Volunteers Week –

Ever thought about volunteering? If you have and you’d like to come and work with us then we’d love to hear from you.

This week (June 2-8) is Volunteers’ Week, a chance for organisations like ours to say thank you to all the amazing people who give up their time to help us make a difference.

Here at Waveney Foodbank we rely on our wonderful team of volunteers to help us deliver all our services – without them we simply couldn’t do anything – and we’re always grateful for the help and support they give us, not just in volunteers week but every week.

We currently have around 120 volunteers working with us, helping out at our warehouse, sorting and delivering food, working at our centres or working behind the scenes with things like communications, HR and finance or holding a position as a trustee.

The time they give varies as do their reasons for volunteering but nearly everyone we’ve spoken to says the main reason they enjoy working with us is because it really makes a difference to people’s lives.

A good example is Pam Bayliss. Pam has been a volunteer with us for an amazing 19 years and is manager of Beccles Hungate and Beccles St Luke’s Foodbanks.

She says: “It all began with a tin of baked beans! It was Christmas day and the service was just finished. I stood at the door shaking hands with the congregation as they left. A man came up to me

‘Um,do you happen to know if there is a shop open today?’ he asked.

There wasn’t, not on Christmas Day.

‘You see,’ the man went on ‘I have come to stay with my uncle for Christmas and when I got here I found him in bed to keep warm, and there is no food in the house.’

We rustled round and found a few items, mainly tins in the church cupboard but mainly tins of baked beans!

He took them gratefully BUT: ‘Do you have a tin opener? Only there isn’t one at my uncles, I’ve already looked.’

One of the congregation who lived nearby went home, returned with bread, and a tin opener.

It opened my eyes. No one would have guessed the plight of this elderly gentleman who kept his plight well hidden from the world. Just how many more were there hiding behind the net curtains, in desperate need of help?

That motivated me to find out about foodbanks, and in that town we started a foodbank with Trussell Trust.

Since then the work has grown, and I now manage the foodbanks in a neighbouring town, having handed that first foodbank  over to a very caring friend who carries on the work in her town.

It isn’t just about the food. As the years go by I have discovered other needs – things like school uniform for the children, finding ways to obtain grants for heating, clothing and the need to just listen. All my team of volunteers are wonderful , and I am so proud of them and the difference they make to the lives of our community.

And all because of a tin of baked beans!!”

Rod Sexton, who volunteers on Pam’s team, has been with us for eight years and helps out with data and IT as well as deliveries. He was inspired to become a volunteer after becoming aware of how much need there was for foodbank services and says the thing he enjoys most about it is seeing the joy and relief on some clients’ faces after being helped by the foodbank.

If helping us is something you think you might like to do then do reach out to us. You can click the link here https://waveney.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/volunteer/ or contact us on 07484 394749.

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