Rhiannon tells us about what it’s been like to get stuck in as a volunteer shopper for Stratford Support and how she’s found value in helping others.
“I have been a volunteer for the last 2 x months and initially started out doing shopping for 5-6 people a week. My role has grown since and I now support Fran Donnelly with the admin side of things, plus doing some shops when things get busy! This involves managing the volunteer schedules and communicating with them ref their allocations / circulating gift cards and customer forms. I send out shopping lists to the volunteers 6 x days a week and help to answer general queries.
I’ve been inspired by how helpful all the volunteers are
My main reason for wanting to be part of the volunteer scheme was to provide help to those in need in these troubled times. My business stopped operating at the end of February due to COVID 19 so I wanted to ensure I filled my time doing something meaningful. My previous life was organising corporate events and exhibition builds and I have enjoyed using my organisation skills for this very worthwhile project. I have been inspired by how helpful all of the volunteers are – many are volunteering around having full time jobs which I find very admirable. I am looking forward to hopefully meeting all of the team at some stage to say thankyou! I have really enjoyed working on such a fulfilling project and has inspired me to move into this kind of role / sector in the future.
I really enjoy seeing the customers we deliver to
I was initially a bit overwhelmed doing 3 x shops in one go – but got into the swing of things and really enjoy seeing the customers we deliver to. Some of the customers we interact with do not see any people apart from us – so its nice to stop for a quick chat with them when I deliver their shops and hopefully perk up their day! They are always so grateful for the service we provide and I think its fantastic that this service was set up and supported so successfully.”