How can I volunteer around my busy schedule?

This is genuinely something we hear all the time, or we meet wonderful people who say they would love to volunteer but then find it really difficult to add one more thing to an already busy life. We totally get it! 

Here are a few thoughts to chew on: 
Many of our volunteer tasks are actually pretty relaxing, like measuring out ingredients for the Recipe of the Week program or stocking shelves on a quiet morning. Once they are signed up and used to our system, many of our people use their volunteer time as a decompression for their minds while doing repetitive tasks. 

Volunteering is good for your mental and physical health! Volunteering helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. The social contact aspect of helping and working with others can have a profound effect on your overall psychological well-being. 

Volunteering also helps you stay physically healthy. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not! 

Some things that need doing can take less than 30 minutes of your time! We have a regular volunteer who swings by and picks up cardboard and recycling for us at least a couple times per month. It is such a huge help to us and a quick moment of his week.

Volunteering begets community! If you work from home, do shift work out of town, or generally find you don't spend much time meeting other people in the community, involvement at the food bank has been proven to forge new friendships and sweet connections. 

Our Board of Directors is an entirely different kind of commitment, that mostly involves evening meetings here and there and reviewing board reading materials. This is an option to consider if daytime volunteering is not possible with your schedule! 

If any of these ideas or thoughts spark something for you, consider reaching out to our Volunteer Coordinator Karen for a conversation! She can be reached at karen@goldenfoodbank.ca