City of Renton Summer HungerCorps

City of Renton Parks and Recreation Department 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.

City of Renton:  

The City of Renton embraces a diverse and inclusive workforce and prides itself on promoting collaboration and teamwork in a positive environment while providing high quality services to the community. The Parks and Trails Division includes programs for Parks Maintenance, Renton Farmers Market and coordinating Volunteer opportunities. For more information about the City of Renton, please visit the following website: Why Renton?  

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 80 total direct service AmeriCorps members working across King County in partnership with community-based organizations to connect families with the food they need.

At City of Renton, you will join six (6) other members in this work to support food security during the summer months at local parks - Heritage Park, Kiwanis Park, and Sunset Neighborhood Park. Our Summer HungerCorps Associates will target barriers to Summer Meals through their service. They will work to increase participation at the Free Summer Meals program by planning, preparing, and implementing hands-on educational activities that include arts and crafts, board games, and sports to engage youth. They will also be responsible for the set-up, take down, and general care of the picnic shelter at the park.

Essential Functions:

• Provide care, safety, and supervision of program participants.
• Report problems and concerns to Recreation Coordinator and/or Parks Management as appropriate.
• Maintain positive relationships and communication with staff, participants, and parents.
• Maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Additional duties will include conducting grassroots community outreach to get the word out about available food resources, which is imperative in breaking down barriers.

HungerCorps members will also work every Market-day Tuesday at Renton Farmers Market (RFM) in a variety of roles to the Renton community, including, but not limited to:

• Provide direct services to families who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the new Summer EBT program. Tasks will includ marketing the SNAP, Summer EBT, and SNAP Market Match benefits programs at Summer Meals sites. RFM not only accepts traditional payments such as cash and credit card, but also offers the option for shoppers to use SNAP and Summer EBT benefits to pay for food. Additionally, a those benefits can be "matched" to expand their spending value for fresh produce.
• Help implement the 8-week Kid's Passport Program, introducing youth to the market with fun and educational activities each week designed to get kids to eat healthier, learn about fruits and vegetables, and what it takes to grow them.
• Solicit food donations from RFM vendors and shoppers to benefit the Renton Salvation Army Food Bank and low-income seniors who participate in the lunch program at Don Persson Renton Senior Activity Center.
• Assist with "Renton Roots - Farm to You" Program at Compass Veteran's Center that is a food delivery program to increase access to fresh, healthy produce for low-income residents and Veterans in Renton.
• Check for food donations for the City's community garden program.

As 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.

Eligibility

• At least 18 years of age
• 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 go through background checks
• High school diploma/GED
• As part of the hiring process, all candidates will be asked to complete a screening survey. This survey will confirm eligibility and will ask a few started questions to learn a bit more about you. We will send you the link to the screening survey once we have your application, but you can also get a head start on it here: Summer HungerCorps Associate: Screening Form (google.com)

Desired Qualifications:

• Self-starters who are passionate about supporting their community and public service
• Ability to engage children and youth in activities and make them feel safe 
• Experience working independently in high-energy environments
• Capable and comfortable being flexible, resourceful, and adaptable in new and challenging situations.
• 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 preferred. 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.

• Bi-weekly stipend of $1,303.70, pre-tax
• Eligible to receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,459.26 after successful completion of your service term.
• Mileage reimbursement for travel between service sites, if required by your site placement
• Receive a 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 Full-Time AmeriCorps teams beginning Fall 2024