This week’s top 5 volunteering opportunities

1.FareShare
Where: South East London
When: Various 
Category: Food Waste, Hunger, Poverty
Commitment Level: Various

Fareshare take surplus food and redistributes it around the country where it is used by partner charities to help feed those who need it. Volunteers help to carry out the vital activities that make FareShare happen. They have a variety of roles open at the moment including driving and sorting. To find out more and to register your interest, click here.

2.Cleaner, Greener Volunteering 
Where: Bow Church
When: August 6th 10.30-13.00 and August 13th 10.00-12.00
Category: Gardening, Conservation, Community
Commitment Level: Ad Hoc

Cleaner, Greener Volunteers are looking for people to help them gardening in Bow Churchyard at the beginning of August. Their next tasks are cutting back some of the old shrubs and pruning roses. If you are interested, please contact Christine Gennings. Email: Christine.Gennings@towerhamlets.gov.uk

3. La Leche League (LLL) Breastfeeding advice
Where: National
When: Various
Category: Advice, Breastfeeding, Health
Commitment Level: Various

LLL offers breastfeeding advice for mothers. They are looking for volunteers to become trained counsellors to give support and guidance to help mothers in their breastfeeding journey. They offer monthly group meetings as well as a 24 hour helpline. To find out more and to express interest, click here.

4.Sutton Community Farm
Where: Sutton
When: Various
Category: Gardening, Farming, Conservation
Commitment Level: Ad Hoc and Ongoing

Sutton Community Farm is a community-owned farm. They started in 2010 in response to a community need, with the purpose to increase access to fresh, healthy sustainable food and provide a shared space for people to cultivate skills, get exercise and make friends. There are a variety of volunteering opportunities on offer, see here for more information.

5.The Mix
Where: From home
When: Ongoing
Category: Support, Advice, Young People
Commitment Level: Varied

The Mix offers relationship support and advice for under-25s through phone, text, email, forums and counselling.  Opportunities for volunteering are various and can be from the comfort of your own home. To find out more, see here.

Spotlight on Josh

Whilst only a recent guardian with Dot Dot Dot, Josh has already launched himself into his volunteering. This is what he has to say about his time with us so far: 

‘Living in London is insanely difficult; I’ve had to move out of the city once already because my shoebox flat-share was far too expensive. I was sleeping on my sister’s couch in Essex for a month while I furiously tried and tried to get back into the city. I hated it. No job was able to give me the hours or pay to afford a flat-share in London, I wanted to work, but nobody would give me the time. Thankfully during my time living the city, I was recommended to Dot Dot Dot by the Artistic Director of the Nursery Theatre.

I’d been volunteering for The Nursery since September of last year after seeing some of their shows at Edinburgh, and as an experiment I started doing admin for them. As we worked together they began to see the benefits of having volunteers and, I’m glad to say, now have more members of their creative team, allowing the theatre to grow dramatically.

I’ve also taken up the role of Assistant Producer for Word On Health, a weekly health report broadcast on 83 community radio stations across the country. It’s a pretty demanding role, but honestly it doesn’t feel like a drain in any way.  I think that’s the thing about volunteering, if you love the project and the people, you can spend all day with them and not call it work.

My days usually start around 4 am and all together it can seem like a bit much; I’m working for at least 14 hours with maybe one day off a week, if it’s a show night then I’m working 20. In March alone I’ve volunteered somewhere between 80 and 100 hours and I’m thinking more and more that it’s because I love the work I’ve been given the opportunity to do. I thought when I moved to London I’d have to get a 9-5 terrible job that pays the bills and suffer through it, but thanks to Dot Dot Dot, I can make a real difference with my time.”

We are really impressed with the dedication Josh has shown to his volunteering and to having a positive social impact. Thanks for all your hard work!

Get involved

• If you’re interested in volunteering and becoming a guardian with dot dot dot, apply here today
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