Company description

For nearly four decades, University District Food Bank has helped prevent hunger in Northeast Seattle neighborhoods. Our mission to "build a hunger-free Northeast Seattle by providing our neighbors with reliable access to healthy food and life-changing resources" recognizes the urgency of providing access to healthy, culturally familiar food today and building systemic changes which create equity and opportunity for our customers long term.

Each week, more than 1,300 different families receive the groceries they need to prepare nutritionally balanced meals at home through our University District pantry location. Modeled after a grocery store, our customers shop for the groceries they want directly.

Our home delivery program reaches almost 400 home-bound customers every week. Our backpack program, at 16 nearby schools, provides almost 700 kids with meals and snacks for the weekend when school meals aren’t available.

Our two off site food pantries located at Mercy Magnuson Place and North Seattle College provide groceries to another 200+ households a week.

Last year, we had 70,000 customer visits and distributed 3 million pounds of food.

Job description

University District Food Bank works every day to build a hunger free Northeast Seattle through reliable access to healthy food and connections to life-changing resources. Our programs offer community members the healthy, culturally familiar options they need. Our grocery store styled free pantry in the University District enables customers to shop for the foods they want in a comfortable and bright setting. Satellite pantries at Magnuson Park and North Seattle College help us connect with communities who are challenged to reach our primary pantry. Home delivery enables families unable to come to our pantry themselves to still be connected to the healthy food they need. Our collaborations with 16 nearby public schools help ensure that school kids have abundant meals and snacks to support them over the weekend when school meals are not an option.

Position Summary

The Pantry Assistant works alongside the other Front of House and Back of House staff to ensure smooth day-to-day operations. The Pantry Assistant will help us maintain a safe and welcoming pantry space for our customers and volunteers. While the Pantry Assistant will primarily work with our University District location, their role will connect them to and occasionally require them to support our other programs including home delivery, satellite pantries at North Seattle College and Magnuson Park, and Packs for Kids our weekend backpack program targeting public school students.

Responsibilities and Work Tasks

To be successful in this role, an individual these duties to a reasonable level.

• Greet and direct customers waiting to access our pantry in a clear and friendly manner
• Promote a welcoming and safe shopping environment
• Assist in supervising and delegating tasks to volunteers
• Use intake software to record pantry visits and be able to train others in its use
• Create and maintain a well-stocked pantry during open shopping hours
• Update signage to guide daily shopping quantities
• Support customer shopping and answer customer questions
• Bag groceries
• Receive and record community food donations
• Sort community food donations for distribution
• Move food safely throughout our space using warehouse equipment (pallet jacks, carts, hand trucks)
• Understand and promote safe food handling practices
• De-escalate customer and community conflict in and around our space
• Work with colleagues to identify and resolve pantry needs for food and volunteers
• Maintain a clean, well-ordered facility
• Participate in weekly staff meetings

Skills and Qualifications

The following skills and qualifications are necessary for this position:

• Current food handler’s permit or ability to attain one within five days of hire (at food bank expense).
• Ability to follow safe food handling procedures at all times.
• Good physical condition: ability to regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds; ability to bend, reach, and move around multiple rooms of the food bank; comfort working in a warehouse-type space; ability to load/unload a delivery van.
• Commitment to practicing anti-racist and culturally competent behaviors and willingness to support volunteers and other staff in this as well.

The following skills and qualifications are desired for this position and will make a candidate more successful in the role of Pantry Assistant:

• Ability to interact with people of various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to train, guide and manage large teams of volunteers
• Ability to relate to persons of diverse ages, backgrounds, skills, and abilities
• Ability to be organized and to work through and manage a variety of tasks concurrently
• Ability to communicate effectively across cultures
• Experience in conflict de-escalation
• Multilingual, speaking English plus Spanish, Russian, Chinese, or Vietnamese.
• Experience with an anti-hunger or equivalent social service organization.
• Self-starter with the ability to make quick, informed decisions
• Familiarity with the operation of food bank equipment (cardboard baler, pallet jacks, hand trucks)
• Communicate with other food bank staff clearly, frequently, and directly
• Ability to work in a dynamic, physical environment
• High school diploma or GED
• WA state driver’s license and comfort driving a cargo van

Salary & Benefits

This part-time position pays $31 per hour to start. The expected work schedule is 20-25 hours per week including Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday morning and afternoon. Other benefits include paid vacation, sick, and holiday leave, medical, dental, and vision benefits, and an employer contributed SEP IRA plan.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $31.00 - $31.00

Application instructions

Deadline

February 27, 2023