Community Market Coordinator

Ballard Food Bank - Community Market Coordinator

Ballard Food Bank’s mission is to bring food and hope to our neighbors because there can be enough for everyone. To achieve our mission, we provide access to nutritious foods through our grocery model food bank, Kindness Café, and Community Resource Hub, which encompasses financial resources, referral, and mail services that support self-sufficiency. We also advocate for food equity and justice. Our home, which opened in October 2021, serves as a Hub for Hope as it brings together food, services, and community partners in a one-stop shop. The Ballard Food Bank actively strives to be an anti-racist organization and promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in its work.

Position summary:

The Community Market Coordinator will be a member of our team to help us bring food and hope to our neighbors through our grocery store model food bank which serves around 2,000 clients each week. This position assists in our Community Market to provide a welcoming environment, excellent customer service, direction to resources, and support of our volunteer team. They will work with the Market Team to help us maintain our shopping policies and make sure the process of shopping goes as smoothly as possible for our community. This position helps us focus on providing healthy food in a respectful and welcoming manner to our neighbors.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with staff and volunteers to create a welcoming environment. Treat community members with compassion and support and model trauma informed care with each individual.
• Respond to clients’ questions and direct them to services offered in our Community Market, Kindness Café, and Resource Hub.
• Develop rapport with clients and engage with them regarding their shopping experience. Seek feedback on how the market can improve, including client surveys. Gather client stories for reporting.
• Communicate BFB’s guidelines and expectations for those participating in our space.
• Collaborate with the Senior Food Bank Manager and Market Team to welcome, support, and supervise volunteers who are stationed in the grocery store
• Lead in packing Specialty bags weekly for clients picking up as well as Fast Order Bags daily for clients unable to wait in line
• With the support of the Senior Manager and Market Team, ensure issues are addressed as they arise such as: signage, client issues and volunteer needs
• Facilitate part of the Quarterly Market Volunteer meetings
• Utilize basic de-escalation skills to support staff, volunteers and clients with escalated clients
• Collaborate with warehouse team to make sure the market is properly stocked of produce, deli, dry goods and other areas of the community market throughout the day
• Maintain a safe, clean, sanitary environment throughout the food bank

Qualifications

• Bilingual candidates are preferred. Frequent languages spoken, include Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to interact with clients, volunteers and staff from diverse backgrounds
• Ability to work in a fast-paced and sometimes challenging environment while being a team player with a collaborative work style
• Highly reliable with initiative, flexibility, motivation, dedication, and a positive attitude
• Ability to support those who may be having a hard time in a busy environment
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to stand for the majority of the day and lift up to 50 lbs.
• Conflict management skills
• A passion for our mission with a strong passion for food justice, and a framework understanding on issues related to poverty and hunger, including a commitment to racial equity and social justice

Hours:

• This is a full-time position with much of the work happening during our open hours, Monday – Thursday with some evening hours. Ballard Food Bank currently works a 35-hour work week.