YMCA Summer HungerCorps

YMCA of Greater Seattle 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.

Position Title: Summer Associate

Service Dates: June 17, 2024 – August 23, 2024

The YMCA of Greater Seattle (the Y) strengthens communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Throughout its history, the Y’s mission remains: building a community where all people, especially the young, are encouraged to develop their fullest potential in spirit, mind, and body. The YMCA of Greater Seattle nurtures the development of children and teens, equips, and encourages people to improve their health and well-being, and mobilizes volunteers and community partners to address critical social needs. Our approach centers on youth from birth to age 25 to prepare people to be safe, capable, and confident contributors to the community. From childcare, swim lessons, and diverse fitness options to outpatient mental health counseling for all ages, community meals, outdoor experiences, foster care, supported employment, and transitional housing, the Y offers a broad range of programming throughout the Greater Seattle Area. Each year, the Y serves over 200,000 community members at over 200 sites with the support of thousands of volunteers and donors.

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 food banks and community-based organizations to connect families with the food they need. Here at the YMCA of Greater Seattle, you will join a team of 10 other members in this work to support food security during the summer months across Issaquah/Sammamish, Auburn, SeaTac, Redmond, Kent, and Shoreline. 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. Supporting other food access programming in your area, building and continuing partnerships with local partners and administrative tasks applicable to the summer food program compliance.

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.

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
• 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
• 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.

• 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.