Celebrating our volunteers
Volunteers Week is taking place this year from Monday 2 – Sunday 8 June, and is a chance for us to take a moment to celebrate all of the hard work and effort that our wonderful volunteers put into Open Doors Somerset. The UK-wide campaign has now been running for over 40 years.
Volunteering for Open Doors Somerset can mean anything from collecting the surplus food from our partnering supermarkets (Lidl, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s), helping to run the social media, organising events or assisting to cook at our Chop & Chat sessions.
We asked Kirsteen (below on the right), who started as a volunteer and now works for Open Doors Somerset, why she got involved.
I began volunteering with CCK nearly 5 years ago. I was between jobs, and looking for something purposeful to do.
’Im very much against unnecessary food waste so this gave me an opportunity to make a difference, diverting good food away from waste to people who can benefit from it.
Over the last few years, I’ve had opportunities to develop new skills and make many new friends, but the greatest satisfaction is seeing that none of the food we receive is wasted, and exploring ways to use, for example, stale bread in creative, tasty ways.
One of my main highlights was opening the Community Fridge with help from the volunteers, board of CCK and especially Mike. It was an amazing experience and a proud moment for all of the team. The future looks exciting with so much to look forward to.
Watch this space…..
Volunteering can make a huge difference – not just to the community, but also for those taking part in volunteering – creating friends and feeling a part of something bigger than yourself in the place that you live. If you would like to help Open Doors Somerset in any way, please get in touch by dropping us an email at info@opendoorssomerset.org.uk.
