Volunteers’ Week
As Volunteers’ Week is currently being celebrated across the UK, we thought we’d share volunteer case studies of some of the incredible people who give their time and hard work to support our FareShare and the West of Scotland service.
Our FareShare service saves good quality surplus food from going to waste and redistributes it to our frontline charity partners working with the most vulnerable people in the community, including community centres, homeless hostels, young people’s projects and addiction agencies. The aim is to deliver a food service to those who need it most, including children, homeless people, older people, refugees and people suffering mental and physical health problems.
With over 50 regular volunteers in our FareShare warehouse, the volunteer case studies below are a small sample of the generous people at the heart of our FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland service.
Volunteer case studies
Ali
Ali is the man with the plan, always willing to listen to direction on how to make improvements and one of the volunteers that motivates and fires up others. If you need something done quickly look no further!
Ali has been volunteering with FareShare for around 18 months.
Over the last year Ali has logged a staggering 1,536 volunteer hours contributing to the distribution of 110,592 meals!
Ali says “FareShare has helped me a lot. I have improved my confidence, as well as my English. I have also achieved my forklift licence.”
Billy
Billy is the go-to person to cajole and charm charity partners and suppliers through the use of his Gaelic charm! He loves nothing more than being out in the delivery vans on a hot summer’s day with the radio playing and windows open.
Billy has been volunteering at FareShare for nearly three years.
Over the last year Billy has logged 1,008 volunteer hours contributing to the distribution of 72,576 meals!
Billy says “I’m always out in the vans as I enjoy meeting the charity partners and seeing the good work that FareShare does and the difference we make to people’s lives.”
Burhan
Burhan keeps the staff on their toes as he’s always up to some sort of mischief – we call him our loveable rogue!
Burhan has been volunteering at FareShare for nearly a year. He’s currently attending college and helps at FareShare whenever he can.
Over the last year Burhan has logged 612 volunteer hours contributing to the distribution of 44,064 meals!
Burhan says “On top of the work experience I’ve gained, FareShare has built my confidence and employability skills as I’ve attended mock interviews and been supported by all the staff.”
Ian
Ian always has a smile on his face and willingness to help out whenever he can.
Ian has been volunteering with FareShare for around nine months.
Over the last year he’s completed 304 volunteer hours contributing to the distribution of 21,888 meals!
Ian says “I started volunteering with FareShare to get experience driving vans, but the work that the organisation does and the new people I’ve met is the reason I’ve stayed.”
James
James is one of our long-term volunteers and his affable nature has meant that he’s become a mentor to a lot of the young people that attend employability courses in our warehouse. He’s always willing to listen and help others when he can and has the experience to know when he has to take a step back.
James has been volunteering at FareShare for over three years.
Ove the last year James has logged 996 volunteer hours contributing to the distribution of 71,712 meals!
James says “I’ve made a lot of friends and developed relationships that I will probably have for years to come. FareShare has allowed me to be confident in myself and make a difference to the lives of people that desperately need it.”
Volunteering opportunities
Our FareShare volunteers support our service in a variety of ways, including on the warehouse floor receiving deliveries, shelving stock, maintaining inventories and sorting orders; in the office answering phone calls, replying to emails, completing paperwork and welcoming visitors; or out in the community driving our vans and completing deliveries.
You can find more information about volunteering in our FareShare Glasgow and the West of Scotland here.
As part of a network of FareShare regional centres across the UK, if you’re interested in volunteering with FareShare but aren’t local to Glasgow, you can find your nearest FareShare regional centre on the FareShare UK website.
Find out more about the variety of volunteering opportunities we have available in Glasgow and Edinburgh, including mentoring, befriending and volunteering in our Move On Wood Recycling workshop.
We’ll be sharing volunteer case studies from our other services soon, so keep an eye on our website!