Berea Kids Eat Site Supervisor Internship

What is Grow Appalachia and Berea Kids Eat?  

As a Strategic Initiative of Berea College, Grow Appalachia partners with organizations, communities, and families in Appalachia to create healthy, resilient, and economically viable food systems. Grow Appalachia’s model focuses on building resilient food systems through supporting backyard and community gardens, providing technical assistance to small-scale and beginning farmers, operating a social enterprise, and distributing high quality food and nutrition programming to youth.  

Grow Appalachia has worked within Berea and Madison County, Kentucky, through its Berea Kids Eat program to serve high-quality, nutritious meals to children primarily during the summer when kids are not in school. In 2025, the program served over 26,000 meals to youth locally. This program includes nutrition education programming outreach and at Glades Garden in Berea, an activation space for youth and families to learn hands-on skills focused on growing, cooking, and preserving food. Berea Kids Eat also founded the Sprouts
Youth Farmers Market, where Berea youth learn entrepreneurial skills.

Berea Kids Eat Site Supervisor Description, Responsibilities, and Requirements 

Working with Grow Appalachia’s Berea Kids Eat (BKE) program in collaboration with the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the BKE Site Supervisor Intern will help manage and oversee community meal distribution to youth 18 and under as part of the SUN Meals Program at various static, mobile, and community sites in Berea. 

The Site Supervisor Intern will help do this as part of static multiple day/bulk food meal sites, robust mobile and/or home delivery routes, and community events. During this time, the Site Supervisor will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all USDA and BKE policies and procedures, including but not limited to ensuring that only compliant meals are handed out, paperwork is completed during and after meal service, and possible leading and guiding of other volunteers.  

Interns will also be responsible for delivering meal service at our stationary home base site at Glades Christian Church during and along-side of in person enrichment activities and programs. These are led by the Program Planning Intern and sometimes will be delivered from key community partners such as the Madison County Public Library and the Berea College Forestry Outreach Center. 

Responsibilities 

• Implement summer meals program in communities, to include a mobile meals route. Includes 1-2 monthly evening/weekend events.  
• Driving using Berea College Vans. Need to be or become defensive driving certified through Berea College, with van endorsement; or be 26 years of age or older. 
• Using paper and electronic systems, keep accurate and timely data and record keeping (daily/weekly meal tally & food inventory) 
• Ensure food and community safety before, during, and after meal service and any programming or events. 
• Help distribute SUN Meals & events flyers, banners, and yard signs.  
• Help with Glades Garden upkeep and inventory to include potential chicken care. 

Requirements 

• Comfortability of working outside in the Kentucky summer weather. Grow Appalachia staff will work to make sure that all staff and intern needs are taken care of during severe weather and will work to craft a schedule that fits with all needs and abilities.   
• Interns will be working with community members, families, youth, and other students from many different walks of life and situations. Considering this, the intern must affirm Grow Appalachia’s Values1 and the USDA’s Non-Discrimination2 policy.  
• Able to work with comfort and respect near and in religious and all other community spaces as well as in/on vans, school buses, and public schools.  
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including legible written writing. 
• Attend weekly Berea Kids Eat Staff Meetings and submit weekly written reflections via TEAMS.  
• Standing, lifting, transporting large amounts of food and other possibly bulky materials.  
• With support from BKE, Intern will obtain Madison County Health Department Food Handler’s Card and complete other required SUN Meals, KDE, and BKE training. Online and in person.  

Benefits Of This Internship 

• Learn how large SUN Meals Programs are designed and implemented.
• Increased or introductory opportunities to interact with Berea Community Families and Youth in their neighborhoods.
• Growing space access in Glades Community Garden to garden and plant & livestock care and education of chickens.
• Access to events in the community including tabling at the different community events that could include the Levitt Amp Concert Series, the Berea Farmer’s Market, and other events that fit within the scope of our work. Includes strong networking opportunities.
• Developing and enhancing the ability to respond to situations quickly and effectively. These situations could include anything from changing a program to hostile communication from community members.
• Deep dive into non-profit, and community food security work within Berea.
• Opportunities to learn more about the food resiliency work of Grow Appalachia across the central Appalachia Region.

For any questions about this position, please contact Grow Appalachia’s Nutrition Programs Coordinator, Lara Armstrong, at armstrongl3@berea.edu