Chicago Food Action Board (FAB) Coordinator

Hunger Free America (HFA) is a national nonprofit organization working to enact the policies and programs needed to end domestic hunger and ensure that all Americans have sufficient access to nutritious food. 

Through a 4-year Innovation Spark grant from the Albertsons Companies Foundation, now entering year two (2), HFA is launching a new Food Action Board (FAB) in Chicago, Illinois. FABs are community-led groups of people with lived experience of hunger who meet weekly to learn advocacy and leadership skills, strengthen connections to resources, and take collective action to fight hunger. The grant also supports a related jobs program to train individuals for employment in the social services sector, but the FAB Coordinator’s role is focused on building and sustaining strong FABs. 

The FAB Coordinator will be responsible for recruiting individuals to join the FAB in partnership with local community-based organizations, ensuring robust and sustained participation. The Coordinator will also facilitate weekly FAB meetings, help implement HFA’s training curriculum, and provide support so that members are fully engaged and compensated for their time. 

Position Overview 

The FAB Coordinator will work closely with the National Director of Organizing and Community Empowerment and will be primarily responsible for recruiting individuals to join the Food Action Board (FAB) in partnership with local community-based organizations, ensuring robust and sustained participation. In addition, the Coordinator will facilitate weekly FAB meetings using HFA’s curriculum, support member engagement in advocacy opportunities, and help ensure that participants are compensated for their time. 

The National Director of Organizing and Community Empowerment is readily available by phone, text, email, or Zoom to brainstorm, plan, and offer ideas, suggestions, and leads as needed. The Coordinator will also participate in weekly scheduled check-ins with the National Director of Organizing and Community Empowerment for planning, troubleshooting, and support. At the same time, this role requires proactive, self-directed outreach and relationship-building with community members and partner organizations. The Coordinator should be comfortable initiating contact, working independently, and navigating new environments as relationships develop. 

• Recruit individuals to participate in the Food Action Board, in partnership with community-based organizations and anchor partners, ensuring robust and sustained membership. 
• Conduct proactive outreach to recruit FAB members and partners, including outreach that may involve in-person engagement and community presence in varying weather conditions, with flexibility to use email and virtual meetings as appropriate. 
• Develop and maintain strong community relationships to strengthen and expand FAB participation. 
• Facilitate weekly 60-minute FAB meetings using the HFA curriculum, with virtual guidance and support from the National Director of Organizing and Community Empowerment. 
• Support FAB members in advocacy, outreach, and public engagement opportunities. 
• Track participation and ensure member compensation is processed. 

• Strong ties to the local community and ability to connect with individuals with lived experience of hunger. 
• Experience in grassroots organizing, advocacy, or community engagement preferred. 
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills. 
• Ability to work independently while participating in regular check-ins, coaching, and collaboration with the National Director of Organizing and Community Empowerment. 
• Comfort working independently in a community-facing role that may involve initial ambiguity, persistence, and engagement in less-than-ideal conditions. 
• Ability to meet clear performance expectations related to outreach, recruitment progress, and participant engagement, with regular check-ins and feedback. 
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and lifting up community voices. 

Employees receive generous paid time off, including holidays. 

Submit a resume and cover letter. Applications not containing both a resume and a cover letter will not be reviewed. 

HFA is an equal opportunity employer. People of diverse races, sexual orientations, ages, faiths, economic and social backgrounds, genders, physical abilities, and national origins are strongly encouraged to apply.