Full-Time COVID-19 HungerCorps Associate - United Way of King County

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 8/26/2021 (apply ASAP – applicants reviewed and hired on a rolling basis)

United Way 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.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

United Way of King County’s vision is to build a community where people have homes, students graduate, and families are financially stable. As part of our work to end poverty, we are committed to ensuring that children, particularly children of color, have access to healthy food in the places where they live, learn, and play.

Everyone deserves access to nutritious and culturally relevant food, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, local experts estimate that hunger in our community tripled. Low-income families and families of color were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and are experiencing hunger at unprecedented rates. United Way is working to support an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in our community, by developing and scaling high-impact strategies to reduce food insecurity. As a HungerCorps member, you will connect families with critical food resources, including school meals, food banks, and public benefits programs like Basic Food (SNAP) – with a particular focus on supporting communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

As a HungerCorps member, you will serve with one or more of United Way’s partner organizations. Partner organizations during the 2021 – 2022 service year include:

• Tacoma Public Schools

• The YMCA of Greater Seattle

• United Way of King County – Door Dash Home Delivery Program

• Food banks in Seattle and South King County

MEMBER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with school districts, food banks, and other community-based organizations to develop and implement large-scale anti-hunger strategies, including grocery home delivery programs, alternative school breakfast models, and afterschool meals programs

• Build and sustain relationships with community members experiencing food insecurity and connect households to the appropriate community resources

• Collect feedback and implement change as a result of family and community feedback

• Assist families in enrolling in federal nutrition programs, including free and reduced-price school meals and Basic Food (SNAP)

• Manage confidential client data and track ongoing food security interventions

• Conduct outreach to connect families with their nearest food banks and meals sites

• Collect and share stories highlighting local successes in connecting families to food resources

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

• Experience and passion for working with youth and families, particularly youth from low-income communities

• Experience working with diverse populations and an ability to apply a racial equity lens towards anti-hunger work

• Ability to build and sustain relationships and effectively communicate information to a broad audience

• Strong organizational skills, and the ability to collect and manage confidential client information

• Flexibility to balance the variety of service activities and resourcefulness to quickly solve problems or find solutions for community members

• Second language skill (especially Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Russian, or Ukrainian) is highly desirable so that we can offer services to families in their preferred or native languages

• Some site placements require regular access to a personal vehicle

We believe that the communities we serve must be centered in the work we do. People of color and people with experience accessing food resources are highly encouraged to apply.

Members will frequently move or lift boxes weighing up to 30 pounds. This position will involve service in outdoor weather conditions, and may involve standing, walking, or moving around the service location for up to four hours at a time.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION:

• Monthly stipend of $2,517 (pre-tax), paid bi-weekly

• Loan forbearance and payment of interest accrued on qualified student loans during your service term

• Eligible to receive Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($6,345) after successful completion of your service term

• Health benefits that meet the minimum standards of ACA compliance

• 10 days of personal leave and 10 days of sick leave

• Unlimited public transportation (ORCA) pass

• Mileage reimbursement for travel between service sites, if required by your site placement

• Childcare assistance

• Access to emergency assistance program to mitigate unforeseen financial emergencies that put your continued participation in AmeriCorps service at risk

• Robust professional development to support your personal, professional, and service goals and growth

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS:

AmeriCorps service fills a critical need in our community and is considered essential work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this role, you will primarily serve in-person and on-site, with some opportunities for remote service. United Way is following all guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the Washington State Department of Health regarding COVID-19 safety protocols. We are eager to support you in having a safe and impactful AmeriCorps term.