Mobile Market Capacity Building VISTA Summer Associate

About the Organization and Mission

Conservation Legacy, in partnership with United Way Central West Virginia, is dedicated to strengthening communities across Boone, Braxton, Clay, Kanawha, Logan, and Putnam counties. This placement focuses on the Conservation Legacy Program's Stewards Individual Placement initiative, specifically targeting the Mobile Grocery Market. The core mission is to build organizational capacity that ensures reliable access to affordable, healthy food for residents in areas facing limited food access, with a special emphasis on seniors and households with low incomes.

About the Role

As a Mobile Grocery Market Capacity Building VISTA Summer Associate, you will serve as a strategic architect for the program's infrastructure rather than a direct service provider. Your primary objective is to strengthen the systems that allow the Mobile Market to thrive. You will work behind the scenes to plan, coordinate, and optimize daily operations, ensuring the program remains efficient and sustainable for the long term.

Your day-to-day work involves developing robust route schedules, managing inventory tracking systems, and fostering relationships with vendors and community partners. You will create the tools and data collection methods necessary to measure impact, track usage demographics, and inform future decision-making. While direct interaction with the public is limited, your work directly influences the community's ability to access fresh food and essential household items, contributing to improved health outcomes and food security.

Hiring and Application Process

This is a structured AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate position. Selected members will participate in a Virtual Member Orientation (VMO) on their first day of service, which includes training on AmeriCorps prohibited and unallowable activities. Performance will be evaluated based on the completion of the required 300 service hours, the satisfactory completion of assigned projects, and adherence to performance criteria communicated at the start of the term. Reporting requirements include bi-weekly timesheets and accomplishment tracking.

Equal Opportunity and Culture

Conservation Legacy is an equal opportunity employer. We consider qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. The organization is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals and will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to perform essential functions. If you require assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please contact the hiring manager.