#VolunteersWeek - Jan
Volunteers - A spotlight on the people who make a difference.
All sorts of people, for all sorts of reasons, volunteer.
As part of Volunteers Week we want to celebrate and show our appreciation for some of the amazing people who support and contribute to Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust. We hope they inspire and motivate you to make the most of your neighbourhood.
Today the spotlight is on Jan.
My name is Jan Randall and I am a 75 year old retired Architect. When I finished doing up my house about six years ago I was looking for some physical volunteering work to do and this fitted in well. It also had the advantage that I was not required to be there every week but in practise I probably went more than forty times in a year. If you are interested ask Gail at the Hub for details or look on line at Contact Us | North Bristol & South Glos Foodbank. They are based at the Ebenezer Church 286 Filton Avenue.
I worked in the warehouse for 2 to 3 hrs a week. Basically the work was order picking. We would receive weekly orders from, at the time five outlets, and crate them up and put them on the van. I used to then go to the Filton Avenue outlet and then to Ebenezer to unload. The warehouses moved often as we tended to use buildings that were waiting for demolition or renovation. When we moved, tons of stock, I went for a couple of days to load vans.
The things I liked were:
Heavy lifting without going to a gym.
A feeling of being useful
Meeting new interesting and like-minded people.
Eating out of date biscuits and chocolates at coffee break.
Contact with the Warehouse Manager led to me joining the steering Group for the Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust for 20 new homes
I learned just how many people were in need of food support, we sent out about 2.5 tons a week.
There are other less physical jobs available, particularly sorting new contributions. Give it a try, no long term commitment and a great feeling of camaraderie.
Thank you Jan, From the team at Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust.