The FoodCorps Solution

Together with communities, FoodCorps connects children to healthy food in school. In partnership with AmeriCorps, we recruit, train, and place emerging leaders to serve fulltime, for one to two years, in under-resourced schools to foster environments that holistically integrate cultures of health and sustainability into how our schools teach and feed children. Serving in one to two schools each, corps members work alongside school staff, students, and volunteers to implement evidence-based strategies that get kids eating healthy:

1. Hands-on learning: Students regularly grow, cook, and taste healthy foods, with activities teaching them about nutrition, building their gardening and culinary skills, and improving preferences for healthy food.
2. Healthy school meals: The cafeteria procures fresh, healthy foods from local and sustainable sources, served in an environment that makes healthy food the easy and preferred choice.
3. Schoolwide culture of health: As a whole, the school community builds an environment—from the classroom to the playground to the cafeteria—that celebrates nutritious food and inspires healthy habits.

Our approach is founded on a model of amplifying, rather than duplicating, existing efforts to connect kids to healthy food in schools. This year, our eighth class of Massachusetts service members, now 20 strong, are bringing FoodCorps programming to one or two schools each, under the guidance of deeply rooted local partners. These include Boston and Springfield Public Schools and community organizations including Healthy Chelsea, Backyard Growers, Chicopee Fresh, Groundwork Lawrence, and Mill City Grows.

As a service member, you are paired with one of our partners and commit to an 11.5 month service term beginning August 1st, 2019.  Your second week in service, you will be flown to Portland, Oregon for a full week of training and orientation with the 230 other service members from across the country at our National Orientation.  

What You’ll Do: Service members work with schools, service site organizations and local communities to build healthy school food environments. They do this in a variety of ways:

• Service members focus on teaching children in grades K-8 about food and nutrition in the classroom by delivering engaging, hands-on lessons, integrating activities into subjects such as math, science and history, working with teachers and school administrators to increase food and nutrition education in curricula, and more.
• Service members grow healthy food with students, teachers, and community members in school gardens, dynamic educational settings where kids can get their hands dirty and experience what they’re learning first-hand. While some service members expand/maintain already-existing school gardens, greenhouses and hoop houses, others work to establish new gardens. Service members develop garden sustainability plans and recruit community volunteers to ensure that the projects they start last into the future.

• Service members impact what's for lunch by promoting food from local farms for cafeteria taste tests, working with school food directors and staff to integrate healthier foods into breakfast, lunch and snack programs, and more.

• Service members help build schoolwide cultures of health by building strong, collaborative relationships with teachers, families, and school administrators, recruiting and training volunteers, organizing committees and running meetings, talking to press and public officials.
• Service members spend time learning and participating in trainings, helping FoodCorps and schools assess the impact they are having, and raising money to help support the local projects when allowable.

What We’re Looking For

• Passion for building a healthier future for school children

• Commitment to working hard in service of local communities in order to make a difference 

• Demonstrated leadership ability

• Motivation to serve full-time in a limited resource community

• Perseverance in the face of challenges and creativity in finding solutions 

• Respect for diversity of opinion, experience, and background

• Experience working in or studying food systems, agriculture, public health, education, community organizing, or public service

• Experience working or volunteering in education, youth development, or other teaching setting

• Knowledge of the culture, history, and/or language of the communities we serve 

• Desire to gain hands-on experience for your career

• Demonstrated ability or dedication to performing the activities listed below

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

Individual service positions differ by location. There may be additional requirements depending on the site to which you apply.

What You’ll Gain

• $22,000 living stipend for Service Members in CA, DC, HI, MA and NY, paid bi-weekly

• Up to $18,250 living stipend for Service Members in other states, paid bi-weekly

• $6,095 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award, upon successful completion of your term of service

• Health insurance*

• Partial childcare reimbursement, if you qualify

• Student loan forbearance, if you qualify

• Training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities

*Participation in the FoodCorps health insurance option is required if you cannot provide proof of existing coverage.