Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Member - Valley Verde’s Community Marketplace
Term: Aug 11 2025 - Aug 10, 2026
Locations:
Valley Verde (691 W San Carlos St., San Jose, CA, 95126)
Stanford University (562 Salvatierra Walk, Stanford, CA 94305)
About the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Program:
The Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA program places AmeriCorps VISTA members in full service with campus (in this case, Stanford University) and community (in this case, Valley Verde) partners for a one-year period. During this year, members spend 35 hours per week on campus and with the community partner building systems and programs that support low-income college students and community members. The VISTA member’s work is to build capacity, meaning that rather than directly serving the community, they’re enhancing or creating systems, structures, and resources that support the direct anti-poverty work. Campus Compact functions as the central VISTA program hub, performing program administration, offering training and support to VISTA members and their projects, and connecting the work happening in individual projects both to similar work happening nationwide and back to AmeriCorps.
About Valley Verde:
Valley Verde is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization promoting healthy eating and providing food access and micro-entrepreneurship training to San José and Gilroy families who need it most. The nonprofit’s mission is to increase self-sufficiency, health, and resilience, through a culturally informed community based food system to promote food justice.
Project Summary:
Help us boost the incomes of food-insecure families in San José who grow organic vegetables at home by developing a marketplace where they can sell the vegetables. The position is for the first year of a three-year project aimed at developing the marketplace and will focus primarily on researching best practices, clarifying needs, generating support for, and designing and planning the marketplace.
Responsibilities:
Engage in outreach to promote Valley Verde’s programs in general and the marketplace project in particular
Design and send out surveys aimed at assessing community needs for a marketplace
Create opportunities for community members to become engaged in marketplace development and management
Identify and establish communication with potential partners (e.g., farmers, nonprofits) interested in supporting and helping develop and manage the marketplace
Create guidelines for Valley Verde's management of the marketplace and instructions, rules, and regulations for those who will marketplace participants
Design the marketplace and plan its pilot in year two
Align the marketplace with existing programs, to maximize the benefit to community members and minimize workload on staff
Identify technology that can help community members communicate what they have available for sale or donation
Attend orientation, weekly meetings, days of service, and trainings/retreats coordinated by Campus Compact
Complete data collection and reporting activities required by Campus Compact and AmeriCorps
Preferred Qualifications:
2+ years of experience in community organizing
2+ years of experience in designing and analyzing surveys
2+ years of experience in planning and implementing projects
2+ years of experience in promoting events on social media
Excellent Spanish and/or Vietnamese written and verbal communication skills
Requirements:
Undergraduate degree in the social or environmental sciences
Commitment to quality while meeting deadlines
Ability to work independently, with self-motivation and initiative
Ability to collaborate with social and emotional intelligence
Excellent English written and verbal communication skills
Excellent attention to detail and time-management
Experience working with underserved and multi-ethnic communities
US Citizen, national, DACA status, or legal permanent resident
Must be able to complete federal background check
Logistics:
Status: Hybrid
Note: Remote in this case refers to not regularly going in person to the office; VISTA members must be located within commuting distance of their host site.
Hours
M – F 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Valley Verde: Monday - Thursday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Tuesday and Thursday in person, this may change)
Stanford University: Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
21 hours in-person with Valley Verde
7 hours remote with Valley Verde
7 hours in-person with Stanford University
Benefits:
AmeriCorps VISTA Benefits:
Bi-weekly living allowance of $1,567.58
End of service award (AmeriCorps member must choose one of two options; requires completion of full term of service to receive)
Segal AmeriCorps Education Award ($7,395)
End-of-Service Cash Stipend ($1,803.10)
Relocation stipend for candidates moving more than 50 miles ($750)
Mileage reimbursement for candidate moving more than 50 miles ($0.40/mile)
Healthcare benefits (AmeriCorps member must choose one of two options)
Healthcare allowance for out-of-pocket expenses
Basic healthcare coverage
10 Days Personal Leave
10 Days Sick Leave
14 Days Holiday Leave
Child care assistance for children under 13 years of age (income dependent)
Student loan forbearance or deferment for certain loans
1 year of noncompetitive eligibility for federal positions*
Access to professional development opportunities provided by Campus Compact & AmeriCorps
Additional Valley Verde Benefits:
Rental assistance paid directly to the landlord: Amount: $750 Frequency: Monthly
Optional garden bed
You can apply to this position two ways:
Apply through the My.AmeriCorps.gov website. Note: The MyAmeriCorps system is sometimes finicky and can be hard to update. If the website says “no longer accepting applications,” please email vista@compact.org to double check.
Apply through Valley Verde by emailing your cover letter and resume to Lovepreet Kaur (lovepreet@valleyverde.org). Note: Please title the email “VISTA Application: Your Name.”
Deadline:
The last day to submit an application for this position is June 25th, 2025. However, we will review and interview candidates on a rolling basis.