Pantry Coordinator - Multilingual

The Pantry Coordinator – Multilingual works alongside the other Front of House staff to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and to maintain a safe and welcoming pantry space for our customers and volunteers. This Pantry Coordinator –Multilingual position’s responsibility is to support our customers that primarily speak a language other than English with the goal of providing a dignified shopping experience and increasing access to our services. While the Pantry Coordinator – Multilingual position primarily provides direct customer service in our University District pantry location, their role connects them to and occasionally requires them to support the warehouse as well as our other programs. The Pantry Coordinator team also actively shapes how University District Food Bank (UDFB) runs by championing quarterly projects to improve operations, engaging in weekly staff meetings and bimonthly trainings on topics such as accessibility, equity, and de-escalation, and working directly with leadership to set new policies and goals. We are seeking a candidate who can bring their personal and professional experiences to our organization’s mission to serve our diverse community with respect and dignity.

Responsibilities and Work Tasks

To be successful in this role, an individual will be able to perform the following duties to a reasonable level:

Customer Service

• Ensure a meaningful, respectful, and dignified experience for customers by supporting customers with various needs and cooperating with the Community Connector team to stay informed about local programs and services
• De-escalate conflicts and ensure a safe environment for the community
• Serve as a point of contact for customers that speak a language other than English to provide direct assistance, emotional support, information about services, and a way to voice feedback while shopping at the pantry

Volunteer Management

• Train, supervise, and support volunteers in sorting inventory, stocking the pantry, customer intake, greeting and line management, bagging groceries, and opening and closing procedures.
• Engage in conscious conversations regarding Food Bank DEI commitments and values with volunteers and donors

Warehouse Management Support

• Safely handle and move food using warehouse equipment (pallet jacks, carts, hand trucks) and promote safe food handling procedures

Staff Collaboration

• Collaborate with colleagues to maintain operations and address any needs in the pantry
• Attend and actively participate in weekly operations meetings
• Dedicate approximately 15% of your time to engaging in projects and initiatives that align with your interests and support the improvement of our core mission (This flexibility aims to make your work more fulfilling and rewarding while contributing to the advancement of our organization's goals.)

Skills and Qualifications

The following skills and qualifications are necessary for this position:

• Current food handler’s permit or ability to attain one within ten days of hire (at food bank expense)
• Multilingual (candidates who speak English plus Cantonese or Mandarin or Spanish will be prioritized)
• Minimum of 1-2 years working in customer service, human services, food service, café, or grocery store settings
• Ability to regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds; ability to bend, reach, and move around multiple rooms of the food bank; comfort working in a warehouse-type space; ability to load/unload a delivery van
• Commitment to practicing anti-racist and culturally competent behaviors and willingness to support volunteers and other staff in this as well
• Commitment to actively creating a safe, non-judgmental, and person-first environment for customers who may have experienced trauma
• Experience supporting people of various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, abilities, and ages

The following skills and qualifications are desired for this position and will make a candidate more successful in the role of Pantry Coordinator:

• Experience or training in conflict de-escalation
• Experience training, guiding and managing large teams of volunteers
• Experience applying Trauma-Informed Care principles in a work environment, particularly within the context of social services, food distribution, or related fields
• Experience with a food justice or equivalent social service organization

About University District Food Bank

The mission of University District Food Bank (UDFB) is to create a healthy community by providing high-quality, culturally relevant food to those facing food insecurity and connecting them to vital resources.

• Our grocery store-style free pantry in the University District enables customers to shop for the foods they want in a comfortable and dignified setting.
• Satellite pantries at Magnuson Park and North Seattle College help us connect with communities that may have difficulty reaching our primary pantry.
• Home delivery ensures that families who are homebound are still connected to the healthy food they need.
• The Rooftop Roots Garden grows delicious and nutritious fresh produce that we can offer directly to pantry customers.
• Apple-a-Day Café serves free tasty, healthy hot meals to our neighbors, including vegan, gluten-free, and other options for those with dietary restrictions.
• Collaborations with nearby public schools help ensure that kids have abundant meals and snacks to support them over the weekend when school meals are not an option.
• Our Community Connector team empowers customers by giving direct services such as a mail program, forming relationships with providers, and offering mentoring and support.

In all this work, UDFB serves a diverse community of people with various cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, and spoken languages. We recognize that doing this work well requires a deep organizational commitment to anti-racism and to ending the marginalization of anyone in our community. One crucial part of that is a commitment to building a staff team which welcomes and mirrors the rich diversity of those we serve and support.

Ability to speak and write proficiently in English plus at least one additional language is required. Multilingual candidates who speak English plus Cantonese, Mandarin, or Spanish will be prioritized.