South Tyneside charity Key has launched a new year volunteer appeal as the charity is in desperate need of more volunteers for its Key to Life Foodbank and Key Community Bus.
What better time than the fresh start of a new year to look for a new challenge and consider volunteering, especially when recent research has shown formal volunteering has not returned to pre-pandemic levels with many charities, including Key, struggling to recruit the volunteers they need, presenting a huge challenge for daily operations.
One of the biggest barriers to volunteering is lack of time. Many households now have two people working full time which stops them from volunteering. Other causes are the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
Key urgently needs more volunteers to help it continue to support those in our community facing hardship and hunger and has a wide variety of rewarding roles available for those who are empathetic, passionate about helping others, and able to spare around three hours per week, though not necessarily the same day or shift to fit around busy lives and offer flexibility.
Key to Life Foodbank is a vast operation providing emergency food and support to people in crisis and championing hard-pressed local families with initiatives such as food and activities during school holidays, pre-loved school uniform, and help with food and presents at Christmas. Its opening hours are 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Volunteers can get involved in roles such as telephone and logistical administration, which demand good communication skills and computer literacy and along with driving the Key to Life van to collect donated and surplus food and make deliveries to those who are house bound, are the positions most acutely in need of filling.
The charity would also like to hear from people who would be interested in welcoming foodbank clients and giving out food parcels, providing advice and signposting to other services as well as sorting and unpacking donations and making up food parcels.
Key Community Bus is a mobile food service and community hub. It operates Tuesday to Thursday, to a three-weekly timetable, calling at locations across the borough, with a late morning and early afternoon stop. With all stops becoming increasingly busy, the bus team would love to hear from volunteers interested in providing excellent customer service onboard.
While all the above require a regular and ongoing commitment, Key could also use a bank of ‘micro-volunteers’ to help with one-off events and tasks such as supermarket food drives, including at weekends, or bus and/or warehouse blitz, where the onboarding process is shorter and doesn’t go into as much detail. These opportunities might be particularly suited to corporate volunteers with an annual day of their time to donate.
Guidance and training will be given for all aspects of the work, and all volunteers will be expected to act as ambassadors for Key, raising the charity’s profile positively in the local area and beyond.
There are plenty of well-known benefits to volunteering, it is a fantastic way to meet new people, have new experiences, use your skills and experience, advance your career, or simply get out of the house – all while making a tangible difference to your community.
Marie Burnett, poverty prevention team leader at Key, said: “Volunteers are an incredible asset to any charity, your skills could be just what we need. New year is an exciting time to volunteer with us and we’d be delighted to discuss how we could match you with the right opportunity.”
Emma Short, foodbank co-ordinator at Key, said: “You can’t beat our friendly team of dedicated people who combine heart and expertise to provide caring and professional support to beneficiaries. We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help us continue to be able to make that difference every day.”
For more information and to arrange an informal chat about volunteering, at the foodbank or aboard the bus, please DM Key to Life’s Facebook page (@KeytoLifeFoodbank), give the team a call on 07833 613 393, or email ‘hello@keycommunity.org.uk.’ with details of your availability.