Summary: Around 64 million of the world’s hungriest children do not attend school. In order to survive, they have to work or beg for food. For millions more who do make it into the classroom, hunger affects their ability to learn.
Mary’s Meals is currently providing a daily school meal to over 2 million children in 20 developing countries around the world. We are working on changing the lives and future of chronically hungry children and their communities. But we can’t do it without your help.
Mary’s Meals is a low-cost, grassroots organization. Our global average cost to feed a child (a nutritious daily meal at school) for one year is just $22.60.
Mary’s Meals Canada is seeking Volunteer Team Leaders to support our local volunteer Ambassadors in your community.
Key Duties and Responsibilities: Responsible for the overall coordination of volunteers within a local volunteer group. Team Leaders are critical to the work of Mary’s Meals by creating a vital link between the organization and volunteers on the ground.
Duties of Team Leaders include:
- Organizing and hosting quarterly volunteer group meetings
- Ensuring volunteers feel supported and understand what is required of them
- Creatively finding ways to show appreciation for local volunteers
- Providing training to new volunteers (resources supplied by Mary’s Meals Canada)
- Being available to answer questions/provide support when needed
- Assisting in giving presentations to local groups, schools, churches, etc.
- Assisting with setting up information booths at local events or conferences to educate the public about child hunger, barriers to education and our Simple Solution to World Hunger
- Building and maintaining a network of contacts in your community who are interested in our work; keeping them informed about local events; inviting those who are interested to join volunteer group; sharing inspiring stories and successes from program countries
- Facilitating setting of group/individual goals and sharing goals, successes and challenges with Mary’s Meals Canada
Desired Qualifications: Good interpersonal skills, good communicator, excellent listener, knowledgeable of Mary’s Meals (orientation provided), passionate about helping the world’s poorest children, reliable, kind and respectful, positive attitude, strong management/leadership skills (can be developed)
Support Provided: Handbook and orientation, in-person or remote training by Mary’s Meals Canada staff
Location: In your community
Required Availability: Position is flexible, we ask for a commitment of a 15-20 hours per month; minimum term of one year
Start Date: Immediately
Benefits to Volunteer: Benefits include being part of a global family that is helping a large number of children in some of the world’s poorest communities, feel great about enabling our volunteers on the ground to support children in need, learning about your impact on children in need through receiving information from program countries regularly, opportunity to develop skills such as public speaking, presentation skills, leadership skills, organizational skills, gain experience that can be used on your resume
Results of your Efforts: Local volunteer Ambassadors receive needed support, appreciation and guidance and therefore have a more fulfilling volunteer experience. This leads to more people being aware of Mary’s Meals and given the opportunity to join our mission. This means we can reach more children, families and communities who are in need of our school feeding programs.
Our vision is that every child receives one daily meal in their place of education and that all those who have more than they need, share with those who lack even the most basic things.
Our mission is to enable people to offer their money, goods, skills, time, or prayer, and through this involvement, provide the most effective help to those suffering the effects of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest communities.
We welcome all into the Mary’s Meals family and we believe everyone has something important to contribute to the realization of our vision.
We hope you’ll consider joining our family. To apply for this volunteer position, please submit an application form to volunteer.canada@marysmeals.org
