Introduction:

The Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food to low- income families in Mississauga. An initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization, our mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

Since opening our doors in September 2010, we have had the privilege of serving more than 200,000 lbs of food to over 700 families in need. After hiring part-time Operations Manager in 2011, the Seva Food Bank is now looking to hire a part-time Volunteer Engagement Coordinator.

Job Overview:

This Volunteer Engagement Coordinator’s key objective will be to create  meaningful and engaging volunteer experiences for individuals who choose to donate their time and services to the Seva Food Bank.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordination the entire volunteer cycle (including needs assessment, recruitment, screening, orientation, placement, training, recognition and evaluation).
• Identify and pursue potential volunteer recruitment opportunities within the community, including in diverse communities. Develop an annual recruitment plan to meet the needs of the organization.
• Assist with volunteer recruitment for fundraising events.
• Lead the development and delivery of volunteer training materials.
• Develop system to retain volunteer records (profiles, scheduling and recording hours)
• Help ensure volunteer records are up-to-date and accurate through data entry or by training others in data entry (while adhering to confidentiality and privacy policies)
• Lead the planning of a volunteer appreciation program to meet the various recognition preferences identified by volunteers.
• Develop relationships with local organizations (schools, youth groups, seniors groups) to expand support base for the Seva Food Bank (including volunteer partnerships)
• Work in compliance with the provisions of The Occupational Health & Safety Act and its regulations as well as all other applicable  legislation (including Human Rights Code).
• May be designated other compatible duties as assigned.

Hours:

• 20 hours a week including some weeknights and weekends (current client shifts are Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons).

 Required Qualifications:

• Strong sense of commitment to SFB’s mission and values.
• Post secondary education in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Three years experience coordinating the work of others, with proven recruitment success
• Ability to develop and maintain new and existing relationships with volunteers, staff and corporate partners through oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience working with groups and delivering presentations
• General office and management skills including computer skills, people skills, planning and organizing aptitude, and leadership.
• Demonstrated experience exercising good judgment and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment on various tasks simultaneously
• A Criminal Records Check is required
• Must hold a valid Ontario driver’s license with a clean driving record and have access to a vehicle.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in volunteer management and engagement.
• Certificate in Volunteer Program Management from a recognized college.
• Prior experience with non-profit social services agencies.
• Additional spoken languages an asset, especially Punjabi, Arabic, and Spanish.
• Food Handlers Certificate and CPR training an asset.

Reports to:

• Sikhs Serving Canada (SSC) Board of Directors and specifically the Chair of the Board.

 Performance Measurements:

• Volunteer Engagement Coordinator’s job performance shall be evaluated by the SSC Board monthly for the first three months, and annually thereafter.
• Measurements shall include volunteer recruiting, satisfaction, training and retention.

Please forward a cover letter and resume with references by March 9, 2012 to communications@sevafoodbank.com. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those to be invited for an interview will be contacted.

You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
- Khalil Gibran

On September 1st 2010, the Seva Food Bank opened its doors to the community for the first time and we had no idea what to expect.

The food bank was born out of what you could call an audaciously ambitious moment. A group of young Sikh-Canadian professionals decided that we want to make a long-term sustainable difference in our wider Canadian community. We wanted to directly support local families in their moment of need. We wanted to provide a platform for high-potential youth to develop into leaders. Finally, we wanted to enhance mainstream perceptions of Sikh-Canadians through meaningful, personal interactions. Lofty goals for a group with lots of initiative but not a lot of social service expertise.

While there have been and continue to be challenges, they are insignificant compared to what we’ve been able to achieve. Here’s some statistics on our impact (to August 31st, 2011):

• More than 530 client families registered
• More than 2,600 client family visits
• Over 175,000 pounds of food distributed
• Almost 4000 volunteer hours worked
• More than 1200 shifts worked by over 100 regular volunteers

Hidden in these stats are the stories of our client families. We are often asked about who it is that we actually serve. Our answer is simple. We serve families just like our own. They are new Canadians, coming from every part of the world, struggling to establish themselves in their new home country. They are young students working to finish their education and struggling to find their first real jobs. They are families where Dad is unable to find full-time work and Mom’s part-time fast food job isn’t enough to pay all the bills. They are seniors on fixed incomes and rising expenses. They are honest, hardworking families, just like our own, going through tough times.

Absolutely none of what we have accomplished would have been possible without the complete support of our community. Our partnership with the Mississauga Food Bank has provided us with the long-term supply of food and invaluable coaching needed to run our operations. Our Board of Directors and Organizing Committee have put in countless hours not just fulfilling their strategic roles but working each and ever client shift. Our volunteers have been tireless in doing whatever is needed to serve our clients. Our friends in the media have been tremendously generous in providing us the coverage needed to reach out to the community. Finally, our donors consistently demonstrated their leadership and belief in our cause through their financial contributions.

As we continue to stabilize our operations, our view is towards the future. Just running a regular traditional food bank was never our goal. We want to attack the root causes of poverty. We want to make a transformational impact in the lives of our clients. As our clients get back on their feet, we would love for them to become volunteers and even donors themselves.

For this we continue to need your financial support. While we have always been a registered not-for-profit organization, we are still in the process of getting our charitable status. Not being able to offer tax-deductible receipts limits our ability to solicit larger donations. So for the time being, we rely on lots of donors giving in smaller sums.

Please consider a donation of $100, $50 or even $20 to the Seva Food Bank. Every dollar you give allows us to continue the fight against hunger in our community. Click here to give.

Thank you for your continued support,

Amarpreet, Amritpal, Birender, Gosha, Gurmeet, Inderpreet, Kulvir, Manpreet, Manraj, Michael and Sundeep (Seva Food Bank Organizing Committee)

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

SEVA FOOD BANK HIRES OPERATIONS MANAGER AS ITS FIRST EMPLOYEE

Mississauga, ON (August 19, 2011) – Seva Food Bank is pleased to announce the hiring of its first employee. Michael Brito joins our team as a part-time Operations Manager. In his role with the food bank, Michael will have responsibility for supervising our daily operations. This includes oversight of the front reception area, client-intake process as well as food delivery, sorting, storage, and distribution.

Michael brings over 10 years of experience in working with individuals and communities experiencing poverty. His prior work has included coordinating youth programs in southwest Scarborough as well as in the former city of York. He has also worked extensively with homeless youth and adults across Toronto, providing services and delivering programs with a focus on harm reduction. Most recently, he worked as a Hepatitis C Educator, delivering workshops and training to service providers and people living with Hepatitis C. He approaches his work with compassion and a commitment to social justice.

“We are delighted to have Michael on board. As our new Operations Manager, he’ll enable our organization to provide an even greater level of consistency and support to our clients,” remarked board chair Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia.”We’re also very grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Without their generous support, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Michael on board.”

The Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food to over 500 low-income families in Mississauga through a partnership with The Mississauga Food Bank. It is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whose mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

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Media Contact:
Kulvir Singh Gill
Sikhs Serving Canada
416-471-5296
communications@sevafoodbank.com
www.sevafoodbank.com

The June 2011 newsletter is out! Click here to read about our Emergency Food Donation list, our new Operations Manager, and some great video links.