January 19, 2012

Agency Spotlight: Agency Relations Doing Client Intake

Author: Erin Gray

One of the duties of Second Harvest’s Agency Relations Department is to not only monitor but make sure our partner agencies are receiving everything they need from us.  Our Agency Relations team thought it would be a good idea to volunteer with our agencies to get a different perspective of how the agencies serve their clients in need.

The first Agency Relations Coordinator to volunteer and write about this experience is Paula Assal.

Read about her experience below:

Read More …

May 16, 2011

Job Opening: VP Agency Relations & Programs

Author: Maria Diestro

Job Opening: VP Agency Relations & Programs

Requirements for the application:
- No phone calls
- All letters, resumes to be fax or email to: vmarshall@foodbankcentralflorida.org
- Fax # 407-295-5299
- Cover letter and resume
- Deadline to submit application: 5/27/11

Job Description: Provides leadership, strategic direction and external relationship development for the areas of Agency Relations and Programs. Oversees and directs the activities that support and strengthen relationships with our partner agencies. Includes oversight of recruiting new agency partners and/or collaborators. This position directs the management of these programs: Kids Cafés, High Five, Summer Feeding, Benefits Connection, Nutrition and ADEPT. Read More …

January 5, 2011

Job opening: Director of Agency Relations & Programs

Author: Maria Diestro

Position Title: Director of Agency Relations and Programs
Deadline to submit resume: Friday, January 7, 2011
Fax resume to: 407-295-5299
Position Summary: Oversee and direct the activities that support and strengthen relationships with our partner agencies. Includes oversight of recruiting new agency partners and/or collaborators. THis position directs the management of these programs: Benefits Connection food stamp outreach, Kids Cafe, Hi-Five, ADEPT training, Summer Food Service Program, Nutrition.

 

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

-Facilitate communication, integration and understanding of all programs and staff, creating a mission of collaboration and a higher level of service to our partner agencies and the community.
-Oversee policies and procedures to support our partner agencies.
-Oversee all training for internal and external audiences through the ADEPT program.
-Demonstrate clear understanding of partner agencies as customers by listening and responding to their needs.
-As part of the senior management team, develop a strategic plan for each program within your scope. Ensure goals within each program are met.
-Identify, develop and champion new programs and distribution opportunities to further the mission of fighting hunger in Central Florida.
-Monitor advocacy efforts to ensure agencies have pertinent information at their disposal regarding legislation and community actions that directly impact them.
-Ensure there are a sufficient number of partner agencies to provide the required food assistance to meet minimum needs in SHFOCFL service area.
-Oversee agency and program related services performed by our branches.
-Ensure all partner agencies comply with Feeding America, SHFBCFL, and other relevant sanctioning body’s operating guidelines, regulations and rules.
-Recommend and direct necessary hunger related research.
-Represent SHFBCFL at Feeding America conferences, relevant community hunger events and social service groups.
-Develop and manage a $1 million+ budget for your departments.
-Work with IT department to troubleshoot technology challenges with programs as they arise.
-Resource for special projects, as required.

 Job Specifications

-Four year degree.
-Minimum five years program management experience.
-Commitment to understanding and supporting SHFB’s mission; shows compassion and an appreciation for hunger issues.
-Experience in developing programs/project management
-Proven success in managing and motivating employees.
-Bi-lingual is a plus.
-Successfully pass pre-employment drug test screening, Level II Background Check and driving record check.
-Excellent organization skills.
-Computer and web application proficiency (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
-Detail oriented. 

Competencies
Leadership Ability
Use leadership skills to guide and help people become more self-sufficient, find their own solutions, and commit to their own decisions. Create high levels of trust and empathy with others by creating a warm climate in which people feel they can take reasonable risks in their work and feel appreciated for their efforts and results.

Coaching Ability
Use a variety of ways and means to help people become more critical of their performance so that they can set their own targets for improvement. Be firm and fair and keep the focus on solutions.

Communication
Highly conscious of the need to create an open and positive climate in which they can listen and gather feedback. An approachable individual who uses a range of communication methods to ensure that honest information flows freely in both directions.

Problem Solving 
Uses different ways of looking at problems or issues and uses a range of different tools of analysis. Generate several possible solutions and use evidence to evaluate the best one to provide the best possible course for future action.

Results Focus
Quickly distinguish between high value and low value effort and steer choices towards tangible results or outcomes that have real value to the organization even if it takes a little time and energy.

Strategizing Ability
Effectively evaluate courses of action and quickly engage in a range of ways to communicate and describe these paths efficiently. Identify milestones and measures of progress and be able to assess the effort needed to succeed.

Quality Focus
Always performs in a professional manner providing results that are on target. Quality vs. Quantity.

Creativity/Innovation
Continually look outside the envelope to provide more food/benefits to our customers in a cost effective manner which help us to accomplish our mission.                     

Working Conditions:

Office environment and travel

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills of personnel so classified.

December 28, 2010

Meet our Partners: The Place of Comfort

Author: Erin Gray

Every year, Second Harvest provides food to approximately 731,900 individuals through our partner agencies. I want to take a moment to profile one of our nearly 500 partner agencies: The Place of Comfort.

The Place of Comfort has four locations that serve Osceola, Orange, Lake and Seminole Counties.  I went to the Seminole County location to talk to them and see how their organization operates.

A large portion of their clients that are afflicted with HIV/AIDS.  The agency averages 2,000 total clients for all four counties served every month.  The Place of Comfort offers other services for the HIV/ AIDS clients along with food assistance, such as rent assistance, utility assistance and counseling.

For Thanksgiving, they distributed over 200 turkey baskets for people and families affected with HIV/AIDS.  The Place of Comfort works in collaboration to purchase the turkey baskets with one of our other Partner Agencies Joy MCC in Orlando.

For Christmas, The Place of Comfort conducted a toy drive at Regions Bank in Longwood.  The toy drive helped approximately 25 of their HIV/AIDS families and children.

If you are interested in learning more about Place of Comfort, please visit http://www.placeofcomfort.org/ 

Erin Gray
Agency Relations Manager

May 3, 2010

Second Harvest Holds First Agency ADEPT Conference

Author: Erin Gray

Last week we held our first ever Agency ADEPT Conference and we had it located in Volusia County at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, we had about 30 people in attendance. 

I thought I would give my perspective of the day.  There were 9 different classes offered by the staff at Second Harvest.  The classes I had taught were Perfect Pantry and Non Profit Ethics. 

I had about a dozen people in each class and we talked about how to run a pantry and what we look for when we are monitoring and when we accept new agencies.  In the ethics class we talked about general ethics and then I went over our Memorandum of Agreement (which is our contract for our partner agencies) to help them understand it and helped relate it to the topic of ethics.  

In addition to my classes we offered two nutrition courses and even a class on how our agencies can start their own blogs and Twitter accounts.

The entire day was a lot of fun and filled of so much energy with the staff members from Second Harvest and from the volunteers and staff from our Partner Agencies.  From talking to the different agencies and staff it seemed like it was a huge success and we look forward to bringing this concept to the different agencies that we work with in the different Counties in the future.  I was happy to be a part of the very first one that we had.

Erin Gray
Agency Relations Manager