The Summer Meals Student Workforce Toolkit

This toolkit serves as a comprehensive guide for recruiting, training, and managing student workers in summer meals programs. It is designed to guide schools and community organizations on incorporating student employees into their meals programs. Specifically, high school and college students can provide tremendous value to schools and anti-hunger organizations in various ways, including capacity, relationships, and perspective. 

The Summer Meals Student Workforce Toolkit offers organizations guidance, resources and a framework for hiring and supporting youth employees via five sections:

• Why Hire Student Workers - Learn about why bringing youth employees into summer meals programs can enrich the programs and improve participation.
• Recruitment Best Practices - Learn best practices from the beginning to the end of the hiring process, including guidance about the job description & outreach efforts, the job application process, and the job interview.
• Employee Orientation - Learn about how to create a robust onboarding experience, including seting expectations and guidelines, providing an overview of organization-wide policies, and training and educating workers about summer meals.
• Engaging Student Employees - Learn about the importance of providing student employees with learning and growth opportunities while they are supporting the summer meals program.
• Close-Out Process - Learn about gathering feedback and celebrating student employees once the summer meals programs end.