Advocacy Allies Volunteer Co-Chair

About the role

The Advocacy Allies are a group of volunteers put in place to expand the capacity of The Mississauga Food Bank’s advocacy initiatives. Volunteers with a passion for and knowledge of the political sector will enable The Mississauga Food Bank to achieve more in its advocacy work and make each initiative more effective and impactful.

The Co-Chair position will serve as a volunteer leader of this group. The Executive Business Assistant will Chair the group; 1-2 volunteer Co-Chairs will work closely with the Executive Business Assistant to support and ensure the success of the group’s members. The Executive Business Assistant will connect the Co-Chair(s) with the status of advocacy initiatives that The Mississauga Food Bank is undertaking, and the Co-Chair(s) will work alongside the Executive Business Assistant to develop and execute a plan to activate the Advocacy Allies in supporting those initiatives.

The Mississauga Food Bank’s advocacy strategy is outlined below:

Leverage connections with clients to further the advocacy efforts of Feed Ontario and Food Banks Canada. Areas of focus are as follows:
- Protection for Low-Income Renters.
- Minimum Income Floor.
- Affordable Early Learning and Childcare.
- Food Justice and Racial Equity.
Educate, equip, and empower our clients with the knowledge and opportunity to become more civically engaged.

Responsibilities

Executing vote pop-ups (educating food bank clients on how to vote).
Distributing party platforms or voting information to clients.
Planning & executing joint events (e.g. a town hall with elected officials) with representatives from other local non-profits.
Engaging clients with Feed Ontario’s annual Postcard Campaign.
Identifying opportunities for The Mississauga Food Bank to further engage in advocacy in the community.
Attend training on the democratic process, political issues and proposed solutions, volunteering instructions, etc. that will be provided as needed for each volunteer opportunity that arises.
In addition to the above responsibilities expected of all team members, the Co-Chair(s) will meet as needed with the Chair to prepare for group meetings, and responsibilities associated with running group meetings will be divided among the Chair and Co-Chair(s).

Qualifications

16+ years of age.
Outgoing personality – warm, friendly, and engaging.
Ability to work collaboratively in a team with a positive attitude.
Proven ability to take on a leadership role: delegating tasks, motivating teams, ensuring team deadlines and responsibilities are met.
Comfortable engaging in conversation with others and speaking in front of a group.
Enthusiastic about and/or eager to learn about the democratic process, political activism, and/or poverty reduction initiatives.
Passionate about poverty reduction.
Ability to work effectively unsupervised.
Preferred: Prior work/volunteer experience or education in the democratic process, political activism, and/or poverty reduction initiatives and prior leadership experience.
Covid-19 Vaccine required.

Benefits

Making a difference for those experiencing food insecurity.
The chance to meet new people and gain new skills.
Developing leadership skills and experience.
Experience in political activism and civic engagement.
A letter of reference once you’ve participated in the committee for a period of time.
The opportunity to network with like-minded volunteers and elected officials.

Reporting Structure

The co-Chair (s) will report to the Executive Business Assistant (Chair). Committee members will report to the Chair and Co-Chairs. Coordination and communications will in select instances be managed by the Volunteer Coordinator.

Apply now

Time commitment

Two-hour virtual team meetings quarterly and one-hour Chair & Co-Chair meetings as needed to prepare for quarterly meetings.

Duration

Minimum one-year commitment.

Location

Meetings will take place virtually. Various volunteer opportunities will take place either virtually, at The Mississauga Food Bank (3121 Universal Drive), or at any number of The Mississauga Food Bank’s neighbourhood food banks & other network agencies across Mississauga.

Our Application Process

Complete and submit the application form above.

Complete application

Our Volunteer Coordinator will contact you to chat further about the role and your availability.

If you are confirmed for a role, our Volunteer Coordinator will provide details for training, onboarding and how to create your account in our Volunteer Hub platform.