CalFresh (Food Stamp) Outreach Volunteer Opportunities
Program Overview: 1 in 4 of our neighbors is struggling to make ends meet. Nearly 80% of the pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters we provide food to report increases in the number of clients.
To help meet this need, Second Harvest Food Bank has taken on a new initiative. We are helping people apply for the CalFresh (food stamp) program so they can buy food at a grocery store.
Here are three ways you can help.
CalFresh Outreach Assistant
Description: We need CalFresh Outreach volunteers to help provide information about the CalFresh program by distributing flyers and promoting the program in pre-determined locations throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Commitment: 3 hours or more. Appropriate for individuals or small groups.
Qualifications:
- Comfortable working with a diverse population
- Attend a 1 hour training provided by Second Harvest Food Bank staff
- Age 16 or above (If under age 18, will need parental/guardian approval form)
CalFresh Outreach Office Assistant
Description: We need CalFresh Outreach volunteers to support CalFresh behind the scenes. Volunteers will assist in the office bundling flyers, making copies, and handling data entry.
Location: San Carlos or San Jose offices
Commitment: 3 hours or more
Qualifications:
- Office experience with computers, Outlook, and Excel helpful
- Age 16 or above (If under age 18, will need parental/guardian approval form)
- Attend a 1 hour training provided by Second Harvest Food Bank staff, as appropriate
CalFresh Outreach Site Assistant
Description: The CalFresh Outreach Assistant will accompany our staff to community sites to provide information and screen individuals for CalFresh, and also let clients know about other food resources.
You will reach members in a variety of locations: pantries, soup kitchens, or Food Bank distribution programs. Outreach is often conducted outside.
Location: Various outreach sites throughout San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
Hours: 3-20 hours weekly. Flexible 3-5 hour shifts between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday – Sunday. Volunteer positions with CalFresh Outreach require a commitment of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 2 months.
Note: Appropriate for individuals and small groups.
Qualifications:
- Bi-lingual in English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese highly desirable, not mandatory
- Strong verbal communication skills
- Attend a 2 hour training provided by Second Harvest Food Bank staff
- Comfortable working with a diverse population
- Age 18+ years
Contact for the above positions:
Nicole Martinez, Food Stamp Outreach Manager
phone: (408) 266-8866 x294
email: nrivas@shfb.org
Food Connection Hotline Operator
Description: Food Connection Hotline is seeking volunteers to help callers receive food assistance.
Location: San Jose Distribution Center (750 Curtner Ave., San Jose, CA)
Supports: Food Connection, a food referral hotline to connect people seeking food assistance.
Hours: Flexible 3-hour shifts between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday. Volunteer positions with Food Connection require a commitment of 3 hours per week for a minimum of 3 months.
Qualifications:
- Excellent customer-service skills
- Experience working with diverse populations
- Ability to use the computer
- Bi-lingual skills highly desirable. Spanish not mandatory
- Age 18+ years
- Attend a 1 ½-hour training provided by Second Harvest Food Bank staff
Contact:
Anna Olsen Dyer, Associate Director of Services
phone: (650) 610-0800 x424
email: aolsen@shfb.org
Nutrition-Related Volunteer Opportunities
Second Harvest recognizes the link between poverty and obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. To help combat these diseases, we have developed a dynamic nutrition education program. We provide nutrition education, recipes, food tastings, and cooking demonstrations to our clients and partner agencies. In addition, we plan pantry nutrition education, conduct market surveys, work with farmers' markets, and provide food safety training. We have a variety of projects, ranging from short term (12-15 hours), long term (80-90 hours), and internships (120-400 hours). The projects listed below are updated weekly or as often as needed. If you are interested and qualified to help with these projects, please contact the person listed to apply for the volunteer position.
Nutrition Assistant
Location: Various outreach sites throughout Santa Clara County
Supports: Nutrition Program
Days and Times: Tuesday through Friday, for approximately 4 hours per shift between 8-12 or 11-3
Description: Starting September 7th, and ongoing, help prepare and serve food samples at food distribution sites; assist with nutrition education.
Qualifications:
- Bi-lingual in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, or Russian
- Strong verbal communication skills
- Comfortable with public speaking
- Comfortable working with a diverse population
- Current ServSafe certification
- Ability to commit to a minimum of 4 hours per week for at least 2 weeks
Contact:
Janet Leader, Director of Program Planning and Evaluation
408 266-8866 x346
email: jleader@shfb.org
Health Ambassador
Are you passionate about the health of your community? Do you like to teach others? Would you like to receive training in basic nutrition and food safety and share your knowledge with Second Harvest Food Bank clients? Then please consider volunteering to be a Health Ambassador in our newest nutrition outreach program!
Description: The pilot of our Health Ambassador Program is currently in session. While we cannot take additional Ambassadors at this time, we look forward to expanding the program in January 2012. If you are interested in joining the Health Ambassadors, please contact us or check back in January. Upon reopening the program, the Food Bank will be looking for bi-lingual (English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese) people to work with our nutritionists. These Health Ambassadors will provide education on healthy eating and food safety to clients at Food Bank distribution sites.
Qualified volunteers will receive 12 hours of training in basic nutrition and food safety. Health Ambassadors will receive a food handler's permit as part of their food safety training.
Requirements:
- 18 years or older
- Bi-lingual English/Spanish or English/Vietnamese. We ask that you are able to carry on a fluent conversation in these languages
- Completion of Ambassador Training
- Able to commit to 3-6 hours a week for a minimum of 6 months
- Previous health education experience is welcomed, but not necessary
- Provide own transportation
For more information, please contact Janet Leader at (408)266-8866 x346 or jleader@shfb.org.
Nutrition Student Projects
Please apply to Janet Leader at jleader@shfb.org for the following projects. Please include your hours and days of availability, your experience, and if you speak any languages other than English.
These projects are available in both Santa Clara or San Mateo County. Please specify in which county you are interested in working.
12-15 hour projects
- Help with food preparation for taste tests at our distribution sites. This will require coordinating days and hours with our nutritionist. The project requires assisting the nutritionist in preparing food samples at a county-approved kitchen, then distributing the samples at a food bank distribution site. This is usually a 4-hour project per time; time depends on the day, usually between 8-5. We have an ongoing need for a volunteer like this, and we can use 2-3 volunteers at different times.
- Help translate nutrition education lessons at food distribution sites. Fluency in another language a must, preferably Spanish or Vietnamese for Santa Clara County and Spanish, Tagalog, or Chinese for San Mateo County. This will require 3-4 hours per time at a distribution site; days and time usually occur during the week between 8-5 and can be somewhat flexible, depending on what distribution is scheduled. We can use 2-3 volunteers at different times.
80-90 hour projects
These projects are for nutrition students enrolled in an ADA-approved program or RD or RD-eligible volunteers.
- Develop and teach a nutrition lesson based on our nutrition theme of the month, to include a trifold display, a lesson plan with goals, objectives and an evaluation component. Audiences may vary by culture and age. Hours are flexible and must be arranged with the nutrition department. Volunteers for this project must be students or graduates of an ADA-approved nutrition program.
- Develop Nutrition Tip cards as part of our produce tip card program. Conduct evaluation of tip card acceptance at 2-3 sites. Volunteers for this project must be students or graduates of an ADA-approved nutrition program. Hours are flexible and must be arranged with the nutrition department.
120 hour project
This project is approximately 120 hours for a dietetic intern enrolled in an ADA-approved dietetic internship. However, it may also be appropriate for an undergraduate student with 80-90 hours of time available or a dietitian volunteer.
Help a congregate meal program develop menus using food bank foods. This will include meeting with the food bank nutritionist and congregate meal director, reviewing food bank foods, reviewing congregate meal requirements, and developing menus.
Help design and implement a Health Ambassador project for nutrition and food safety education. This will require designing a project to recruit and train community Health Ambassadors to provide nutrition education in appropriate languages at SHFB food distribution sites.
Hours are 8:30-5, Monday-Friday for a dietetic intern.