Here at FareShare GM our volunteers are like a big, busy family. Eleven of our current volunteers have been with us for over a year, and they just keep coming back for more! Throughout this Volunteers’ Week, we want to take the time to thank and celebrate veteran volunteers who have been with us for some time now.
Our veteran volunteers come from all walks of life, but they are united by one common goal: helping their local community by donating food. Our veteran volunteers have helped FareShare GM donate thousands of meals to people in need, and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing dedication to our cause.
Veteran volunteers have also played a major role in helping us expand our food donation efforts across Greater Manchester. Thanks to veteran volunteers’ hard work, FareShare GM has been able to provide more necessary food donations at the same time as increasing its reach in the community.
Our experienced ‘veterans’ are full of knowledge and have been vital over the last few weeks in guiding and supporting our influx of new volunteers as we work hard to get food out to frontline charities during the lockdown. Some of our longest-serving team members are veteran volunteers who have been with us for so long that it’s hard to imagine life without them. For example, Glynis Platt (pictured above with Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham), has been a valued part of our customer service team for 8 years and counting.
Jackie Price
Many of our veteran volunteers started out with a particular interest or goal in mind.For instance, Jackie Price joined us in 2017 and has stayed for the friendships and camaraderie.
“My first motivation was about giving back. Food was my interest, as a retired Home Economics teacher. Equally now, it’s the people I volunteer with – I can see everyone giving 100% and that’s a wonderful thing. The more I’ve got to know the work and the more responsibility I’ve been given, it makes me want to carry on. I like the social side – the annual barbecue and our Christmas event. Volunteering for me is about doing it because you want to.”
Steve Kitcher’s story
Steve Kitcher, who joined us the same year, has a similar story:
“When I started volunteering I was looking for a commitment to keep myself active. I’ve become used to working in a team – it’s so different from the work situations I’ve been in before. I
’m fascinated by how much we get done in what can be challenging circumstances. I have a long journey which at times I don’t relish, but once I get to FareShare it’s great fun and that’s credit to the team.”
Thanks to our regular volunteers
We want to give a particularly special thank you at this time to our regular volunteers who must isolate themselves at home due to the coronavirus. 11% of our volunteers are aged 70 or over. Additionally, between them, they bestow an astounding 25 years of service to FareShare. We’re looking forward to welcoming them back and enjoying many more years of their company once the pandemic is over.
To celebrate #VolunteersWeek 2020, we’ll be sharing stories of our amazing volunteers every day this week. Check out our other food stories as well as our latest news updates at Fareshare Greater Manchester.
