Mission Intern Summer

Kinship Community Food Center is seeking Mission Interns. Join us for a summer of joy-filled service that will change your life forever!

Our Mission Interns are rooted in a life of prayer and community in the Catholic tradition. This allows them to pour out their hearts into the neighborhoods in which they live and serve. We dare to enter the mess of one anothers lives and learn what it means to give in sacrificial love.

The summer missionaries primary foci are manual labor and relational ministry. From harvesting broccoli on our urban farm to helping a single-mother transition to a new living space or going on a late afternoon trip to Lake Michigan the summer mission intern program is a great opportunity to dive deeper as a summer missionary in a teamwork-oriented humbling transformational role.

Summer Internship Term

June & July 2026

Who we are seeking

• Young adults approximately ages 20-23
• Any background of study
• No degree necessary
• Open to Catholic Spiritual teaching and life

What you can expect to experience

Find a place of belonging with your fellow missionaries living in the neighborhood we serve. Together we grow through daily prayer community service and living simply. Your summer will be focused on digging in the dirt at our urban farm and hands-on service at our Food Center.

• Prayer

We cultivate silence to encounter God and more deeply encounter each other. This is punctuated by Adoration Liturgy of the Hours Mass and readings from Scripture and the lives of the saints.

• Community

We are committed to intentionally living and working with one another in a community in the heart of the neighborhood we serve so that the care we have for each other flows into the larger community.

• Service

We walk with those in our community through our shared meals mentoring and farm work. We also develop nonprofit management skills in day-to-day Community Food Center operations.

• Formation

We discuss our experiences from the Food Center to foster growth in our spiritual and personal lives. Together we explore Catholic spirituality community living and social justice.

How to discern if this is the next step in your life

Are you ready to

• Commit to a lifestyle of generosity learning that everyone has something to give and receive no matter their walk of life
• Live a life of simplicity where you will receive a monthly stipend as well have room and board covered
• Be challenged in your way of seeing the world and those that are a part of it and grow in love for those around you
• Learn more about Social Justice and the ways that we can create change for the betterment of others
• Share in the experience that is a life of prayer and community
  

Our Mission

Kinship Community Food Center engages volunteers and neighborhood residents to end hunger isolation and poverty. The mission pillars of our work are 1) nourishing food security and wellness 2) fostering kinship and community engagement and 3) creating stability & economic opportunity. Our fresh food market urban farm and collaborative meals expand food access while teaching healthful habits and skills in a community of belonging where crisis assistance and mentoring is made available.We believe no one is so deprived that they have nothing to give and no one is so well-off that they no longer have needs.

Working Conditions:

Work Location: Open office workspace with active team atmosphere. Commercial kitchen with volunteer helpers.

Physical Requirements: Standing and sitting for prolonged periods. Typing on a computer keyboard. Lifting objects of 40 pounds or less. Ability to operate commercial kitchen appliances and equipment a hand cart and a cargo van.

Here is what some Team Members have to say about the Kinship Community Food Center workplace culture:

I always feel supported like I have a purpose and that my coworkers truly care about me.

The sense of family and willingness to accept each other as they make themselves vulnerable leads to a culture that fosters the risk required for growth and achieving our personal as well as organizational potential.

The community of shoppers volunteers staff donors etc. and the culture of generosity here has made this a great place to work. I love that we are so mission-driven. As a whole the community here really cares about the dignity of one another and we strive to uplift that through our program offerings (offering fresh farm produce assisting others in mentoring relationships offering trainings on poverty and hunger and so much more).

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex national origin disability status protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Required Experience:

Junior IC