What started as a small garden in a vacant lot in this little inner-city neighborhood, quickly turned into the City of Dallas’ first urban farm. The original farm is 1.25 acres boldly situated in the South Dallas community of Bonton, an area ravaged by generational poverty, crime, and classified by the USDA as a food desert. In 2016, a local family, the Treffingers, were inspired by the mission of Bonton Farms and generously donated 20 acres of land located about 10 miles from the original farm. They loved it so much that when another 20 acre plot adjacent to the original one became available, they purchased it and donated it for further expansion of Bonton Farms. That 40 acre site is what we call "The Bonton Farms Extension". It happens to be one of the largest urban farms in the Unites States. In this unlikely setting, we are cultivating a sustainable and vibrant urban farm with the mission to restore lives, create jobs and ignite hope.
MISSION
Transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
VISION
The change in Bonton becomes the change in the World.
CORE PRINCIPLE
Our values are bathed in our Christian faith, born out of a passion for people and guide how we put them into action.
Responsibilities:
- Attend Grocery Connect training sessions including Bonton Farms orientation, Grocery Connect process training, Kroger systems training, Texas Health and Human Services food benefits support certification training.
- Discuss with each site visitor their state of access to fresh food, as well as technology experiences.
- Set agreed goals for Concierge services and confirm the details with the visitor.
- Track each site visitor's progress and types of requests, keep accurate and timely records, and report outcomes as required.
- Train community members and community trainers on Kroger systems for online ordering.
- Create a welcoming environment at the center where community members can feel seen and supported.
- Assist with food benefit qualification and registration.
- Provide support for the usage of Connected Dallas systems and communicate with DIA staff on cross support situations between the GC and DIA teams.
- Offer online grocery ordering support for individuals ordering onsite or with call-in questions.
- Proactively resolve grocery order issues and work on avoiding future problems.
- Manage new client data collection.
- Perform periodic metrics reporting and data collection during both pre and post launch activities
- Work with Kroger Delivery Drivers and Customer Support to ensure clients of the service center are getting great service and having their grocery order/delivery issues resolved effectively.
- Attend Pre-Registration events to help bring awareness to Grocery Connect including: attending event, working with community partners to create events calendar and preparation for the events like gathering materials, set up, and tear down.
- Other tasks as necessary.
- Ability to embrace the challenge of learning and teaching basic technological concepts necessary to support shopping for groceries online.
- Curiosity and openness to learning to online shop for groceries using the Kroger systems in a variety of approaches to support the various client needs.
- Training facilitation skills.
- Excellent self-organization, language capacity, and cultural competency.
- Excellent telephone and online communication skills, establishing trust with diverse community members.
- Positive attitude, interpersonal skills, and cultural sensitivity in working with customers and coworkers.
- Creative problem-solving and handling of stressful situations.
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills.
- Willing to work hours that are nonstandard business hours including some weekend and evening hours.
- Possess knowledge of local resources.
- Maintain confidentiality and empathy.
- Exhibit strong organizational abilities.
- Collaborate effectively with the team.
- Comfortable sharing workspace with team members from a variety of organizations and cross supporting one another.
- Stay up-to-date with relevant resources and services.
- Prioritize customer service.
- Attention to detail and organization
- Comfortable with data entry and reporting
- Fluency in English and Spanish preferred, but not required.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Our Mission
Transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
Vision
The change in Bonton becomes the change in the World.
Core Principal
Our values are bathed in our Christian faith, born out of a passion for people and guide how we put them into action.
What is Bonton?
For the last 200 years, racial injustice and systemic oppression prevented opportunities in Bonton, a community in South Dallas, that were a given elsewhere. People here experienced higher rates of diabetes, stroke and cancer, and 48% of residents lived in poverty. Residents have been denied access to the seven human essentials that are necessary to survive and thrive - health & wellness, economic stability, safe and affordable housing, transportation, a sense of belonging, education and access to fair credit. Today, the community is transforming, and healing is coming from within.
Who We Are
Bonton Farms is on a mission is to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where health, wholeness, and opportunity are the norm for all people. While many nonprofits work to solve one issue, Bonton Farms focuses on place-based interventions to build community capacity for long-term change. As the ecosystem of community resources improves, the neighbors in Bonton use these resources to build successful, self-sufficient lives, ultimately interrupting the impact of decades of disenfranchisement. Bonton Farms’ programs focus on the all of the seven human essentials that the community has been denied for so long. We invite you to come and join us in the transformation!