Depending on what part of the world you’re from, you may have a unique tradition for bringing in the new year…
If you’re in Spain, you may find yourself eating a grape for each clock strike after midnight – 12 in total, to represent the months ahead.
In Denmark, it’s tradition to smash plates on a friend’s doorstep for good luck.
And if you’re in New York, you could end up in Times Square watching the ball drop.
In general though, the new year is a time for reflecting on how far we’ve come and all the things we hope to achieve. If you’ve already started thinking about your new year’s resolutions, and all the small ways in which you hope to change the world for the better, you may want to consider taking up some volunteering. Here are a few reasons to support FareShare and the work we do:
1.It’s a great way to stay active
Our warehouse roles include some degree of lifting, loading and walking (of course, full health & safety training will always be provided). Keeping active in this way can help keep you physically healthy and improve your mental wellbeing!
2.You’ll meet loads of new people
In 2021, we had over 4,000 unique volunteers sign up to support our regional centres across the U.K. Having access to a large network of like-minded people is a great way to make new friends and build connections. And with things like the Volunteer awards and FareShare slices, you will have easy access to the work our volunteers get up to.
3.It’s an opportunity to learn something new
Many of our voluntary roles present the opportunity to gain new skills. For example, as a Warehouse Assistant, you could gain a better understanding of Food Safety & Hygiene and forklift training. As a driver, you could build on your route planning, organising and communication skills.
Your regional Volunteer Manager will ensure that you’re given the training and support you need to develop, and after 3 months with us, we’d be able to offer a working reference, so that you can use these skills outside of FareShare.
4.Become more active in your community
During Coronavirus, many of the organisations we support found themselves struggling due to lack of funding and the closure of services. As we move towards a post-pandemic society, many of these organisations are experiencing a period of ‘re-building’, and now more than ever the skills, experience and time of volunteers is needed. If you ever wondered how you can support local people and organisations during the pandemic, investing in your community by volunteering is a great place to start!
