Food Rescue Coordinator

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania; Erie (Erie County); On-site; USD 38,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania is seeking a Food Rescue Coordinator to build donor relationships, recruit growers, and manage a diverse mix of sourcing methods to strengthen our 11-county service area. This on-site role supports partnerships, logistics, and community engagement across the Food Rescue Program.

You will lead donor engagement, coordinate agency participation, and oversee volunteers while collaborating with Transportation, Development, and Finance teams to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Experience in nonprofit, food industry, logistics, or community engagement is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with donors and partner organizations to support long-term engagement.
• Research, identify, and recruit new growers, farmers, and agricultural vendors.
• Utilize a variety of sourcing methods including donations, purchasing, and hybrid partnerships.
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150-200 retail store donors and other food rescue locations.
• Conduct regular onsite visits to donors to maintain relationships and ensure program success.
• Educate donor personnel on food rescue program guidelines and best practices.
• Develop and maintain a key contact database for donors and participating agencies.
• Create and maintain donation toolkits for retail partners and agencies.
• Assist in purchasing by ensuring a consistent supply of quality, nutritious, and diverse perishable products.
• Collaborate with Transportation and Drivers to ensure smooth and compliant donation pickups.
• Handle donor inquiries, concerns, and feedback in a timely and professional manner.
• Coordinate with Development to recognize and steward donor partners.
• Partner with Agency Relations to recruit and support agencies participating in the Food Rescue Program.
• Provide program overviews and onboarding support to agency partners.
• Assess agency capacity, including volume and product types they can manage.
• Serve as a point of contact for agency questions, concerns, and program improvements.
• Monitor and support ongoing agency participation.
• Develop and support safe and effective volunteer participation within the Food Rescue Program.
• Recruit, train, and maintain a pool of volunteers.
• Educate volunteers on program guidelines and expectations.
• Connect volunteers with participating agencies as needed.
• Research and implement best practices for volunteer engagement.
• Coordinate the Gleaning Program by working with growers to secure donated crops.
• Plan and conduct gleaning events in collaboration with Development and Volunteer teams.
• Support recruitment and engagement of volunteers participating in gleaning activities
• Support implementation and utilization of Feeding America’s MealConnect platform.
• Track and report key performance metrics on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Provide regular updates on donor visits, program activity, and outcomes.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure coordinated, efficient, and effective program operations.
• Participate in planning efforts to strengthen and expand food sourcing strategies.
• Collaborate across departments - including the Inventory Control Coordinator - to forecast demand and secure appropriate product volumes using Just-in-Time methodologies to minimize spoilage.
• Participate in budget planning; track and monitor spending to maximize value of sourced products.
• Work with Accounting to ensure timely and accurate processing of purchasing and receiving documentation
• Perform other duties as assigned by leadership.

Skills

Relationship building

Donor relations

Project coordination

Volunteer coordination

Communication skills

Time management

Travel locally

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

MealConnect platform

Job description

Full-Time | Non-Exempt | $18.39/hr | On-site/Field-Based

Department: Food Sourcing

Reports to: Director of Food Sourcing

Turn Surplus Into Support for Our Community

At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, the Food Rescue Program plays a critical role in reducing food waste while increasing access to nutritious food. The Food Rescue Coordinator builds and maintains partnerships with retail donors, supports agency participation, and helps ensure rescued food is efficiently redirected to those who need it most.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys relationship-building, working in the community, and coordinating moving parts to create meaningful impact across our 11-county service area.

What You’ll Do

Donor Relations & Program Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with retail donors and partner organizations to support long-term engagement.
• Research, identify, and recruit new growers, farmers, and agricultural vendors.
• Utilize a variety of sourcing methods including donations, purchasing, and hybrid partnerships
• Manage a portfolio of approximately 150-200 retail store donors and other food rescue locations.
• Conduct regular onsite visits to donors to maintain relationships and ensure program success.
• Educate donor personnel on food rescue program guidelines and best practices.
• Develop and maintain a key contact database for donors and participating agencies.
• Create and maintain donation toolkits for retail partners and agencies.
• Assist in purchasing by ensuring a consistent supply of quality, nutritious, and diverse perishable products.
• Collaborate with Transportation and Drivers to ensure smooth and compliant donation pickups.
• Handle donor inquiries, concerns, and feedback in a timely and professional manner.
• Coordinate with Development to recognize and steward donor partners.

Agency Coordination

• Partner with Agency Relations to recruit and support agencies participating in the Food Rescue Program.
• Provide program overviews and onboarding support to agency partners.
• Assess agency capacity, including volume and product types they can manage.
• Serve as a point of contact for agency questions, concerns, and program improvements.
• Monitor and support ongoing agency participation.
• Develop and support safe and effective volunteer participation within the Food Rescue Program.
• Recruit, train, and maintain a pool of volunteers.
• Educate volunteers on program guidelines and expectations.
• Connect volunteers with participating agencies as needed.
• Research and implement best practices for volunteer engagement.
• Coordinate the Gleaning Program by working with growers to secure donated crops.
• Plan and conduct gleaning events in collaboration with Development and Volunteer teams.
• Support recruitment and engagement of volunteers participating in gleaning activities
• Support implementation and utilization of Feeding America’s MealConnect platform.
• Track and report key performance metrics on a weekly and monthly basis.
• Provide regular updates on donor visits, program activity, and outcomes.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure coordinated, efficient, and effective program operations.
• Participate in planning efforts to strengthen and expand food sourcing strategies.
• Collaborate across departments - including the Inventory Control Coordinator - to forecast demand and secure appropriate product volumes using Just-in-Time methodologies to minimize spoilage.
• Participate in budget planning; track and monitor spending to maximize value of sourced products.
• Work with Accounting to ensure timely and accurate processing of purchasing and receiving documentation
• Perform other duties as assigned by leadership.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
• Ability to manage multiple partners, priorities, and deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating across teams.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, community-facing environment.
• Creative thinking and ability to develop new ideas and partnerships.
• Willingness to travel locally and maintain a flexible schedule.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Experience in customer service, sales, marketing, or relationship management preferred.
• Experience in nonprofit, food industry, logistics, or community engagement is a plus.

Required Skills

Language & Communication

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage donors, agencies, and community partners.
• Ability to respond effectively to inquiries and concerns from the public and stakeholders.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide using whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rates, ratios, percentages, and interpret basic reports.

Certificates, Licenses & Requirements

• Valid driver’s license with a good driving record
• ServSafe Food Safety Certification (required within 6 months)
• Act 33 & 34 Clearances
• DOT Medical Card within 90 days of employment

Physical Demands

• Regularly required to use hands, reach, talk, and hear.
• Frequently required to stand, walk, and sit.
• Occasionally required to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, or crouch.
• Must regularly lift up to 50 pounds.
• Vision requirements include close, distance, color, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Combination of office, warehouse, and field environments.
• Occasional exposure to outdoor weather conditions.
• Noise level typically mild to moderate.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law.