VISTA: Child Nutrition Programs

 

*To apply to this position, please visit americorps.gov at the following URL: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=81661&fromSearch=true

 

Goal of the Project: Increase access to after school and summer meals; increase back pack meals; build capacity of the nutrition education program.

Objective of the Assignment (Period of Performance: 08/01/2018-08/01/2019)

The Child Nutrition Programs VISTA will build capacity within our Team. The Food Bank has a well-established child nutrition program to bring meals and groceries directly to children at risk of hunger through after-school and summer meals, weekend backpacks and school-based food pantries. The number of children receiving meals during the long summer vacation is much lower than the number receiving free or reduced meals during the school year, so we are continually looking for ways to increase participation in the federally funded Summer Meal Program. Our Back Pack Program and school-based food pantries provide valuable access to groceries for families to prepare meals together at home. The CNP VISTA would build off of the work of our Child

Member Activity: Help achieve 5.7% increase in actual summer meals measured by monthly claims submitted by our leaders to the state for federal reimbursement. The department collects count sheets of meals served and manager completes claim form Step 1: Analyze process with the 2018 pilot program Meals on the Move – mobile meals route. Step 2: Identify and build relationships with new potential partners and measure the impact of the program on our hungry neighbors. Step 3: Onboard and assist new program locations with program start up. Step 4: Visit program locations for compliance. These visits increase capacity by adding sites, the sites must be visited to ensure they qualify to implement the program. These are federally mandated compliance guidelines that include a preoperational visit to check for sanitation, seating, refrigeration, cooking ability (if applicable), and other equipment availability. This is to ensure a safe environment where the program can be properly administered according the federal guidelines. Increasing the number of site is the best way for us to build capacity of this program and cannot happen without this initial compliance step. The preoperational visit is conducted, then reviewed by Child Nutrition staff and management to ensure compliance and have the final say on whether the site can start or not.

Member Activity: Onboard and expand BackPack Program partners

Step 1: Analyze the current process of school year and summer backpack programs. Step 2: Identify and build relationships with new potential partners and measure the impact of the program on our hungry neighbors.

Member Activity: Identify and onboard new locations

Step 1: Identify and outreach to potential Nutrition Ed. Locations. Step 2: Implement Nutrition Education lessons. The curriculum is already complete and the VISTA will do outreach to onboard sites to implement the Nutrition Ed curriculum (not teach). Nutrition staff and interns will implement the first lesson to onboard the site to the rest of the curriculum, but the VISTA would help find sites and build capacity of the National Education program.

 

*To apply to this position, please visit americorps.gov at the following URL: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=81661&fromSearch=true