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California Service Corps to recruit 10,000 paid members, officials announce at LA Regional Food Bank
Summary
Officials with the California governor's service office and current service members promoted paid service positions and shared wildfire-response work at a recruitment event at the LA Regional Food Bank in City of Industry.
At a recruitment event held at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank distribution center in City of Industry, Josh Friday, director of the California governor's office of service and community engagement, said California is recruiting "over 10,000 paid positions" for the California Service Corps to help with disaster response, climate work and community services.
The announcement came as speakers and current members described their roles supporting wildfire recovery and food distribution across Los Angeles County. Michael Flood, CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, said the food bank has worked with the governor's office "since the beginning of the pandemic" and partners with "more than 600" organizations operating "nearly a thousand distribution sites" around the county.
Josh Friday described the recent wildfires and the role service members played in response and recovery. He said the fires destroyed "over 12,000 homes, 40,000 acres," and added that service members "from day 1 were helping stand up, literally stand up the shelter that housed thousands of people" and staffed resource centers to connect survivors with food, clothing and other necessities.
Current and former members spoke about how paid service has affected them. Ashley Hernandez, a College Corps member and University of California, Los Angeles student, said the program "didn't just help with money. It gave me a sense of purpose and a way to grow as a person" and allowed her to work part time at the food bank while attending college. Emily, representing the California Climate Action Corps, said her work involves planting and caring for trees, removing highly flammable nonnative species and supporting communities affected by fires.
Tanya Castro, who serves as an intern in the City of Los Angeles mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity and is a former College Corps member, described being deployed during the fires to pack and distribute food and to support shelters. Kya Pomorecho, an AmeriCorps member with Reading Partners, said her school-based literacy tutoring work has been an "anchor" for students who lost homes and routines after nearby fires.
Matthew Martinez, a former California Service Corps member who now works for the American Red Cross organizing and supervising service members, described standing up and running a shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center and said service experience provided him with training and professional development that helped his career.
Organizers framed the recruitment push as an effort to expand a workforce that can respond to disasters, address food insecurity and support climate resiliency while offering participants paid positions, training and professional development. Josh Friday said interested applicants should "go to caservicecore.com," and asked attendees to spread the word.
No formal vote or government action was taken at the event; it functioned as a public recruitment and storytelling event with program participants and partner organizations on hand.
