Neighborhood House Summer HungerCorps

Neighborhood House and United Way of King County are partnering together and seeking a team of full-time Summer HungerCorps Associates to end hunger in King County. This team will help families and youth access nutritious food during the summer months.  

Neighborhood House: Founded in 1906, Neighborhood House is one of the oldest human services agencies in the Seattle region. Today, we continue to provide services to address the needs of entire families, with a focus on low-income community members, public housing residents, immigrants, and refugees. We serve thousands of people annually in King County through our major program areas of early childhood education, youth development, employment and adult education, housing stability, aging and disability services, and community health. Neighborhood House is a proud Community Action Agency in Washington.

United Way of King County: United Way of King County is working side by side with communities to build an equitable future for everyone by ensuring that everyone has access to resources, quality education, enough to eat, and a safe place to call home. 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 that families, especially families of color, have access to nutritious food.

Program Overview: Access to good food and supportive relationships shouldn’t end when school is out. In King County, 100,000 low-income students have access to free meals during the school year, but less than 1 in 5 access free meals served during the summer.

The Free Summer Meals Program is a critical resource to ensure that children continue to have access to summer nutrition support, by serving meals in the places where kids live, learn, and play. National studies show that summer meals programs increase food security and mitigate summer learning loss – but less than 15% of low-income youth in our region access Summer Meals programs each year. This is due to preventable barriers – including too few sites, lack of awareness about the program, and a lack of activities and incentives to engage kids and teens.

Your Role: This Summer HungerCorps Associate will be part of a passionate cohort of 70 total direct service AmeriCorps members working across King County in partnership with food banks and community-based organizations to connect families with the food they need. Here at Neighborhood House, you will join 6 other members in this work to support food security during the summer months in your local White Center or Auburn area. 2 positions are located at each the following sites:  

• Seola Gardens (11215 5^th AVE SW Seattle, WA 98126) 
• Burndale Homes (1044 18^th ST NE Auburn, WA 98002) 
• Firwood Circle (313 37^th ST SE Auburn, WA 98002) 

Our Summer Associates will target the barriers to Summer Meals through their service. They will work to implement creative solutions that increase access to the Free Summer Meals program by increasing the days, hours, and frequency of meal site operations, while also facilitating hands-on educational activities to engage youth. Additional duties include conducting grassroots community outreach to get the word out about available food resources, which is imperative in breaking down barriers. This position will support summer retention, social and personal development activities, literacy development and arts enrichment. The HungerCorps Associate will support Neighborhood House summer programming with preparation and delivery of activities, lessons and materials for summer 2024 programming, spanning academic, enrichment and social-emotional topics. Your service will aid in protecting participation and access to the Summer Meals program and help ensure that our community is able to achieve a just and equitable economic recovery from the pandemic.  

As a part of this team, you will be supported with a robust orientation, ongoing training, and the tools and resources you need to be successful. Full training and certification provided.  

Benefits & Compensation

• Bi-weekly living allowance of $1,303.70 (pre-tax)
• Eligible to receive AmeriCorps Segal Education Award of $1,459.26 after successful completion of your Service Term.
• Unlimited ORCA Lift public transit pass
• Mileage reimbursement for travel between service sites (when applicable)
• Receive your Food Handler's permit and other professional development trainings
• Become part of the AmeriCorps Network and part of a high-impact team
• Receive special consideration for United Way's year-long AmeriCorps teams - positions beginning in Fall 2024.

Eligibility

• 18 years of age or older on first day of service
• US citizen, US national, or lawful permanent resident. Unfortunately other residency statuses and VISAS are not eligible.
• Available full time (40 hours/week) from June 17, 2024 to August 25, 2024. Hours are typically around Mon-Fri 8am-5pm but may vary by service site.
• Must complete and pass state and federal background checks.
• High school diploma/GED

Desired Qualifications:

• Self-starters who are passionate about supporting their community and public service 
• Experience working independently in high-energy environments
• Flexible, resourceful, and adaptable
• Ability to build relationships and effectively communicate information to a broad audience, including conducting outreach to parents, youth and other community members
• Experience working with diverse populations and an ability to apply a racial equity lens towards anti-hunger work
• 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.
• Consistent access to a personal vehicle is needed. Members who travel between service sites will receive mileage reimbursement at IRS standard rates

Members will frequently move or lift boxes weighing up to 30 pounds. This position may frequently involve service in outdoor weather conditions, and may involve standing, walking, or moving around the service location for the duration of a shift. This position frequently communicates with staff and community members, and must be able to exchange accurate information.

Prior to an interview, applicants will be asked to complete an additional screening form. This form should only take a couple of minutes and asks several questions related to eligibility and your motivation for wanting to complete a term of AmeriCorps service. To get a head start on this process, you can complete the form here: 2024 Summer HungerCorps Screening.

Commitment to Equity in Hiring: Hunger and poverty disproportionately hurt the most marginalized people in society — including people of color, people from working class backgrounds, women, and people who identify as LGBTQ+. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do. We strongly encourage applicatio

• Bi-weekly living allowance of $1,303.70 (pre-tax)
• Eligible to receive AmeriCorps Segal Education Award of $1,459.26 after successful completion of your Service Term.
• Unlimited ORCA Lift public transit pass
• Mileage reimbursement for travel between service sites (when applicable)
• Receive your Food Handler's permit and other professional development trainings
• Become part of the AmeriCorps Network and part of a high-impact team
• Receive special consideration for United Way's year-long AmeriCorps teams - positions beginning in Fall 2024.