Sponsor a Shopper Volunteer and Make a Difference

Hi, my name is Jean.  I volunteer as a Shopper and as a Trustee.  The two roles are very different.  The trustee role is behind the scenes with a focus on administrative “stuff”.  Suits me because after retiring I still wanted something to do that linked to my old life (although I did volunteer when I was working, being retired is not a given for entry!).  The shopper role (occasional dog walker) is as it says on the tin.  But that “tin” does not describe what you get from being helpful to those in your own local community that appreciate and, in many cases, need your involvement.  It certainly doesn’t describe what you learn from the people you are helping and how interesting and sometime hard other people’s lives are.

With volunteering there is a wide range of roles that you can do that you will be happy to do or even learn from. You can get involved as a trustee with a focus on strategy, finance, fundraising, and organisational issues etc.  As a shopper you can shop, and chat helping to put away the shopping if required.  Volunteering has a big advantage in being something that you can do as little or as much as you can/want to.

Volunteering can increase confidence and/or help brush up or acquire skills.  It even looks good on a CV and for those looking for their first job gives something to talk about at interviews.

Oh yes, have to mention that my occasional dog walking involves a beautiful, well-behaved dog.  We don’t have a dog any more ourselves so it’s fantastic to be back out there with a dog!

Client adorable four-legged companion, while Jean carries out their shopping.

Volunteering with ACS (thanks to the lottery funding and the employment of staff) has a very supportive environment.  

I got involved with ACS when a leaflet came through my letterbox asking for help with the covid vaccination process.  From then I was on “The List” and responded to a round-robin request for assistance for a local individual and later for people who were interested in being trustees. 

We hope this story will highlight the impact of our work and the people behind it who make it happen.

YOU can make local lives better by……

Volunteering with us

Using our uniform recycling scheme

Giving a one-off donation or becoming a regular supporter