Institute of Politics

Overview of Organization: Coppin Community Center is a social-service nonprofit located at Coppin Memorial AME Church in the Washington Park neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side (a short 20-minute bus ride from campus). It operates food and meal programs and hosts youth and family programs such as the Boys & Girls Club. Over the past few years, Coppin has expanded from a hyper-local focus on the surrounding three zip code areas to serving the entire South Side. Coppin has food distribution with our Monday pantry. We receive pallets from the Greater Chicago Food Depository between 9:00 am-10:00am and volunteers can assist with unloading and sorting from 1:00pm-3:00 pm. Community food distribution is from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm.The center is led by Frankye Parham, a retired educator with extensive experience in social work and special education, and guided by a dedicated board of directors. Coppin Community Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Internship Summary: Coppin Community Center is seeking an intern who can add support in three key areas: direct service support, grant writing, and social media content creation. This internship offers students the opportunity to engage directly with our community by staffing our food pantry and free store. Interns will work to expand the Center’s social media presence and contribute to the organizations’ fundraising and outreach efforts. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about community building and social service, with an interest in using digital tools to make nonprofit work more impactful and sustainable.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with the weekly food pantry distribution and free store
• Sort and distribute groceries and donations while supporting our clients in accessing additional services
• In collaboration with Coppin and MESA leadership, create and post engaging content (videos, photos, and written posts) across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• Help update the website and social media to reflect new events, programs, and opportunities
• Creatively use social media to encourage donations and community engagement
• Research grant opportunities and assist with grant writing
• Gather data and statistics about the populations Coppin serves to help secure funding for their programs
• Organize and update metrics on client demographics and program success
• Locate additional programs that support the community at large
• Schedule weekly meetings with supervisor to discuss projects and progress on agreed work items

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Basic understanding of social media platforms and content creation, including graphic design and video editing
• Social media knowledge
• Ability to collect, analyze, and manage data; experience with Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel preferred
• Passion for community service and nonprofit work
• Experience with grant writing preferred
• Fluency in Spanish is preferred (or a willingness to learn) due to the diverse demographic of our patrons
• Ability and willingness to move boxes, food supplies, and carts of various sizes and weights
• Desire to explore local Hyde Park and adjacent communities, and ability to walk, take a bus, or drive to the pantry

Eligibility:

• Domestic or International Students
• Undergraduate or Graduate Students

About the Supervisor: Frankye Parham is the Director of the Coppin Community Center. She received a B.S. in Educational Administration and Supervision from the School of Speech at Roosevelt University. She worked for 34 years for Chicago Public Schools, teaching special needs students ranging from elementary school to high school. After retiring in 2010, she joined Coppin Memorial A.M.E. Church and started volunteering with the Coppin Community Center. In 2011, she partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to start the Center’s food pantry.

Location/Modality/Commute: Our office (5627 South Michigan Ave. Chicago, Ill. 60637) is open every Wednesday from 9am-5 pm. We can also work remotely from a zoom account

Start/End Date: The internship will run between June 1, 2026 - September 25, 2026 (flexible).

Required Materials:

• Resume
• Cover Letter