We are currently seeking to fill the position of:

Sunshine Garden Peer Assistant

FoodShare is a food justice organization advocating for the right to food and working to challenge the systemic barriers that keep people from accessing food. We support community-led food initiatives and work alongside those most impacted by poverty and food insecurity, including Black and Indigenous people, people of colour, people with disabilities and those living on a low income.

Overview 

The Sunshine Garden Peer Assistant plays a vital role in maintaining and enhancing the Sunshine Garden and Greenhouse at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). In close collaboration with the Community and Market Gardens Coordinator, the Peer Assistant will cultivate vegetables at our local farmer market stands, support with volunteers and tours, manage and maintain the compost system, ensure that the space is clean and inviting, and actively engage with both volunteers and visitors to foster a welcoming and educational environment

**This position is only open to those who are current or past clients of the Sunshine Garden.**

Duties include (but are not limited to):

• Support Garden Maintenance: Perform essential gardening tasks, including pruning, weeding, watering, seed starting, harvesting, mulching, and soil preparation, to maintain a thriving, productive space.
• Support Volunteer Engagement & Mentorship: Create a welcoming, inclusive environment for volunteers by providing guidance, mentorship, and hands-on learning opportunities.
• Support Community Interaction & Outreach: Engage with the public by offering garden tours, interacting with visitors, and potentially speaking at events or with the media about the garden’s impact.
• Workshop Support: Assist in organizing and facilitating community-based workshops to share knowledge about sustainable gardening and food justice.
• Support Produce Distribution: Help distribute fresh garden produce through a bi-weekly market stand, community cooking programs, and take-home packages for volunteers.
• Support to maintain the compost program by turning and keeping inputs clean and organized. 
• Support Organizational Participation: Take part in FoodShare staff meetings, training sessions, board-staff retreats, and fulfill reporting requirements such as timesheets.
• General Support: Handle other duties as assigned to ensure the smooth operation of the Sunshine Garden and its programs.
• Assist with record-keeping (planting logs, crop yields, volunteer hours, etc.) and ensure the volunteer's engagement is participating.
• ​​Maintaining programming in line with FoodShares's Food Justice principles and Body Liberation principles 
• Ensure all relevant documentation/records are maintained and kept in a secure location
• Adhere to FoodShare’s policies and health and safety procedures
• Participating in Community Food Growing and FoodShare staff meetings, all staff training, and reporting requirements such as timesheets and handling other duties as assigned
• Follow and ensure compliance with all organizational procedures and policies, including Health and Safety policies.
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Lived Experience: Must be a current or past client of the Sunshine Garden program.
• At least 1+ year of experience in vegetable gardening, growing food, or working with plants
• Ability to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, energize groups, and effectively communicate with volunteers and visitors.
• Able to follow verbal instructions, clearly express observations, and proactively propose solutions to challenges.
• Experience working respectfully with individuals of diverse ages, genders, abilities, and cultural backgrounds, including those who have faced marginalization.
• Demonstrated dedication to principles of food justice, anti-oppression, and community-led solutions.
• Demonstrate ability to work both independently with minimal supervision and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Demonstrating strong organizational skills with a commitment to punctuality, dependability, and the successful completion of tasks

Requirements:

• This position is required to work from the Sunshine Garden based at 1000 Queen Street West Mall, with some in-person meetings at the main FoodShare office at 120 Industry St. or other partner locations across Toronto as needed.
• Submission of required immunization screening records. Any personal vaccine information collected as part of this recruitment will be handled in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and will only be used for the purpose of meeting hospital credentialing and workplace safety requirements established by CAMH
• Repetitive tasks such as bending, crouching, lifting, and reaching.
• Full shifts standing and working on your feet.
• Use of hand tools and mechanized equipment.
• Regularly lifting over 40 lbs.
• Working outdoors in all kinds of weather (heat, sun, rain, cold).
• Must be legally authorized to work in Canada

Total Compensation

Salary & Benefits:

• Salary: $25.55 per hour
• Contract Type: Part Time, Fixed Term (18 hours/ week)

• Vacation: 4 weeks paid vacation per year, prorated based on start date
• Anticipated Start/ End: May 2026 - Nov. 2026

Additional Leave:

• Personal Leave Days: 10 paid personal leave days per year, prorated based on start date
• Wellness Days: 20 paid wellness days/sick leave per year, prorated based on start date

*Note: As part of FoodShare’s commitment to equity, salaries and benefits are non-negotiable

Additional Information:

Reports to: Community Food Growing Senior Manager

Location: Sunshine Garden (1000 Queen Street West)

TO APPLY: Please submit your resume and cover letter by 5:00pm on Thursday April 9, 2026

Selection Process:

• FoodShare’s recruitment process involves the anonymization of all resumes prior to their being screened by the hiring committee. This step removes applicant personal details (names, email, addresses), educational & employment institutions, years of work experience, and personal interests to reduce potential for bias. Please make sure to detail your experience in your resume/cover letter to ensure the committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role. This process takes at least 3 weeks from the application deadline.
• The hiring committee will review anonymized versions of the applications that pass the initial screening and decide which to invite to interview. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• The hiring committee will conduct first round interviews with selected candidates. Candidates will be sent the interview questions 48 hours in advance of their scheduled interview. Candidates are welcome, but not expected or required, to send any questions they have for the hiring committee in advance of the interview. These usually occur about 4 weeks after the application deadline.
• In recognition of the time and labour of preparing for and attending an interview, FoodShare financially compensates interviewees at a fixed rate of $75 per interview.
• HR will conduct reference checks for the candidate they intend to extend an offer to. This process usually takes about 1 week.
• HR will send the selected candidate an Employment Agreement, which the candidate will have at least 3 business days to review and return.

Thank you for your interest in joining our team! FoodShare is a food justice organization. This means that we are committed to working to identify and dismantle systemic forms of oppression that cause and perpetuate food security inequities.

Racialized people and others from equity-seeking groups are over-represented in food insecurity and poverty statistics, but are significantly under-represented in community based food organizations. We believe that those most affected by an issue must have access to paid positions in organizations tasked with challenging poverty and food insecurity. FoodShare strives to create a workspace that reflects the diversity of identities and lived experiences that exist within the communities we work alongside. If you see yourself reflected in 80% of the requirements for this role, please consider applying.

If you require accommodation when navigating the application process, please contact:

Work With Us

FoodShare strives to create a workspace that reflects the diversity of identities and lived experiences that exist within the communities we work alongside. We are committed to working to identify and dismantle systemic forms of oppression in the food system. Racialized people and others from equity-seeking groups are over-represented in food insecurity and poverty statistics, but are significantly under-represented in community-based food work. We believe that those most affected by an issue must have access to paid positions in organizations tasked with challenging poverty and food insecurity.

Compensation at FoodShare

At FoodShare we believe that taking an honest, transparent approach to our compensation structure improves morale and is key to building the trust that is foundational in advancing equity. 

We have a transparent 1:3 ratio between the lowest paid and highest paid FoodShare employee. This means that the highest paid person at FoodShare can earn no more than three times what the lowest paid person earns for their labour.

We are a living wage employer registered with the Ontario Living Wage Network. This network calculates the living wage in each region of Ontario based on the cost of living for the area. In Toronto, the living wage is $25.55/hr and no employee at FoodShare earns less than $25.55/hr.

FoodShare believes that no one should be living in poverty, or experiencing food insecurity. This commitment to a living wage for all staff is an example of our values in action. It is also a key action identified in our Combating Anti-Black racism Action Plan (activity #18).

As part of FoodShare’s commitment to equity all staff receive equal pay for equal work, therefore salaries and benefits are non-negotiable.

Recruitment Process

FoodShare’s recruitment process involves the anonymization of all resumes prior to their being screened by the hiring committee. This step removes applicant personal details (names, email, addresses), educational & employment institutions, years of work experience, and personal interests to reduce potential for bias. Please make sure to detail your experience in your resume/cover letter to ensure the committee has the information they need to assess your qualifications for the role.

In recognition of the time and labour of preparing for and attending an interview, FoodShare financially compensates interviewees at a fixed rate of $75 per interview. Any time a candidate is asked to prepare a presentation or assignment for an interview, FoodShare will financially compensate the candidate for that work at a rate equal to the hourly rate for the position, based on the number of hours the hiring committee believes the task should take. FoodShare will not use ideas from presentations or assignments of candidates not selected for the position.

FoodShare sends interviewees the interview questions in advance of the interview to allow them time to process the questions.

Accommodation

If you require accommodation when navigating the application process, please contact: .