Food Shelf Generalist

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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

By becoming a Food Shelf Generalist, 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.

Food Shelf Generalist

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, 9:00AM - 1:00PM, serving shelf stable, frozen, refrigerated, and fresh foods depending on the season.

The Food Shelf Generalist supports the general operations of the food shelf where needed, including but not limited to bringing in and breaking down food shipments, organizing shelves and cold storage on Mondays, and assisting shoppers, tracking numbers, setting up, breaking down, and cleaning on Wednesdays. There are different roles among the team, so not every member will do everything, but can swap roles if needed. This position is very physical, and it helps distribute the work of bending down, stooping, lifting, and moving objects between all food shelf volunteers.

Responsibilities:

• Wednesdays
  • Assist shoppers
  • Coordinate foot traffic
  • Track shopper and distribution data
  • Pack bags of cold items
  • Restock shelves
• Mondays
  • Restock shelves with current inventory, using a first-in-first-out approach
  • Put away and organize new inventory from shipments
  • Prepare bags for distribution
  • Attend meetings
  • Collaborate and cooperate with team members

• Attend and support team meetings
• Set up and close down
• Clean rooms as needed
• Other duties as necessary

Support and Supervision:

The Food Shelf Generalist’s on-site supervisor will be Geoff Meyer, Director of On-site Services. 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 him.

Commitment:

• Must be able to bend, stoop, squat, lift, and move heavy objects
• Must be able to come on a consistent, weekly basis
• Monday and Wednesday mornings through the afternoon
• Mondays, 8:30AM, 3-4 hours
• Wednesdays, 7:30AM, 5-6 hours

Location:

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

Requirements:

• 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

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