Break down language barriers at as a SOH Spanish Specialist!

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*This is a placeholder event and not a sign-up opportunity, please contact Noah Chan for more information about getting started

At the Shelf of Hope, we serve about 100 people every week, putting food on the tables of mothers, fathers, children, and seniors. Many people depend on this food shelf as a weekly supplement for their needs, and it takes a strong, consistent team to meet that need every week. Volunteers have the opportunity to interface directly with their community, showing them care and humanity. They are also working with like-minded people, who believe that every human being deserves food and their basic needs met. If this is inline with your values, please consider applying!

SOH Spanish Specialist

Overview:

Agate Housing and Services serves people experiencing homelessness with the mission of ending homelessness and relieving hunger. One way we do this is by providing the community with a food shelf called Shelf of Hope (SOH). The SOH is free to the public and open every Wednesday, 10:00AM - 1:00PM, serving shelf stable, frozen, refrigerated, and fresh foods depending on the season.

The SOH Spanish Specialist is fluent in Spanish and works with Wednesday shoppers who only primarily speak the Spanish language. Most of the volunteers in the food shelf only speak English, and only a couple know some words in Spanish, but the number of Spanish speaking shoppers has been increasing. This Specialist would make the SOH more accessible to the community and break down language barriers.

The SOH Spanish Specialist supports the general operations of the food shelf where needed, including but not limited to assisting shoppers, tracking numbers, setting up, breaking down, and cleaning on Wednesdays.

Responsibilities:

• Assist Spanish speaking shoppers
• Coordinate foot traffic
• Track shopper and distribution data
• Pack bags of cold items
• Restock shelves
• Attend meetings
• Collaborate and cooperate with team members
• Set up and close down
• Clean rooms as needed
• Other duties as necessary

Training and Confidentiality:

The Food Shelf Generalist will be trained by Mary Fondren, Client Engagement Specialist, Kate Wittenstein, Admin and Communications Specialist, or Munchie, Organizational Specialist. Since the Generalist may be exposed to client information that is private, they must sign the Volunteer Handbook which includes a confidentiality agreement.

Support and Supervision:

The Food Shelf Generalist’s on-site supervisor will be the Shelf of Hope Coordinator. They will be working directly and side by side with them each time they come in. All questions and concerns surrounding day-to-day operations can be directed to Mary and Kate. They can also contact Noah Chan, the volunteer manager.

Commitment:

• Minimum commitment: 6 months
• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat, lift, and move heavy objects
• Must be able to come on a consistent, weekly basis
• Wednesdays, 8:30AM, 5-6 hours

Location:

Food Centre - 714 Park Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55404

Requirements:

• Must be fluent in Spanish
• Must be able to handle busy, high energy, and sometimes demanding environments
• Must be able to work as a team
• Must have reliable transportation to and from the Shelf of Hope
• Commitment to Agate Housing and Services mission and values

Benefit to the Volunteer

By becoming an SOH Spanish Specialist, you are joining hands with a team of people who believe that all human beings deserve food and their basic needs met. You work directly with the people you are helping, face-to-face, building a caring and connective community. The people Agate serves are often alienated by stereotypes and misconceptions. This unique position gives you the opportunity to break down these misunderstandings and experience them for who they are: human beings. This role is also great for anyone looking for experience interacting with people who are unstably housed or experiencing homelessness.

Impact:

Local community members have depended on the Shelf of Hope since before it moved to the Food Centre in 2019. Food security is a real problem, which is why it is so important to offer our neighbors free groceries and supplies. In 2021, 4,160 people were able to pick up canned goods, meats, ready-to-eat meals, dairy products, eggs, snacks, household products, seasonal gear, and fresh produce. The Food Shelf Generalist helps us continue relieving hunger and improving food security by working directly with clients and supporting the Shelf of Hope behind the scenes.

Contacts:

Noah Chan (he/him/his)

Volunteer Development | Internal Engagement Manager

Phone: 612-327-6389

noah.chan@agatemn.org