activities for the team.

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Two years of education experience in urban communities
• Commitment to the mission of Windy City Harvest
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Understanding of federal benefit programs, particularly SNAP, preferred
• Experience tracking data in MS Excel
• Commitment to being a supportive resource for program participants, community residents, and project partners
• A valid driver's license
• Willingness to drive SUV-sized vehicles for distribution
• The ability to work independently to coordinate a developing program and as part of a dedicated urban agriculture training team
• A detail-oriented, flexible, dependable and punctual work ethic
• Excellent communication skills: email, phone, in-person, etc.

Physical Demands:

This is an urban farm setting. Staff must be able to work on feet all day in all weather conditions performing manual labor. There will be frequent lifting, standing, walking, bending, farm tool usage, machinery operation, as well as speaking to public, staff, and program participants. Staff is required to lift, push, and pull items up to 50 pounds. Staff are expected to work in multiple locations.

Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX Coordinator should you have questions or concerns. Please do not call this number to inquire about job postings or the status of your application, or with solicitations from companies or third-party recruiters.