Mission

The mission of the IFSC is to recommend policy, research and program options for an Iowa food system which supports healthier Iowans, communities, economies and the environment.

Announcements

Des Moines University promotes IFSC Farm & Food Forum

IFSC receives Specialty Crop Block Grant!

IFSC Co-Founder Susan Roberts joins Partnership for a Healthier America

Cultivating Resilience: A Food System Blueprint that Advances the Health of Iowans, Farms & Communities is now available!

Come to Iowa's Food Table! Join the Iowa Food Systems Council today.

IFSC is on FaceBook! Get the latest information on food policies from around the country.

IFSC in the News

We're Hiring an Administrative Assistant

Iowa Food Systems Council Part-time Administrative Assistant


Purpose: The purpose of this part-time position (15 to 20 hours per week) is coordinating membership services, coordinating and providing logistical support for meetings and events, and providing general administrative support to the Iowa Food Systems Council.

Expected Compensation: $14 to $18 per hour

Work Location: Home-based within Iowa with occasional travel to meeting and event sites within Iowa. The successful candidate will be expected to provide their own computer with internet, mobile telephone for communication, and be a licensed and insured Iowa driver with access to an automobile. The work hours are flexible with the exception of events.

Benefits: The individual will receive pro-rated holiday pay and pro-rated paid time off. Responsibilities:

  1. Coordinate logistics for IFSC Board of Directors meetings, IFSC workgroup meetings, and IFSC events including:

    1. Sites,

    2. Preparing handout and information,

    3. Collecting information for the meeting, and

    4. Disseminating the information.

  2. Coordinate membership services including:
    a. Enter new memberships into database,
    b. Send membership acknowledgements and thank you notes,
    c. Answer member questions or refer the question,
    d. Assist in soliciting new members and coordinating renewal campaigns.

  3. Posting content to the website.

  4. Managing incoming mail including going to the post office box, opening mail, directing mail to the appropriate person, and logging all incoming checks and cash including providing incoming funds to the designated person for deposit.

  5. Prepare draft billing documents and supporting documentation for reimbursement based grants.

  6. Provide administrative support to the IFSC Executive Committee.

How to apply:

Submit resumes no later than 5:00 pm, Monday, February 20, 2012 to iowafoodsystemscouncil@gmail.com. The IFSC expects to hold interviews and make a hiring decision by March 9, 2012. 

Shaping the Future of Iowa's Food System!

The destiny of Iowa is greatly dependent on how we nourish ourselves. How Iowa feeds itself determines the health, economic, ecological and social capacity to support future generations.

Now is the time to help shape the future of Iowa’s food system. The Iowa Food Systems Council (IFSC) is an emerging, member-based non-profit organization whose charge is to monitor Iowa’s food and health landscape, to encourage and coordinate connections between food system leaders and decision-makers, and to identify policies, programs and research that cultivate a resilient and sustainable food system - a system which builds a healthier food economy, a healthier environment and healthier Iowans.

The IFSC offers a forum for members to gain a deeper understanding of the total food system, its web of interdependence, and the issues needing addressed for the benefit of all concerned. It’s a place to find common ground and partners to address issues effectively. Anyone can be a member - businesses, organizations,  government agencies, individuals and students.

Why a Membership Based, Nonprofit Food Policy Council?

Upon thorough evaluation of several governance options, food system stakeholders agreed that a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization offered the most benefits for a state level food policy council in Iowa. These include:

  • Non-partisan, independent organization that can build bridges across food system sectors and government entities.

  • Greater opportunities to receive private and public funding.

  • Membership program which offers diverse revenue, builds leadership and volunteers.

  • Organizational perpetuity and the ability to exist beyond lifetime or enrollment of those who begin it.

  • Greater flexibility with advocacy.

  • Less beholden to legislative and government funding and restrictions.

  • Relatively easy to form.

Read more about the history of the Iowa Food Systems Council.

JOIN TODAY! Come to Iowa's Food Table! Become a member of the Iowa Food Systems Council.