Meet the Corps Members

Though COVID has impacted us all, young people have shown resilience and courage during this time of crisis. We are so thankful for the remarkable WA COVID Response Corps members who show up daily with positivity and passion to keep their community fed and healthy.

“The biggest challenges our clients are facing with the pandemic is having enough access to food, and especially in low-income populations, people losing jobs, stimulus checks not coming in, I think it’s really important that people are getting their basic needs met.”

– Rebecca B., WA COVID Response Corps member.

Service is a meaningful way for people from all backgrounds to give back to their communities. For Rebecca, joining the WA COVID Response Corps has connected her passion for nutrition with career opportunities while also nurturing self-growth and reflection. Most importantly, by serving, she helps address food insecurity issues exacerbated by the pandemic and creates a lasting impact on her community.

Maddie, United Way of King County
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Efrain, Common Threads Farm
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Rachel, South Whidbey Good Cheer
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Jacob, age 28
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Rebecca, Clark County Food Bank
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“I JUST WANT TO BE PART OF SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE A LASTING IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE IF WE DON’T HELP TO MAKE A CHANGE, WHO’S GOING TO MAKE IT?”

– Mercedes A., WA COVID Response Corps member.

Cowlitz County in Washington state, where Mercedes lives, has been hard hit by the pandemic and is projected to have the sixth-highest food insecurity rate in the state, with 19.3% of residents food insecure.

As an Agriculture Assistant at Three Rivers Christian School, Mercedes has an opportunity to grow and harvest fresh food in the school garden to feed the community for years to come.

Henry, Clark County Food Bank
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Abbigail, Lower Columbia CAP
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Mercedes, age 20
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Giorgie, Common Threads Farm
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Nick, age 25
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Learn more about the WA COVID Response Corps!

The Schultz Family Foundation and Serve Washington, a state commission that coordinates service efforts, have partnered to build and oversee the Washington COVID Response Corps. The partnership combines AmeriCorps’ existing funding and programmatic infrastructure with philanthropic investment that underwrites a portion of the match contributions for AmeriCorps members at organizations that have both financial difficulty and a willingness to join a coordinated one-year COVID relief program. This Corps will address food insecurity in communities across the state, allowing us and our partners to share the value of collective impact. SFF will also offer training and development for members serving in AmeriCorps and a learning community for the organizations supporting them.

ABOUT SERVE WASHINGTON

Serve Washington, a State Commission, advances national service, volunteerism and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington; and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities. Authorized by Executive Order #16-08, a 20-member board of Governor-appointed commissioners supports and advises Serve Washington. Learn more at servewashington.wa.gov.

ABOUT AMERICORPS AND THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

This AmeriCorps funding is provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency for volunteering, civic engagement, and national service programs. For over 25 years, more than 1 million dedicated Americans have joined AmeriCorps and pledged to ‘get things done.’ This year, the 75,000 AmeriCorps members serving in schools, nonprofits, community and faith-based organizations, will do the same as they rebuild communities, support veterans, fight the opioid epidemic, prepare students for success, foster economic opportunity, and more. Those interested in serving can learn more at AmeriCorps.gov/Join.

ABOUT THE SCHULTZ FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Schultz Family Foundation, established in 1996 by Howard and Sheri Schultz, creates pathways of opportunity for populations facing barriers to success, including youth and post-9/11 veterans. The Foundation invests in innovative solutions and partnerships that unlock people’s potential, and strengthen our businesses, our communities, and our nation. For more information about the Foundation and its work: schultzfamilyfoundation.org.