NORTHAMPTON — Kari Blood was living in upstate New York working at a publishing company when she decided to change careers.

In 2010, she went back to school to get a degree in environmental studies and promptly spent time scrolling through the spotty career opportunities. She did, however, find one listing at Amherst-based Kestrel Land Trust through an organization called TerraCorps that piqued her interest.

TerraCorps is an environmental nonprofit funded in part by AmeriCorps, a national service program. Based in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, TerraCorps connects service volunteers to organizations that are focused on environmental and food production issues.

Blood was hired as a “service member” at Kestrel, which required her to stay at the land trust for 11 months. While she received a small stipend — around $12,000 at the time — Blood said the opportunity was too good to pass up.

“It’s difficult to break into a field like land conservation,” Blood said. “This opportunity with the AmeriCorps program ... seemed ideal for me to get training.”

Most people who participate in the Terracorps program are recent college graduates looking for a way into their field of interest.

“Mine is not the traditional route,” Blood confessed.

Being older at the time actually helped Blood, who was able to make the small stipend work because she had a spouse who could provide income support. For many recent college graduates, the stipend which TerraCorps provided made it tough to survive.

That’s about the change for some. Starting in August, TerraCorps service members will receive 44% more pay for their service thanks to an anonymous donor. This donation will directly affect seven local nonprofits, including Kestrel, Grow Food Northampton, Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield, Hilltown Land Trust in Ashfield, Mass Audubon Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton, and Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke.

These six organizations, as well as CISA in South Deerfield, have been chosen as TerraCorps service sites for the 2023-2024 service year.

Through the program, TerraCorps service members are paired with a site supervisor who provides guidance and mentorship while they learn to manage community programs and projects. CISA, Hilltown Land Trust and Grow Food Northampton will host community engagement members, while Kestrel, Hilltown and Mass Audubon will host members in land stewardship coordinator roles. The Food Bank and Nuestras Raices will host sustainable agriculture coordinator roles, and Kestrel will also have a youth education coordinator.

The anonymous donor stated that they hope that the conservation career path will become more accessible to people who face economic barriers.

TerraCorps service members will receive $26,667 per term for an 11-month, 1,700-hour stint. Participants will also receive health care coverage, SNAP benefits, child care coverage when applicable, possible federal student loan forbearance, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award once they complete their service.

The anonymous grant will not only benefit TerraCorps as a whole but will affect all future employees at the aforementioned local nonprofit organizations.

TerraCorps President and CEO David Graham said that “over 80 organizations in our sector have hired TerraCorps alumni and 75% of alums are currently working in a career directly related to their TerraCorps service.”

Almost every year since 2010, the Kestrel Land Trust has hosted positions for service members through TerraCorps. According to Blood, the nonprofit’s community engagement director, five of these service members have been hired since then, including herself.

“The TerraCorps program provides the service members a vital opportunity to learn about an organization on a deeper level, make valuable professional connections, and gain practical career experience,” Blood said.

TerraCorps is currently accepting applications for the 2023-2024 season. For more information, visit terracorps.org/avaliable-member-positions.

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