Indeed, it is that time of year again, time for Food Corps recruitment! You may well remember I wrote about the initial recruitment for the first class of Food Corps service members about a year ago. Well I thought the second year of recruitment deserved its very own post because the organization has done a ton of great work in the past year. If you look at their website alone it becomes quickly apparent that this budding program is here to stay.
So what do you need to know for recruitment this year?
- The qualifications for an applicant have not changed, one must be: 18 years or older by the start of service (August 13, 2012), U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident of the United States and have a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
- This year's deadline is: March 25, 2012 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. No late applications will be accepted and FoodCorps recommends you get yours in early to avoid any tech problems that may arise.
The FoodCorps site lists the benefits of being a FoodCorps member for one year of service as:
- A $15,000 living allowance
- A $5,550 AmeriCorps Segal Education Award
- Student loan forbearance
- Health insurance
- Partial childcare reimbursements
- Training and mentorship
- Alumni network
- The experience of a lifetime
Now, I don't know about you, but all of that sounds pretty great to me (especially that part about student loan forbearance)! As a service member you will be helping teach the future citizens of our nation, children. Everything from gardening to nutrition to how these things relate to math, science, history and more will be explored and taught. Service members will be working nationwide at different types of projects and organizations who are working to educate about and increase access to fresh, healthy food.
