Building a Food Justice Career

My Mom wanted me to be a lawyer. I like to write, and she says I’m good at developing arguments… However, I always knew I was looking for something else. Following college, I was interested in sustainability, but wasn’t sure what a career might look like. Then I attended a sustainability networking event and upon hearing my story, a fellow attendee pointed out, “You grew up on a farm. You should do sustainable agriculture.” From there, it was a quick journey from nutrition and gardening education to building food access and alternative food systems.

Over the past several months, multiple people have reached out to me seeking wisdom and advice about entering the field of food justice. Working in nonprofits is hard, and anti-hunger opportunities can be few and far between as well as competitive. However, there is also lots of opportunity and energy in this area right now, and we certainly need all the most skilled, ambitious, and creative minds on the job.

This week I’m sharing my recommendations on embarking on a career in anti-hunger and food justice. In reality, though, this is all applicable to any field.  

• Informational interviews. Asking someone to share career advice is daunting and intimidating, but this is my favorite method for learning what the work really looks like! At the start of my career, I did most of my networking via personal recommendation and word of mouth, but social media makes things significantly easier now. Identify professionals that you admire and reach out to see if they’re available for a quick conversation.

I like to ask how they ended up in their current role and the skills they think are necessary for success there. My favorite question to end on after explaining my own career trajectory is, “what would you do next if you were me?” I also ask for recommendations of other people to speak to, and if they can offer an introduction.

Informational interviews have helped me land several jobs because when opportunities arose, I was fresh on the mind of my acquaintance. Although scheduling in today’s hectic world can be exhausting, many people like giving interviews. It’s flattering and fun to offer guidance that leads someone towards success!

• Volunteering. Although I recognize that having the time and capacity to volunteer is a significant privilege, you should lean into it if it’s an option. Sign up for a shift at your favorite nonprofit to learn how they operate, get to know their community, and maybe even anticipate their future needs. I’ve seen many nonprofits hire their best volunteers when they need more staff.

• Education. I experience my best learning from reading physical books, but there is an abundance of online articles, webinars, podcasts, or documentaries to suit your learning style. Familiarize yourself with the discussions that are currently taking place in the field and who is hosting them. After a while, you’ll start to recognize trends and opportunities for further engagement. You might also discover new areas of interest for yourself!

The books I consider foundational for my own anti-hunger education (that I regularly revisit when I need inspiration) are: The Stop by Nick Saul, Big Hunger by Andrew Fisher, and Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries by Katie Martin. But there are many incredible options on hunger, food justice and sustainability that are worth exploring.

It is important to remember that you don’t have to be a food security expert to thrive in this field. We need people with strong writing skills, creative marketing expertise, thoughtful fundraising strategies, in-depth data analysis, and many others. Many organizations are excited to hire people with these hard skills and teach them their application in food justice. No one starts out as an expert, and we all know that it takes a large and diverse community to solve hunger and build food justice.

Finally, I have to call out the importance of seeking out a workplace that honors and supports you. Although we’re making great progress, there are still plenty of nonprofits out there who do not support their staff the way they deserve to be treated. It’s important to recognize this reality, and assess your tolerance level for this treatment (in a perfect world it should be zero, but I know plenty of people don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing their ideal employer). Pressuring anti-hunger organizations to treat their staff with dignity and respect is an essential step for achieving the same toward treatment towards clients.

The opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.

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