Company description

About Food Bank of the Rockies

Founded in 1978, Food Bank of the Rockies was originally known as the Colorado Food Clearing House. Operating from a 900-square-foot schoolroom in northwest Denver, the fledgling organization collected bread from a nearby Safeway store, our first food donor, and distributed it to Little Sisters of the Poor, our first partner agency. Today, Food Bank of the Rockies has extended its reach across northern Colorado, providing food and supplies to more than 800 hunger-relief programs.

Since 1978, Food Bank of the Rockies has provided more than 700 million meals for people in need. Since 2021, through our direct service programs and partners, we have distributed over 66 million pounds of food, the equivalent of nearly 54 million meals annually or 226,000 meals every day to children, seniors, and families in need. Food Bank of the Rockies is a member of Feeding America and of Feeding Colorado, a consortium of the five food banks operating in Colorado.

Food Bank of the Rockies has a staff of over 200 employees at distribution centers in Denver, Wyoming, and the Western Slope.

Job description

Summary                                                 

The SNAP Outreach Representative will be responsible to promote and educate eligible populations on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program previously known as The Food Stamp Program) to increase participation in metro and rural counties within Food Bank of the Rockies’ service area. This role will screen clients for eligibility and help them with the application process using the state's online application tool, PEAK.  In addition, the SNAP Outreach Representative will develop partnerships and infrastructure to conduct outreach and application assistance at community-based locations and Food Bank of the Rockies’ partners to provide greater access and minimize barriers for clients applying for SNAP.
 

Essential Functions:

• Develops in-depth knowledge of the SNAP program and policies; serves as subject matter expert to guide and educate eligible clients within the community
• Stays informed about changes to the SNAP program, policies, and procedures; seeks out ongoing training to ensure up-to-date knowledge of program requirements
• Conducts outreach to community-based organizations, emergency food programs, and other partners providing information on SNAP rules and regulations
• Screens, counsels and advises clients on necessary documentation and eligibility requirements for SNAP
• Supports clients with the application process using the state's online application tool (PEAK); 
• Provide facilitated enrollment services to clients so they can apply and recertify for SNAP via PEAK
• Research viable community organizations that serve SNAP-eligible clients and develop partnerships and infrastructure within these organizations to increase SNAP awareness and application submission rates
• Attend community outreach events, fairs, and forums as needed; may provide training and/or educational presentations at these events to promote SNAP
• Ensure that outreach activities are tracked and recorded as needed for program evaluation and reporting to program funding agencies
• May work directly with the Department of Human Services/Social Services offices in target counties to accomplish program objectives to increase SNAP participation 
• Other duties as may be assigned

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Ability to represent Food Bank of the Rockies with professional poise and work effectively with a wide range of constituents 
• Demonstrates compassion and sensitivity to vulnerable populations
• Excellent organizational, time management, and follow-through skills
• Self-directed and results-oriented
• Proactive and independent problem solver
• Exercise independent judgment, think critically and strategically, collaborate with others, and follow through to execute projects and program requirements
• Strong customer service orientation
• Ability to communicate persuasively and articulately both verbally and in writing 

Work Environment: 

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

• Sitting and standing for long periods, walking intermittently
• Using office equipment such as a computer, mouse, keyboard, and printer 
• Indoor office environment, occasionally; outdoor work environment frequently. 
• Ability to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop kneel, crouch or crawl, talk or hear and taste or smell
• Occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds
• Use specific vision abilities, including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
• Comfortable with local travel up to 80% of the time; will frequently be operating and navigating a vehicle within metro communities.  May ride with CDL driver to mobile pantry locations.
• Ability to meet physical requirements related to agency distribution or event execution as needed. This may include setting up tables and chairs, moving things, lifting boxes that weigh 25 pounds, loading and unloading cars, etc.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree a plus
• Minimum 2-4 years’ experience successfully leading projects or programs; nonprofit or government experience preferred
• At least 2 years of experience in Social Service, Client Outreach, or Customer Service in a diverse environment is required.
• Ability to learn and adhere to HIPAA laws and compliance (sensitive and confidential information)
• Prior experience working with low-income communities preferred
• Knowledge of SNAP and food insecurity within culturally and economically diverse communities is a plus
• Bilingual; Spanish is required
• Extensive experience using Microsoft Office Suite and online technologies
• Experience using collaborative tools for file storage and sharing, meeting scheduling, and virtual collaboration preferred
• Because our business is located in an area without access to reliable public transportation, we only recommend that applicants with access to a vehicle apply.

Expected Hours of Work: 

This role is considered full-time working approximately 40 hours per week and is eligible for overtime. Travel within the geographic region will be required (approximately 80%) and is primarily local during the business day.

 

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

December 30, 2022