Job Description

Position is for the 2026-27 academic year; September 2026 start date

IMPORTANT: STUDENTS MUST HAVE A STATE OR FEDERAL WORK AWARD TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR COMMUNITY BASED WORK STUDY POSITIONS.

Students who are unsure if they have a state or federal work award - please contact finaid@stolaf.edu to find out what type of work award you have.

Job Title: Student Food Access Assistant

Classification: Student Employee (non-exempt)

Name and Address of Employer: St. Olaf College, 1520 St. Olaf Ave, Northfield, MN 55057

If the position requires the student to work off campus, provide the name and address here:

Community Action Center

1651 Jefferson Parkway

Suite HS-200

Northfield, MN 55057

Department Name: Community Based Work Study / America Reads

Unit Number (5 digits): 10-13001 / 10-13000

Length of Position: See Employment Authorization

Contact Person/Supervisor: Michael Pursell, Food Access Program Director

Wage Range: $13.50-15.50/hour

of the Position:

CAC is looking for Student Food Access Assistants to support our hunger relief efforts in Rice County. This role offers variety, challenge, and rewarding connections and will give students a firsthand opportunity to learn about food access, human services, and the nonprofit sector.

General support of day-to-day operation of our food shelves involves a mix of community engagement, physical work, independent initiative and close collaboration with a professional team. Spanish language skills are not required, but Spanish language learners will have daily opportunities to speak conversational Spanish.

Transferable Skills: Customer service, community engagement, professional teamwork, volunteer coordination, trauma-responsive support, retail stocking/inventory management, opportunities for conversational Spanish with native speakers.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Food Program Support:
  • Assist in general food shelf operations, data collection, inventory, and maintenance
  • Provide logistical support for food donation, rescue, transfer and delivery
  • Process incoming food rescue and other donated food for distribution
  • Support the home delivery program and other off-site distributions and collections
  • Follow safe food handling, mandatory reporting, and other safety procedures
• Community Engagement:
  • Build relationships with participants and work as a team with Food Access staff
  • Be an ambassador for CAC’s values of abundance, solidarity, equity, justice, cultural humility and trauma-responsiveness
  • Collaborate with CAC staff to connect participants with other resources and support servicesing laws for vulnerable adults as well as child abuse and neglect

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

• Blend of typical office environment and warehouse environment. Exposure to computers, copiers, scanners and printers, scales, pallet jacks, and minimal noise level
• While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to walk, stand, climb stairs, bend, kneel, use hands to write, use computers and lift up to 40 lbs.

Qualifications:

• Ideal candidates will have strong communication skills, independent initiative, experience working with diverse populations, and will enjoy working with people.

Resume and references required? Yes __x__ No _____

List any additional or specific application questions pertaining to the position here:

Applicants, please respond to the following additional questions in your application.

• What interests or excites you about working at CAC?

This job description is for general information purposes. It is not intended to list all duties and responsibilities of the position. This job description is subject to change at any time by St. Olaf College, with or without prior notice.