The Food Bank Network is a cohort of 15 food pantries across the San Luis Valley that annually assists over 10,000 individuals with emergency food provisions. The full-time AmeriCorps position leads a 6-week food rescue program (Gleaning Project) and assists the Director in Food Bank operations. There are 3 positions split between the Shelter and the Food Bank. The splits assist daily operations, performing intakes, assistance with food distribution, and special projects, as needed.
Service Activities
Shelter Case Management Responsibilities:
● Lead new guests through intake process
● Conduct initial interview with guests to evaluate their needs
● Connect guest to medical, mental health, housing, education, transportation, and employment resources
Shelter Management Responsibilities:
● Resolve conflicts between guests & community members
● Collaborate with community volunteers and workgroups to plan and prepare meals
● Fulfill guests’ immediate needs by preparing and serving meals, and aiding their hygiene needs
Other Responsibilities:
● Participate in training and enrichment activities including: site-specific training, trainings relevant to rural hunger, poverty, homelessness, and educational barriers; reading assignments, community nights, retreats, and other activities, trainings, or events that are applicable to the service year.
● Members are required to attend community nights, cohort training days, and retreats, and must be excused at least 24hrs ahead of time by the AmeriCorps Program Director if he/she is not able to attend.
❖ If a member misses a community night or retreat, excused or not, he/she must make up the hours missed by submitting an “Hour Make up Plan” and carrying out said plan upon approval by the AmeriCorps Program Director.
● Other allowable activities that contribute to the purpose of the position such as new programming, trainings, or client services.
● Members may be required to serve on weekends and holidays as needed. This position requires emotional and intellectual fortitude and can be quite stressful. Self-care and advocacy will be a component of the service year.
● Participate in any Rural Alliance for Dignity related programming and/or events, including but not limited to orientation, retreats, evaluations, and trainings.
IV. Qualifications:
● Required Qualifications:
● High school diploma or its equivalent.
● Excellent Communication Skills
● Must be compassionate and understanding
● Comfortable being in a role of authority
● Comfortable handling emergency situations
● Comfortable around people with mental illnesses
● Pragmatic problem solver
● Flexible
Preferred Qualifications:
● Experience serving with diverse populations
● Experience serving with people with mental illnesses and/or physical handicaps
● Spanish Speaking
V. Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual Demands
● Needs to lift and squat.
● Needs be able to lift 50 lbs.
● Needs to go up and down stairs.
● Must be able to bend and stand.
● Must be able to deal with diverse populations
● Must be able to deal with people who are in crisis.
● Must able to set and keep personal and professional boundaries.
● Must be able to deal with high stress situations.
● Needs to be able to work with computers and different programs, as well as the phone system.
● Multitasking is needed.
● Capability to understand social systems and community resources.
Food Bank Responsibilities:
General Upkeep Responsibilities:
● Overseeing food intake
● Transporting donations from local stores and food drives
● Distributing food to families during special distributions: Commodities and Thanksgiving
● Coordinating food drop offs and pick-ups for outlying food banks
● Ensuring procured food is stored properly and sorted as needed
Food Drive Responsibilities:
● Coordinating food drives
● Developing and maintaining relationships with food donors
● Planning and implementing a self-identified community outreach project
Responsibilities Toward Clients:
● Leading clients through the intake process
● Taking clients through the food receiving process
● Collaborating with Social Services and other community partners to provide SNAP Outreach to clients who are eligible for benefits
● Regularly cooking samples to provide clients a taste of simple healthy recipes
Volunteer Coordination Responsibilities:
● Collaborating with community volunteers in outlying food banks to help manage food intake and outtake
● Coordinating work groups to participate during gleaning projects
Harvesting Responsibilities:
● Harvesting from the VEGI program to bring more produce into the Food Bank Network
● Learning about family farms and the state of agriculture through research
● Preserving the harvest to be distributed out through the winter
IX. Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
● Must have Bachelor’s Degree or 6 months of relevant experience
● Must have an expressed interest in food justice and nutrition education
● Must be a quick learner
● Must be able to transport 50 lb. boxes for several hours at a time
● Must be sincere and compassionate
● Must pass a driving record screening
Preferred Qualifications:
● Spanish speaking skills
X. Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual Demands
● Must be able to lift up to 60 pounds
● Repetitive lifting involved with position
● Must be detailed oriented
● Must be compassionate and patient
● Conflict resolution skills needed
Community Need Addressed
Across the 9 counties of The San Luis Valley, 18% of students will not graduate from high school. The needs of students to not only graduate from high school, but also become successful adults, exceed basic academic and tutoring support. Students need a stable roof over their heads and nutritious food on their tables. They need emotional support and encouragement. They need healthy behaviors and relationships modeled for them by adults and peers. The rates of child poverty are higher in all 9 counties than across the Nation and higher in 8 out of 9 counties compared to Colorado’s average. While poverty does not always beget children of high need, poverty is strongly correlated with homelessness, physical and emotional abuse, inadequate parenting, and educational neglect. Children who experience these issues are much more likely to drop out of school, become pregnant, become victims or perpetrators of domestic violence, become addicted to substances, and become homeless as adults.
This position is mainly focused on serving homeless families by connecting them to community resources such as medical, mental health, education, and employment resources. AmeriCorps Homeless Family Advocates also provide an intensive intake processes to assess the needs of each individual and family and assist them in creating and achieving realistic goals for a self-sustainable future.
Position Outcomes
With this position we hope to help clients to get back on their feet and become self-sustainable.
Benefits
Childcare assistance if eligible, Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Student loan forbearance, Training
We have communal housing at a lower cost then the area average. You will get your own bedroom and share common spaces.
Education Benefits
College Degree
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Speak clearly, in precise language and in a logical, organized and coherent manner, Turn taking
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment