Food Security AmeriCorps VISTA
START/END DATE: 4/12/2021 - 4/11/2022
Notice to Applicants:
Please note that United Way of King County has moved to remote operations and will reopen pending public health guidance. As such, be prepared to partake remotely in interviews, training, and other service responsibilities should we move forward with your candidacy.
Should we move forward with your candidacy, members will start their AmeriCorps service working remotely. Per United Way and public health guidance, all AmeriCorps members must be able to transition from working remotely to commuting to their site to serve 40 hrs. per week at any time during their service year.
Organization Overview:
United Way of King County’s vision is to build a community where people have homes, students graduate, and families are financially stable. United Way concentrates on issues that affect the most vulnerable and on which it can have measurable influence. Under our priority of breaking the cycle of poverty, we are committed to ensuring children, especially children of color, have access to nutritious food.
United Way of King County’s Fuel Your Future program connects families with critical food resources – including school meals, food banks, and public benefits programs like SNAP and WIC – with a particular focus on low-income communities of color. Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, local leaders estimate that hunger in our community has tripled. Low-income families and families of color have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, and are experiencing hunger at unprecedented rates. United Way’s Fuel Your Future program uses best practices to remove the barriers that prevent families from accessing food assistance programs.
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Food Security AmeriCorps VISTA Positions:
Breakfast After the Bell VISTA
The Breakfast After the Bell VISTA will work to end childhood hunger with United Way’s Fuel Your Future program. As a member of our team, you will take a leadership role in supporting our Breakfast After the Bell and Community Eligibility works across Washington State, to ensure the all students have access to school breakfast and are ready to learn.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with school districts across Washington to provide technical assistance and support in implementing Breakfast After the Bell and the Community Eligibility Provision
- Develop toolkits focused on successful and equitable meal service during COVID-19 and Community Eligibility Provision so that new resources and best practices are accessible to others, customizing to key regions, as needed
- Stay up-to-date with any policies or guidelines impacting the School Breakfast Program, the Community Eligibility Provision, and best practices for increasing participation in school breakfast
- Coordinate with statewide partner organizations, as needed
Emergency Food System VISTA
The Emergency Food System VISTA will increase access to home delivery of groceries by expanding United Way’s Last Mile delivery partnership with Door Dash and local food banks. The VISTA will increase the capacity of the emergency food system, which primarily serves low-income households experiencing hunger, to ensure that low-income and food insecure households have access to reliable, nutritious food as our community recovers from COVID-19. The VISTA will work closely with food provider partners and clients to coordinate Door Dash deliveries of food bank items to households across King County where residents are unable to access local food resources in person.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Partner with food banks to develop program infrastructure and provide program-specific technical assistance.
- Serve as the main point of contact for clients, conveying updates and needs to food bank partners and program staff where appropriate.
- Consult with program staff and partners to develop strategies to manage issues with service delivery. Coordinate between clients and food bank partners to implement said strategies to resolve any issues with service delivery.
- Develop program-specific outreach materials and communication strategies.
- Develop relationships with BIPOC-led organizations to provide culturally specific food boxes to key community groups.
- Responsible for tracking and analyzing data related to program participation.
Qualifications:
- We believe that the communities we serve must be centered in the work we do. Therefore we strongly encourage applications from people of color, people from working class or low-income backgrounds, and people from other marginalized communities.
- Understanding of systemic racism and commitment to anti-racism work.
- Experience working on multiple projects at once with a high level of attention to detail.
- Ability to function in a fast-paced work environment and adjust priorities quickly as circumstances dictate.
- Ability to communicate clearly and appropriately with staff members, partners, and community members.
- Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with staff team and community partners, including some remote partnerships.
- Experience in data analysis, or the willingness and ability to learn new technology.
Preferred Knowledge and Experience:
- Experience in non-profit or education sector, including food banks and the emergency food system.
- Familiarity with King County, especially communities most greatly impacted by food insecurity.
- Strong computer skills. Experience using Microsoft Word and Excel.
If you do not have the preferred knowledge, experience, or qualifications, please do not be discouraged from applying. We offer professional development, support, and on-the-job learning.
Position Length: April 12, 2021 – April 11th, 2022
VISTA Program Eligibility | Applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old upon entering VISTA training. There is no upper age limit.
- Be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status. F-1 visas are not sufficient.
- Not be listed in the National Sex Offender Registry database as having been convicted of sex-related crimes.
- Be willing to submit fingerprints for a criminal history background check. AmeriCorps assesses criminal history on a case-by-case basis when determining applicant eligibility.
- Be in a position to offer full-time service for one year without regard to regular working hours.
- Have a high school diploma/equivalent or be working toward completing one during the service year.
- Understand that VISTAs serve on a full-time basis. Therefore, VISTAs cannot enroll in school except in limited circumstances or be subjects of legal proceedings (civil or criminal) that may consume time needed for VISTA assignments. VISTA service cannot be used to satisfy service requirements of parole or probation. VISTAs may have additional employment outside of AmeriCorps but this employment should not interfere with the VISTA project.
Compensation and Benefits
- Living allowance of $1,850.24 (pretax)
- $5,920 Education Award or $1,800 cash stipend upon successful completion of service – By law, only AmeriCorps VISTA members who are either U.S. Citizens, U.S. Nationals, or Lawful Permanent Resident Aliens—sometimes referred to as “Lawful Permanent Residents”—are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Segal Education Award. All other members will receive an end of service cash stipend.
- Loan deferment and payment of interest accrued during service year on qualified student loans (loans must be federally-backed; personal/private loans not eligible).
- Health benefits that meet the minimum standards of ACA compliance
- ORCA LIFT card
- Childcare assistance
- 10 days sick leave, 10 days personal leave, 9 federal holidays
- Enrollment in an assistance program with 24-hour access to phone counseling
- Noncompetitive eligibility for federal jobs for up to one year after completing service
- Professional work experience
- Unique cohort experience with monthly team meetings to participate in high-quality training, professional development, networking opportunities, and one-on-one support from a VISTA Leader