Food Pantry Manager

The weekly Food Pantry at Mountain Community Resources seeks a high-level volunteer to co-manage the pantry with the current manager, eventually taking on full leadership of the operation. Current managerial duties include: coordination of the pantry with its two sponsors -- Community Bridges and Second Harvest Food Bank; cultivating, training, scheduling, and overseeing a pool of about 25 volunteers; meeting various requirements of the Food Bank for periodic trainings; managing the budget for purchased food; and establishing pantry policies and procedures. The position currently includes management of the pantry itself (Thursday mornings in Felton); and resolving difficulties that arise with either volunteers or clients.

The pantry currently serves an average of 140 households (averaging two people per household) each week, distributing between 5000 and 8000 lbs of food each week. Clients range from single seniors to families of more than ten people, roughly 70% Caucasion and 30% Latino, with nearly all clients housed.

The qualities of a good pantry manager include: excellent skills at working with both volunteers and clients, good spoken and written communication skills, and an ability to deal effectively with the staff and administrators of two established Santa Cruz non-profits. The volunteer team is very congenial and team-oriented, and the weekly distribution is a friendly and much-appreciated community event. Managing such a smooth and established operation is a rewarding way of serving neighbors in need.

On average, the manager can expect to spend five hours a week at the position. Running a weekly distribution adds another 4-1/2 hours to that week, but is a job that can be delegated to other experienced volunteers.

If interested, contact Paul Machlis (machlis@gmail.com) and he will schedule you as a normal volunteer before discussing further the possibility of moving towards a leadership role.