About FoodCorps
FoodCorps partners with schools and communities to nourish kids’ health, education, and sense of belonging so that every child, in every school, experiences the joy and power of food. Our AmeriCorps members serve alongside educators and school nutrition leaders to provide kids with nourishing meals, food education, and culturally affirming experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Building on this direct service, FoodCorps advocates for policy change, grows networks, and develops leaders in service of every kid’s health and wellbeing. Our goal is that by 2030, every child will have access to food education and nourishing food in school!
What We’re Looking For
- Commitment to building a healthier future for school children
- Demonstrated leadership aptitude and effective communication skills
- Motivation and commitment to serve full-time directly in a community
- Self determination in the face of challenges and solutions-oriented creativity
- Respect for diversity of opinion, experience, and background
- Display a growth mindset by willing to grow through coaching and implementation of feedback
- Knowledge of the culture, history, and/or language of the communities we serve
- Desire to gain hands-on experience in food education
To be considered for a FoodCorps service member position, you must:
- Be 18 years or older by the start of your service term
- Be a legal, permanent resident of the United States
- Hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent at the start of service
- Individual service positions differ by location. There may be additional requirements, such as language proficiencies and access to a vehicle, depending on the site to which you apply.
What You’ll Do
Our AmeriCorps members work alongside educators to provide kids in K-8 schools with food education and culturally affirming experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Although they do this in a variety of ways depending on local partner goals, below are the foundational activities that all Food Education members complete:
Essential Functions
- Teach hands-on food education and lead taste tests to nourish student’s sense of excitement about eating fruits and vegetables and trying new foods.
- Grow nourishing food with students, teachers, and families to create dynamic educational gardens where kids can get their hands dirty while learning about food.
- Build a school-wide movement around nourishing food by building strong, collaborative relationships with teachers, families, and school administrators.
- Participate in FoodCorps training around teaching, gardening, family engagement, and anti-racism in service.
- Complete FoodCorps reporting and evaluation to help us measure local and national impact and improve programming.
Non-Essential Functions
- Publicize FoodCorps-related projects and success stories through press engagements, blog writing, social media posts, newsletters, etc.
- Collaborate with community partners to raise money to support local FoodCorps-related projects (when allowable).
Application deadline is March 27th.
Click here for more details.
The Department of Extension is seeking applicants for three full-time (11-month), non-tenure track Assistant/Associate Extension Educators. One position will target Food and Agricultural Literacy, one on Environmental Literacy, and the other will focus on Healthy Lifestyles Literacy. These three vacant positions are not specifically designated to an assigned location. Final placement will be negotiable, with one educator primarily based in each of the following locations: (a) the Fairfield County Extension Office in Bethel, (b) the New Haven County Extension Office in North Haven, and (c)the Windham County Extension Office in Brooklyn.
