FoodCorps offers you a unique and transformative service experience.
You’ll make a measurable difference in the lives of your students, while gaining professional skills and becoming part a network of changemakers that will continue to grow beyond your time with FoodCorps.
As an AmeriCorps service member with FoodCorps, you will be eligible to receive:
- Up to $26,000 living stipend for Service Members in CA, D.C. Metro Area, MA, and NY: paid bi-weekly
- Up to $22,000 living stipend for Service Members in other states: paid bi-weekly
- $6,345 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award, upon successful completion of your first (or second) term of service: for future schooling or repay qualified student loans. Learn more here.
- Student loan forbearance: Learn more here.
- Health insurance: Basic health, vision and dental coverage. Learn more here.
- Partial childcare reimbursements: Learn more here.
You may also be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, based on your total income.
FoodCorps also offers a limited amount of need-based funding to help minimize the cost of housing expenses as you transition to service. We know that the beginning of a FoodCorps service term can be challenging enough without the added worry of maintaining or obtaining safe and secure housing with limited funds. Our need-based housing assistance grants are intended to make this opportunity accessible to more people and to alleviate some of the personal stress that can come with beginning a new term of service. That said, we are working with a very limited amount of funds and cannot guarantee that you will be awarded a grant if you submit an application.
“My service with FoodCorps changed my life. It was a crucial stepping stone that launched my career in the field of public health nutrition.”
—Daniel Schultz, Project Administrator at ChildObesity180 at Tufts University
Ongoing Training During Your Service Year
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- Summer orientation and training: One week with all corps members from around the country, with hands-on learning on topics including food and nutrition education, gardening and cooking with students, classroom management, culturally responsive teaching practices, and understanding school food policies.
- Local and regional trainings: After you head back to your communities, you’ll be trained by local leaders and state staff throughout the year, honing your skills as educators, gardeners, community organizers, and project managers.
- Webinars led by experts: You’ll have year-round opportunities to learn from tailor-made online trainings on topics including networking and meeting facilitation.
- Small discussion groups: You can sign up for recurring deep dive discussion/affinity groups with fellow corps members.
- Service Member of Color Cohort: Service members of color and Native/Indigenous service members meet for a special gathering to connect and learn from one another ahead of FoodCorps’ National Orientation.
“I really appreciated the pre-orientation gathering as a way of starting the narrative of social justice for the week. I saw so many people of color speak their minds, create space, and share their experience as a result of the strength and community we found that first day.”
Lifelong Professional Development
FoodCorps is committed to training you for a successful year of service as well as for life after FoodCorps. We will help you take the next step in your careers by providing trainings on career exploration, opportunities for mentorship and access to our library of resources. We also offer specialized support focused on the following career paths: Education, School Food Leadership, Nutrition & Public Health, Agriculture & Food Production, Policy & Advocacy and Nonprofit Management.