Farm to Food Systems Capacity Builder VISTA

RFB:
Farm to Food System Capacity Building VISTA

Renewal Food Bank is a low-barrier, grocery-style food bank serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in Bellevue and surrounding communities. Through partnerships with grocery stores, farms, food donors, volunteers, and community organizations, Renewal Food Bank works to increase access to nutritious and culturally relevant food while reducing food waste. The Farm & Food Systems Capacity Building VISTA will play a key role in strengthening the systems that support this work.

The Ameri Corps Volunteer will help develop sustainable tools, processes, and partnerships that improve food sourcing, food recovery, volunteer engagement, community collaboration, and organizational effectiveness. Working alongside organizational leadership, the Ameri Corps Volunteer will research opportunities, develop tracking and feedback systems, support partnership infrastructure, and help create long-term solutions that increase food access and reduce food waste. In this position, Renewal Food Bank partners with Harvest Against Hunger through the Harvest VISTA Program, an incubator and catalyst for strengthening local food systems that places Ameri Corps Volunteers with community-based organizations to build sustainable food security programs.

They support produce recovery and gleaning initiatives by engaging farmers, strengthening volunteer recruitment systems, and improving tools for program evaluation and communications. Their work helps strengthen existing efforts while also developing new approaches that build more resilient, community-driven food systems. Through a one-year service term, they receive professional development, mentorship, and participation in a nationwide cohort, while building organizational capacity and supporting long-term solutions to food insecurity.

• The Farm & Food Systems Capacity Building VISTA will help strengthen Renewal Food Bank's long-term capacity to address food insecurity and reduce food waste. They will research and develop systems that support food sourcing partnerships, food recovery efforts, volunteer engagement, community partnerships, and organizational effectiveness. Projects may include developing partnership tracking tools, creating volunteer onboarding and engagement resources, improving surplus food tracking processes, designing community feedback systems, conducting research on food access opportunities, and creating documentation that supports sustainable program growth.
  
  They will work closely with organizational leadership while gaining hands-on experience in nonprofit operations, community engagement, project management, food security initiatives, and capacity building.

• Living Allowance
• Education award upon successful completion of service
• Relocation Allowance
• Health Coverage
• Choice of Education Award or End of Service Stipend

• Car recommended
• Permits working at another job during off hours

• Community Outreach
• Hunger
• Community and Economic Development

• Fund raising/Grant Writing
• Team Work
• Leadership
• Recruitment
• General Skills
• Computers/Technology
• Writing/Editing
• Community Organization
• Communications
• Non-Profit Management

RFB:
Farm to Food System Capacity Building VISTA