Internships
This internship program will increase the
public awareness of America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food
Bank Network and is designed to give college students an
opportunity to complement their formal education with
career-related experience.
These
internships provide students with a stimulating and substantive work experience, coupled with
an opportunity to expand their knowledge and understanding of America’s Second Harvest —
The Nation’s Food Bank Network.
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All work assignments will prove to be beneficial for both America’s Second
Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network as well as the students.
Internship Eligibility
The program is designed for
full-time undergraduate and graduate level college students who: have completed
their freshman year of college, have a sincere interest in the work of America’s
Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network and can demonstrate a correlation
between their academic program and the work of America’s Second Harvest, The
Nation’s Food Bank Network.
Benefits to the Student
Gain a realistic perspective of the working world.
Obtain marketable work experience.
Make valuable business contacts.
Develop their personal and professional skills “on-the-job.”
Seminar-style lunches facilitated by a
member of America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network staff to
provide greater insight into the organization.
Benefits to America’s Second
Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network
Access to a highly motivated and skilled labor pool.
Students can offer new and objective viewpoints to stimulate
creative problem solving.
Completion of special projects by students who are
enthusiastic and eager to learn.
Types of Internships
The following areas can accommodate students throughout the year: Member Services,
Communication, Food Sourcing, Logistics, Philanthropic Programs, and Public
Policy & Research. Each internship position will have clear job
descriptions and have a designated staff member from the appropriate department
who will serve as the main point of contact for students.
Department Descriptions and Available Projects
Member Services
The Member Services Department plays a key role in maintaining member relationships within the network. Through regular on-site monitoring, the field staff guarantees that all affiliates meet industry and government standards for food handling and storage, assuring that every donation safely reaches those in need.
The department also provides education and training services through conferences, workshops, and resource materials. Two national programs are part of the department: Kids Cafe (one of the nation’s largest meal service programs that provides free and prepared nutritious foods to hungry children) and Community Kitchens (a program that uses food as a tool to move individuals out of poverty into self-sufficiency). Disaster Relief Services are also a component of Member Services.
Projects are available in the following areas: research and analysis (monitoring, network activity, etc.) best practices development, web-based training, nutrition support, surveys, faith-based relations, event planning.
Communication
This department coordinates media relations, publications,
online media, intra-agency communication and overall organizational
communication strategies. Among the larger projects being
undertaken in this fiscal year is a re-branding campaign.
Interns would assist with projects including: news research; media clip acquisition and distribution; media call downs; writing pieces for brochures, newsletters, fact sheets, Web pages and other publications; and assisting with the implementation of new branding strategies.
Food Sourcing
The Food Sourcing Department is responsible for securing, maintaining, and refining relationships with more than 500 companies in the food and grocery industry to secure donated food and grocery items for the national network. We also provide assistance to network affiliates with regard to food and grocery trends, company donation policies, and how to secure more food and grocery donations in the local areas that affiliates service. We are held to aggressive poundage and progress goals, and monitor our progress monthly, quarterly, and of course, annually.
Projects would include working with prospect accounts (food and grocery companies) to determine their size, distribution, annual sales and work directly with Food Sourcing’s National Account Representatives to author “white papers” regarding this prospects and opportunities. Outreach to affiliates would also be a likely project for an intern. This may include verifying who performs food solicitation functions at the affiliate level, and asking for their input regarding better customer service. We also have a donor database, ACT, that could serve as a data pool to plot our largest areas of donors geographically (using mapping software). Some ACT maintenance work would also be included to verify donor accounts and correct contacts within companies.
Logistics
The Logistics Department records and verifies all donated
product, then distributes it equitably throughout the network of
affiliates. Management information systems are used to
generate reports for every donor’s corporate records and a
specialized tracking system is maintained in case of product
recall.
The transportation industry fights to end hunger by participating
in our Relief Fleet™ program that allows companies to donate
the transportation of food and grocery products.
Vehicle grants and discounts on vehicles help the Network move more
food and grocery products to those who need it most. The
non-food purchasing program reduces administrative costs for
affiliates so that more funding can be applied to hunger relief
programs.
Projects available are Transportation related projects
designed to identify cost savings for the network, including
marketing of Relief Fleet™, supply chain analysis, and
transportation efficiencies and Purchasing projects around
our Non-Food Purchasing programs.
This project would include extensive marketing of existing programs
to the network and researching, sourcing and implementation of new
programs with vendors that would represent significant cost savings
to the network.
Philanthropic Programs
The Philanthropic Programs Department is responsible for raising funds to support the national operations of America’s Second Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network and, to a limited extent, those of its more than 200 member food banks. The Department develops and cultivates relationships with corporate, foundation and individual donors, raising over $30 million each year. Through a special relationship with the Starr Foundation, the Department also coordinates the New York City Project, which annually regrants millions of dollars to hundreds of hunger-relief agencies in metropolitan New York City.
Interns will gain broad exposure to American philanthropic institutions and processes, and will be able to contribute significantly to the work of the country's largest and most efficient hunger-relief organization. Each intern will have the opportunity to contribute to one or more areas of the Department's operations. Ongoing needs include: researching prospective donors and new resource development opportunities; writing marketing materials, proposals and reports; and reviewing grant applications from member food banks and local hunger-relief agencies.
Public Policy & Research
The Public Policy & Research Department provides consultation and lobbying expertise at the Federal and State government levels to all A2H affiliates and proposes and drafts legislation, analyzes policies and programs, and advocates on behalf of affiliates and affiliate issues before governmental bodies.
The Department employs 8 registered lobbyists, registered with
the Federal government and several state governments, to assist
members in complete government relations coverage. Projects
in the Department include commodity procurement, Federal funding to
affiliates through earmarks, affiliate education and technical
assistance to affiliates.
The Public Policy & Research Department also conducts landmark,
in-depth, credible research on the nature and scope of hunger, and
the role affiliates play in alleviating hunger. Hunger in
America 2005, a follow-up to our comprehensive research studies of
1993, 1997, and 2001, provides a comprehensive overview
of hunger, those receiving assistance, and the charitable response.
Projects are available in the following areas: Hunger Study, data collection and analysis, report production, lobbying, network surveys, and technical assistance to affiliates in policy and research.
Apply
for an Internship
Students must send the following to jobopenings@secondharvest.org:
Application Guidelines:
- Resume and cover letter
- Specify areas of interest
- Dates of availability
- A one-page essay detailing the reasons for applying
- Letters of recommendation
(a minimum of two letters)
From September through May interns typically work a minimum of three days for at least 20 hours per week. During the summer term, interns typically work on a full-time basis.
Financial
Support
Interns may be paid directly by America’s Second Harvest —
The Nation’s Food Bank Network, paid through their sponsoring academic
institution, or unpaid. Students may use a combination of resources to
finance their internships. The compensation method and level will vary
depending on the policy of the placement institution and America’s Second
Harvest, The Nation’s Food Bank Network’s position classification process.
Selection
Process
Applicants who have demonstrated a strong interest in
hunger-related issues through service, academic studies, or advocacy will
receive the highest consideration. Of utmost importance is the level of
knowledge, skills and abilities that an applicant brings to America’s Second
Harvest — The Nation’s Food Bank Network within the framework of a specific
internship position. Human Resources and staff from the appropriate department
will conduct interviews for the most qualified applicants who closely match the
requirements of the position.
