“Thank you so much for everything that you do – we could not do this without you”

Our incredible volunteers are at the heart of everything we do at FareShare South West and make up 90% of our workforce. We literally could not do what we do without them. 

While we appreciate the time, energy and dedication given by our volunteers every single day, Volunteers’ Week poses a great opportunity to celebrate these absolute heroes. 

We marked the week with a series of events – from a picnic in the park to a warehouse lunchtime takeover and coffee afternoon.  

We also wanted to shine a light on some of the people who volunteer with us and find out what motivates them to give back and be a part of our diverse community.  

Emily has recently returned to volunteering with FareShare South West after initially spending a year with us as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

Emily said: “Work at FareShare South West was actually part of my inspiration for studying nutrition. I wanted to come back to get reinvolved.” 

On what she loves most about volunteering with FareShare South West, Emily added: “Just the conversations you have with people – people you wouldn’t necessarily talk to in daily life you get a whole mix of volunteers and it’s really lovely hearing what others are doing. 

“Definitely do it – its’s a satisfying job, it gets you out of your everyday routine and you get to have different experiences.” 

“I can help a lot of people and also help myself” 

Mark has been volunteering in the warehouse alongside his wife, Joan. He has a background in finance and recently started volunteering in the office with our finance team as well.   

Mark said: “I’m really happy to join the FareShare South West volunteer team. It’s very meaningful – I can help a lot of people and also help myself. FareShare South West is a great opportunity for me to join and contribute to society and help a lot of people who need support. 

“I’m so happy that I can make use of what I’ve learned in the past and contribute. Also, you can make a lot of new friends.” 

Susan volunteers in our Plymouth warehouse. 

Susan said: “I looked into joining FareShare South West because I believe in their ethos of preventing food poverty, supporting people in need and preventing food waste. 

“I’m really grateful that they have taken me into the FareShare family because coming to work with them is a pleasure, everyone is very supportive, from the management down to the cleaners, and it’s a real lovely social environment. I encourage anyone if they have a few hours to spare to become a volunteer for FareShare South West.” 

“I like the diverse community” 

Leo has been volunteering with us for three years, most recently as a driver’s mate. 

Leo said: “I like the diverse community and the different scenery you get to see out on the van, and I strongly believe in giving back to your community. The community at FareShare South West is very caring, lovely, kind – it’s a caring and non-judgemental space.” 

Andy got into volunteering with us through a friend. 

Andy said: “I just like doing it – I’ve got time on my hands now because I’ve retired so I do a lot of things socially but I also wanted to give something back. It’s rewarding, you know you’re going to be packing food for charities which they then distribute to families in need.” 

“I’ve been going out of my comfort zone a lot recently and volunteering has helped quite a bit” 

Jen participated in our FareChance programme and has now signed up as a volunteer. She says some of the key things volunteering offers is building key skills, such as practical warehouse experience, and new opportunities.

Jen said: “I love to volunteer – I love what you guys do and how it helps people.

“I’ve been going out of my comfort zone a lot recently and I would say volunteering has helped quite a bit. Just give it a go and see if it’s for you – you never know what may come out of it.” 

To mark Volunteers’ Week 2025, our CEO Lucy Bearn issued a thank you to all of our volunteers and spoke about the crucial role they play in helping us achieve our mission. 

Lucy said: “I want to say a massive thank you to all of our volunteers who support us across the south west. Whether you volunteer in one of our warehouses in Bristol or Plymouth, whether you’re out driving our vans, whether you’re helping us in the office doing administration work.  

“Thank you so much for everything that you do – we could not do this without you!”