Help create a welcoming and dignified food pantry experience
William Temple House is seeking a collaborative, organized, and community-minded Social Services Coordinator to support our Food Pantry and coordinate the volunteers who help make our services possible.
This is a hands-on position for someone who enjoys working with people, improving systems, and helping daily operations run smoothly. The coordinator is directly responsible for the day-to-day coordination of Social Services volunteers, including orientation, training, scheduling, communication, and follow-up when volunteers are late or unable to attend.
The coordinator also works alongside the broader Social Services team to stock and organize the pantry, manage food and hygiene supplies, support clients, receive deliveries, and maintain a calm and welcoming environment.
About William Temple House
William Temple House provides food, counseling, clothing, household items, and connections to community resources for Portland-area neighbors. We strive to offer practical support in an environment grounded in dignity, respect, empathy, and choice.
Our Social Services team operates a shopping-style food pantry offering fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread, staple foods, hygiene products, clothing, and other essentials. Staff and volunteers work together to make these resources accessible to people experiencing economic hardship and systemic marginalization.
What you'll do
Coordinate and support Social Services volunteers
- Orient and train new volunteers on Social Services programs, policies, procedures, and expectations.
- Serve as a primary point of contact for Social Services volunteers.
- Communicate regularly with volunteers about schedules, program needs, procedural changes, and other updates.
- Monitor the daily volunteer schedule and make same-day contact with volunteers who are late or absent.
- Respond to unexpected volunteer absences and work with the Social Services team to address coverage needs.
- Coordinate volunteer scheduling with the Director of Volunteers & Outreach using Volgistics.
- Plan and facilitate relevant training and educational opportunities for pantry volunteers.
- Lead volunteer listening sessions, in coordination with Volunteer Services, to gather feedback and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Generate volunteer scheduling and participation reports when needed.
- Help volunteers of varying ages, backgrounds, and abilities contribute meaningfully and successfully.
Support Food Pantry operations
- Work with the Social Services team and volunteers to stock shelves and maintain an organized and welcoming pantry.
- Assist with the safe and sanitary storage, rotation, and display of food and hygiene supplies.
- Help monitor inventory and place weekly Oregon Food Bank orders based on available storage, budget, and client needs.
- Support improvements to pantry systems, organization, and workflow.
- Assist with the distribution of food, hygiene items, clothing, and other supplies.
- Help maintain the cleanliness and professional appearance of pantry and storage areas.
- Follow applicable Oregon Food Bank, USDA, Multnomah County, and State of Oregon requirements.
Assist with supplies, deliveries, and community partnerships
- Drive a delivery van to pick up food, hygiene products, donations, and other supplies.
- Load and unload deliveries and shop for program supplies when needed.
- Support coordination with Facilities and Thrift Store staff regarding maintenance, transportation, and supply needs.
- Assist Social Services leadership in maintaining relationships with food pantries, grocery suppliers, donors, and other community partners.
- Help identify supplemental food sources, particularly for fresh food.
- Assist with coordinating the distribution of excess food to partner organizations.
Support clients and the broader Social Services team
- Help create a calm, welcoming, and respectful environment for clients, volunteers, and visitors.
- Support reception by greeting clients, answering phones, accepting paperwork and payments, and completing data entry.
- Assist with client intake and resource-navigation processes as needed.
- Use trauma-informed and de-escalation practices during stressful or confrontational interactions.
- Collaborate with colleagues to respond appropriately when clients or volunteers are experiencing distress.
- Participate in department planning, program improvements, advocacy efforts, and organizational equity and strategic-planning initiatives.
- Provide additional support to Social Services operations as needed.
What we're looking for
We are interested in candidates who bring:
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
- The ability to coordinate schedules, communicate expectations, and follow up consistently.
- Experience working effectively with volunteers, clients, colleagues, or community members from varied backgrounds.
- The ability to build trust with people experiencing poverty, houselessness, disability, mental illness, substance use, or other forms of systemic marginalization.
- A calm, respectful, and trauma-informed approach to emotionally intense situations.
- Sound judgment and the ability to manage several priorities at once.
- A commitment to confidentiality, professional ethics, equity, and responsive community service.
- Basic knowledge of Portland-area community resources.
- Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, Google Drive, or similar tools.
- The ability to safely operate a large delivery van.
- A valid Oregon driver's license and a driving record that meets organizational requirements.
A four-year college degree is preferred but not required. Candidates without a degree should have at least three years of continuous experience in social services or another position involving direct work with houseless individuals, people with disabilities, or diverse and historically marginalized communities.
Experience coordinating volunteers, operating a food pantry, managing inventory, or working in a warehouse or grocery environment would be especially valuable.
The final candidate must successfully complete a criminal background check.
Schedule
This is a full-time, on-site position. The regular schedule is:
- Monday: 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- Tuesday through Friday: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Physical and workplace requirements
This is a highly active position based in an office, food pantry, and warehouse-style environment. William Temple House's historic building does not have an elevator.
The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, including:
- Frequently traveling between floors using stairs.
- Repeatedly lifting and moving items weighing up to 75 pounds.
- Spending significant portions of the day standing, walking, bending, reaching, kneeling, crouching, and stocking supplies.
- Loading and unloading food, hygiene products, and other deliveries.
- Working directly with clients who may be experiencing distress, illness, psychosis, disability, substance use, or intense emotions.
- Remaining calm and focused during occasional crisis-response or de-escalation situations.
Compensation and benefits
The hourly wage range for this position is $23.08-$25.50. Starting pay will be determined based on directly relevant experience, education, and training.
William Temple House offers benefits to regular employees working at least 32 hours per week. Health benefits begin on the first day of the month following 30 days of employment.
Benefits include:
- Employer-paid employee-only medical coverage, with multiple plan options.
- Employer-paid employee-only dental and vision coverage.
- Employer-paid life, accidental death and dismemberment, and long-term disability insurance.
- Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
- A 401(k) retirement plan with pre-tax and Roth contribution options. Employees become eligible after two months of service; employer contributions are discretionary.
- 160 hours of paid time off annually at hire, increasing with tenure.
- 11 paid holidays each year.
- Paid bereavement, jury-duty, and qualifying inclement-weather leave.
- Access to Paid Leave Oregon.
- Continuing-education reimbursement and employee discount programs.
- The option to participate in a shared personal-leave pool.
Our commitment to equity and belonging
William Temple House is committed to creating an organization where employees, volunteers, and clients are valued and respected across differences in race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, education, and socioeconomic status.
We encourage applications from people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and people with lived experience relevant to the communities we serve.
You do not need to meet every preferred qualification to be considered. We encourage you to apply if the position interests you and you believe your experience would help you succeed in the role.
William Temple House offers faith-neutral services. Employees are not required to hold or practice any religious belief.
William Temple House is an equal opportunity employer.
How to apply
Please email your résumé and cover letter to hr@williamtemple.org with the subject line:
Application - Social Services Coordinator - [Last Name, First Name]
Applications received by Tuesday, June 23, 2026 will receive priority consideration. Application review will begin Wednesday, June 24, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis thereafter, and the position will remain open until filled.