Healthy Futures AmeriCorps places service members across rural Colorado to support programs working for a healthy future for all. This includes focuses on nutrition and education, community and school gardens, regenerative agriculture practices & increased access to healthy food.
WHAT IS AMERICORPS?
BUILD YOUR BRIDGE FROM COLLEGE TO CAREERS IN FOOD SYSTEMS
Hands-on experience is what employers are looking for. Join us for a season or up to two full years of service, where you’ll be mentored by industry professionals and gain the hands-on experience building and sustaining healthy communities you need to launch your food systems career.
We partner with 7 different food systems organizations around Southwest Colorado to offer you a wide variety of service locations and positions. Check out the different organizations below.
AMERICORPS SERVICE POSITIONS
Positions are open until filled
Local Education Initiatives
Local Education Initiatives encompass a range of roles aimed at engaging communities, fostering relationships, and enhancing educational opportunities. Within this category, positions such as Community Outreach and Farm to School Educators play crucial roles in connecting individuals with resources, knowledge, and experiences that promote learning and community involvement. These initiatives prioritize bridging gaps in education, whether through hands-on lessons or outreach efforts that bring people together for meaningful engagement.
Mountain Roots Food Project: Farm to School Environmental Educator - Gunnison, CO
Start Dates: May 2026
Term Length Options: 450 Hours
Farm to School Environmental Educators will teach environmental & nutrition education lessons in K-5 classrooms, lead after-school and summer programs, and support school garden initiatives for K-12 students. Engage in community outreach, build partnerships, and participate in all aspects of food systems education, including regenerative agriculture, nature, and community food security.Guidestone Colorado Ranch & Homestead Experiential Educator - Salida, CO
Start Dates: March 2026
Term Length Options: 1200 Hours
The Ranch & Homestead Experiential Educator leads hands-on education programs at the Hutchinson Homestead & Learning Center, connecting youth and the community to local agriculture, ranching traditions, and agricultural history. This position is ideal for someone passionate about experiential learning, traditional arts, and community engagement. The role offers creative opportunities to develop and teach agriculture-focused programs, incorporate hands-on homesteading skills, and support ranch operations. The Educator will also gain experience in fundraising, marketing, and agricultural production while contributing to Guidestone’s vision of bringing the story of the land to life—bridging the past and future of agriculture in the Upper Arkansas Valley.
Nutrition and Food Access Programs
Nutrition and Food Access Programs focus on addressing food security and promoting healthy eating habits within communities. Roles like the Food Security Coordinator are dedicated to coordinating efforts to ensure access to nutritious food through initiatives such as food rescue, cooking classes, and community gardens. By prioritizing collaborative approaches and tailored solutions, these programs aim to alleviate food insecurity and empower individuals to make informed choices about their nutrition.
Gunnison Country Food Pantry: Food Security Coordinator - Gunnison, CO
Start Dates: January 2026
Term Length Options: 1200 Hours
GCFP is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented team member to support the Food Pantry’s programs and operations. This role involves assisting with program administration, data tracking, and reporting, as well as collaborating with partners to strengthen initiatives that serve food-insecure households in the Gunnison Valley. The position also supports food inventory management, including TEFAP and Feeding America donations, while helping to develop program materials and infrastructure.
Agricultural Programs
Agricultural Programs center around regenerative land use practices, agricultural production, and land access initiatives. Positions like Community Farm and Garden Production and Land Access and Succession Coordinator are fostering regenerative farming practices, promoting access to land for agricultural purposes, and providing support to farmers and landowners. Through innovative solutions and educational resources, these programs contribute to the preservation of natural resources while supporting the viability of agriculture in rural communities.
None at this time
Our positions have multiple start dates throughout the year, typically January, Mid-march, late May, July, and September. A one-year service term is most common, however we do have shorter terms, such as “summer only,” and longer terms up to 2 years.
Member Terms & Benefits for Service
You don’t pay tuition or fees for the world of knowledge and experience you’re going to gain during your year of service. But we know you need to live, and to have space for outside-of-work experiences that are fun and fulfilling as well. While you’re in service, you’ll get a living allowance that covers your room and board, and after your service, you’ll get a cash education award that can be applied to pay back your federal student loans, to pay for grad school or other continuing education, including trip-based programs like NOLS and Outward Bound. Read more on the education award here.
Other benefits include:
attendance at 1-2 regional conferences, like the Western Colorado Soil, Food and Farm Forum, Regenerate, or Agrisummit.
two, 2-day expense-paid field trips, to locations around the region to broaden your food systems experience
relocation reimbursement (mileage) if moving over 100 miles
$100 allowance toward professional development / training of your choice
some sites offer housing stipends to further offset the cost of housing
some sites offer ski passes, rec center passes, gas cards, and other discounts to local community services
certifications in first aid and safe food handler, some sites offer more
student loans go into forbearance and the interest is paid
child care and health care coverage for members serving Full Term (1700 hours)
What’s in it for You?
Placement in top Colorado organizations. Healthy Futures AmeriCorps Program places our members in top food systems organizations in Central and Western Colorado to implement and expand community services.
Leadership, mentored by leading industry professionals. Our positions provide unparalleled opportunity for a higher level of responsibility and agency than typical entry-level positions, with the support of a mentor who is invested in your success.
Change the world. Localizing food systems is arguably the best solution we have to combatting so many of our global problems. We need more motivated leaders to challenge the status quo and then mobilize others to do so.
Make a lasting difference in the lives of others. While you’re gaining experience through a meaningful service, the real-world solutions you create are transforming rural Colorado communities.
Professional development and personal growth. Build lasting relationships, expand your professional network in education, agriculture, and food security, and provide excellent professional development experience, and add to a compelling resume for your career.
Transformative life experience. Looking back, our members all say that their service terms were pivotal periods of their lives that prepared them for or launched them into the next chapter of their life.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Agency of AmeriCorps under
Grant No. 21AFDCO0010007. Opinions or points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official position of or a position that is endorsed by Serve CO.
