Saturday Essential Services Operations Intern

Sacred Heart Community Service • San Jose, CA

15d • Onsite

About The Position

Sacred Heart Community Service is seeking two dependable, community-minded individuals for a 16-Saturday unpaid internship in the Essential Services Department. The internship offers practical experience in food-pantry and clothes-closet operations, warehouse logistics, volunteer coordination, food handling, workplace safety, and nonprofit human services. Interns rotate through the stations that support Sacred Heart's Saturday food-pantry and clothes-closet operations. At each station, interns first observe and receive instruction, then practice the responsibilities under supervision. Once an intern demonstrates the necessary skills, they may be assigned to lead a station, with the onsite Warehouse Manager remaining responsible for overall safety and operations. Saturday activities support staff and volunteers and do not include direct interaction with members or clients. Interns supplement the work of employees and volunteers; they do not replace paid staff or positions, and Saturday operations can function without them. For more than 62 years, Sacred Heart Community Service has worked to address poverty in Santa Clara County by meeting immediate basic needs, providing tools for long-term self-sufficiency, and engaging the broader community in service and advocacy.

Requirements

• At least 17 years old at the start of the internship; applicants under 18 must provide written permission from a parent or legal guardian
• Available Saturdays, 6:00 AM–12:30 PM, and able to attend at least 13 of the 16 Saturdays
• Dependable, punctual, and able to follow verbal and written instructions
• Willing to learn about food-pantry, clothes-closet, warehouse, volunteer, and nonprofit operations, and to rotate through all assigned stations
• Able to work respectfully and collaboratively with staff and volunteers
• Committed to treating people and donated items with dignity, compassion, and respect
• Willing to follow food-handling, sanitation, equipment, and workplace-safety procedures
• Able to provide and wear closed-toe, nonslip shoes for every shift (SHCS provides all other required personal protective equipment).
• Prolonged standing and walking; frequent bending, pushing, pulling, and reaching; lifting up to 30 pounds independently; and lifting up to 50 pounds with assistance.

Nice To Haves

• Warehouse, logistics, retail, food-pantry, clothes-closet, inventory, or food-distribution experience
• Interest in nonprofit organizations, community service, human services, logistics, supply-chain operations, or volunteer coordination
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Comfort working in a busy, changing environment
• Bilingual English/Spanish skills

Responsibilities

• Prepare and organize volunteer workstations before activities begin
• Stock stations with food, clothing, bags, carts, pallets, signage, equipment, and other supplies
• Explain station procedures to volunteers after receiving appropriate instruction
• Monitor and replenish station supplies throughout the shift
• Respond to operational and supply requests from staff and volunteer leaders
• Help maintain an efficient, respectful workflow
• Sort produce and other packaged or unpackaged food according to SHCS food-handling and sanitation procedures
• Assist with bagging and staging shelf-stable and frozen food
• Sort, organize, and stage donated clothing and household items
• Help keep food-pantry and clothes-closet areas orderly and accessible
• Follow procedures that preserve the quality and dignity of items distributed to community members
• Move food, clothing, pallets, bins, and supplies between storage and staging areas
• Assist with receiving, organizing, and relocating donated food and supplies
• Organize inventory to support a safe, efficient warehouse
• Operate approved electric pallet jacks or other equipment only after completing required training and demonstrating safe operation
• Follow all age restrictions, safety requirements, and SHCS equipment policies; interns under 18 may not operate the stacker
• Participate in required safety reviews and follow all warehouse-safety procedures
• Keep work areas clean, organized, and hazard-free
• Store equipment and supplies properly
• Assist with station breakdown, cleanup, and end-of-shift warehouse organization
• Immediately report hazards, damaged equipment, injuries, or unsafe conditions to the Warehouse Manager.

Benefits

• Supervised practical experience
• Training
• Professional mentoring
• Feedback
• A certificate upon successful completion
• The opportunity to contribute to Sacred Heart's mission of building a community free from poverty.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed