Food Education FoodCorps Member

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in hands-on teaching and/or a desire to gain hands-on teaching experience in food education
• Commitment to building a healthier future for school children by teaching
• Demonstrated leadership aptitude and effective communication skills
• Motivation and commitment to full-time national service directly in a school community 
• Self determination, accountability, and initiative in the face of challenges and solutions-oriented creativity
• Display a growth mindset by being willing to grow through coaching and implementation of feedback
• Knowledge of history, and/or language of the partner community 

To be considered for a FoodCorps member position, you must:

• Be 18 years or older by the start of your term
• Be a legal, permanent resident of the United States
• Hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent at the start of the term

Individual positions differ by location. There may be additional requirements, such as language proficiencies and access to a vehicle, depending on the site to which you apply.

What You’ll Do

Food Education AmeriCorps members teach alongside educators to provide kids in K-8 schools with food education and community rooted experiences with food that celebrate and nurture the whole child. Although they do this in a variety of ways depending on local partner goals, below are the foundational activities that all Food Education members complete: 

Essential Functions

• Teach FoodCorps specific lessons that focus on hands-on food education and develop students' mastery of food literacy skills, so students can make informed decisions about their food choices and advocate for school meal menu changes. 
• Build a school-wide movement that promotes food education and community rooted menu change while collaborating with teachers, families, and school administrators.
• Participate in FoodCorps training around teaching, gardening, and family engagement. This will require overnight travel, about 3 times throughout the term (summer, fall, and spring). Each training will be 4 days and 3 nights.  
• Complete administrative tasks for FoodCorps reporting and evaluation that measures local and national impact and improves FoodCorps programming (for example, submitting timesheets, sharing impact data and stories, administering surveys, and providing regular feedback)  
• Members may grow nourishing food with students, teachers, and families to create dynamic educational gardens where kids can get their hands dirty while learning about food. This role may require a moderate level of physical activity, primarily in the fall and in the spring. Tasks include: consistent lifting, bending, shoveling soil and compost, working in a hoophouse, etc. These activities may take place in variable weather conditions (heat, humidity, or cold).

Non-Essential Functions

• Publicize FoodCorps-related projects and success stories through press engagements, blog writing, social media posts, newsletters, etc.
• Collaborate with community partners to raise money to support local FoodCorps-related projects (when allowable).

*Participation in FoodCorps health insurance is required unless proof of existing coverage is provided.

Where You’ll Work

FoodCorps offers positions in multiple states, including communities throughout AR, AL, CA, CT, DC, GA, IA, KY, MD, ME, MA, MI, MO, MS, NJ, NM, OH, OR and RI. To see our local Partner Sites, visit: https://foodcorps.org/where-we-work/ 

The Details

This position runs from August 11, 2025 to July 17, 2026. In order to successfully complete your term, you must, at a minimum, complete 1,700 allowable hours during this time. 

FoodCorps members report to the designated supervisor at their partner site. FoodCorps state and national staff provide additional guidance and oversight.