Volunteering for Community Networks/LINK
It’s National Volunteer Week (Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu), and Community Networks/LINK is honouring the collective energies and mana of our volunteers by sharing some of their stories.
Aggi – Family Support volunteer
Aggi was one of the very first to sign up for our Family Support Programme last year, which offers at-home support to families with pre-school children in need of a little extra help. She finds that volunteering for this programme makes her feel like the person she needed and missed when her children were young.
“My partner and I immigrated from the Netherlands and our children were born and raised in Wānaka,” says Aggi. “We had no family support close by and didn't know many ‘older’ people; at times this could be an isolating experience.”
“My children have now left Wānaka and this gives me the opportunity to meet a part of the community I would otherwise most likely not come across. I love meeting people of a different age group who are ‘the same as I was’, being new mothers without support close by, and I like being helpful in a practical way.”
Sheryl – Foodbank volunteer
Sheryl volunteers in the Community Networks/LINK Foodbank; helping to provide food parcels to local families and individuals, which can take some of the pressure of day-to-day living costs for a little while. She also keeps our Community Gardens at the Hub tidy, gathering fresh produce for our Foodbank clients.
She’s been with us for two years, since she reduced her hours at work and found she wanted to contribute to a community service.
“I enjoy talking to the clients of the Foodbank and giving them meal ideas,” says Sheryl. “I just find it very rewarding helping people in need, plus I enjoy catching up with the staff and other volunteers regularly.”
We’re currently searching for more volunteers for the Foodbank and Family Support Programme. Please get in touch if you’re interested in supporting the Upper Clutha’s one-stop community support and connection centre.
Community Networks/LINK, your one-stop community support and connection centre.
Pictured above is Yvonne and Jen, two of our wonderful Foodbank volunteers, with Community Networks/LINK Community Services Coordinator Kim and Community Hub Booking Officer Jan.