Toni’s Kitchen Part-Time Social Worker

Toni's Kitchen is a food ministry of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Montclair, NJ.

Our mission is to provide food to our neighbors in need in ways that respect their dignity, improve health, and foster independence.

Position Description: The Part-Time Social Worker provides clinical, administrative, program development, and people & data management services for Toni's Kitchen Choice Pantry (CP) and Neighborhood Mobile Markets (NMMs).

This includes:

(1) Educational and supportive counseling and case management to guests

(2) Community partnerships (onsite and offsite) to meet guests' needs

(3) Community-based resources and referrals / linkages to guests

(4) Data development and capture to measure efficacy of community partnerships and to document / track / report / analyze guest activity

(5) Active participation in meetings to review current operations and brainstorm future state of Toni's Kitchen programming including launch of Nutrition Action Program

(6) Collaboration with a team of staff, volunteers, and interns in service delivery

Giving the nature of this food ministry, applicants must have a passion for serving those in need with respect and dignity.

Learning Opportunities:

• Gain understanding of food as a basic human need and the widespread social / economic issue of food insecurity and its profound impact on many segments of the population, particularly in the current political landscape.
• Learn about past and current efforts to address food insecurity on the national, state, and local levels - what advocacy looks like, barriers and possibilities, and the role that Toni's Kitchen plays.

Job Responsibilities:

• Assist with the development and lead the oversight of a new Nutrition Action Program which will provide nutrition education workshops to all guests and customized nutrition education / counseling to a caseload of self-selected guests with Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure, Hemoglobin A1C, and / or Cholesterol outside of normal range based on screenings conducted through onsite medical partnerships.
• Assist with daily service operation: guest registration, check-in, collaboration with 21 regular onsite partners from external organizations (e.g. legal, medical, dental, behavioral, nutrition & health insurance, housing, education, employment, etc.) to maximize guest service delivery and satisfaction.
• Provide counseling and case management services to guests based on assessed needs in scope with Toni's Kitchen mission.
• Assist with development and maintenance of Toni's Resource Hub, a library of approximately 50+ community-based resources covering a broad range of needed services on display tables and educate / make linkages for guests.
• Collaborate with food distribution volunteers as needed to ensure that the guest support and food distribution portions of service are seamless for guests as well as volunteers.
• Assist with development, collection, and analysis of data on partnership and service outputs / impact, guest feedback surveys, and semi-annual operational reports to inform operation adjustments, future programming, and reporting to regulatory bodies.
• Assist with exploration and possible expansion of Toni's Resource Hub to NMMs considering logistical parameters and to best meet the needs each community served.

Other:

• Actively participate in Toni's Kitchen operational, program development, and strategy meetings.
• Assume the role of Practicum Instructor for an MSW intern during the academic year
• Additional projects as assigned

Qualifications / Skills Required:

• Master's Degree in Social Work; NJ LSW required, LCSW license preferred
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) required
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Solid organization and time management skills
• Multi-task many responsibilities in busy operation
• Ability to set and maintain professional boundaries and keep confidentiality
• Collaborative team member in delivering guest services
• Strong interest in nutrition, healthy eating, and overall wellness
• Maintain even and objective disposition and diffuse challenging encounters
• Reliable and consistent
• Technology proficient in multiple systems (Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, PantrySoft, Trello)
• This position requires walking, standing, climbing stairs, sitting, moving & lifting boxes up to 40 pounds. (Must wear closed toe shoes at all times.)

This is a key position in an organization that is passionate about addressing food insecurity and celebrates the journey. We work hard, have fun together, and support one another’s work.

Schedule / Time Commitment: 20 hours/week. Wednesday Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, 9:00am - 2:00 pm. Primarily onsite, with possibility of some remote work.

Job Type: Part-time

Pay: $38,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 20 per week

Benefits:

• 403(b) matching
• Paid time off

Work Location: In person