Whether you’re able to donate a few hours of your time on a regular basis or can volunteer your services as a “one-off”, CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manning would love to hear from you.

We value diversity and our volunteers range in age. Whether you have lived in the Hunter or Manning your whole life, or recently moved to the area; whether you are male or female; retired, a student, unemployed or working; a first-time volunteer or someone who has been involved for decades, we value your unique skills and experiences.

As a volunteer the benefits you bestow on others are plentiful. However, research shows that your good deeds will have a positive effect on you as well.

People who have volunteered with CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manning have cited many benefits, including:

• developing stronger connections within their local community
• increasing their sense of self-worth and satisfaction
• making new friends through meeting people from diverse backgrounds
• improving their skill set, which has assisted with personal development and employment potential.

CatholicCare Social Services Hunter-Manning has a variety of volunteering positions available at, among others, the Taree Community Kitchen, and the Refugee Hub and DARA’s Food Program, as well as pro bono work for our corporate services.

To become a volunteer at CatholicCare Social Services you will be required to undergo a Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle induction process. To find out more, please visit the volunteering page on the diocesan website, or contact our talent and volunteer manager.

“I have found volunteering in the Taree Community Kitchen to be an immensely enjoyable and fulfilling experience. When you are in the kitchen, it’s like you are there with an extended family. As a volunteer you get so much more out of the experience than you ever give. It is truly heart-warming to see the smiles on people’s faces when you serve them; the human connection brings so much happiness.”

• Ruth Sumpner, Taree Community Kitchen volunteer.

“Taree Community Kitchen assists those in need in the Taree community and working with the kitchen enables me to give back to the community in a practical way. Being part of the formation of a link with St Clare’s High School that now involves students, staff and principals of other local Catholic primary schools participating in the preparation and serving of meals at the kitchen has been inspirational. The young people of our community now understand how some people struggle in life. Volunteering allows them to practise their faith in a meaningful and relevant way and the feedback has been positive from all involved. Working in the kitchen encourages people to look at all aspects of life in our community as well as being a source of fun, laughter and meeting new friends. The experience moves us out of our comfort zone, which can only have positive personal outcomes.”

• Carol Healey, Taree Community Kitchen volunteer.

“For some time, we have been interested in working with Second Bite or Oz Harvest to enable us in some small way to reach out to those in our community suffering hardship. When the opportunity came to work with the community kitchen doing its food collections, we grabbed it and have found it a very rewarding experience. We enjoy the interaction with others volunteering in the kitchen who do a tremendous job and we are happy to know that the small part we play contributes to the wellbeing of those who visit the kitchen.”

• Ross and Jan Allwood, Taree Community Kitchen volunteers.

“The most rewarding thing about volunteering at the Taree Community Kitchen is that I know the work I do there is vitally important in the lives of the people who visit it and I am confident that in some instances the lives of the people who attend TCK are changed in positive ways.

When people visit the kitchen, they are provided with absolutely wonderful food prepared and served with love and care and they have the chance to take away bread and other food staples, which they may not otherwise be able to afford. Perhaps just as importantly, they are also given the opportunity to socialise and connect with their peers and people who work in the kitchen. As loneliness is acknowledged as an ever-increasing, negative aspect of life in Australia, sitting down with others to enjoy a good meal and a natter I hope helps diners at the kitchen to feel less lonely and isolated. TCK this year has made beneficial new services available to the diners such as access to counselling if required and assistance sourcing services from local and state government agencies. I am proud to be associated with such a caring, forward-looking service.

It is an absolute privilege and pleasure to be part of the Taree Community Kitchen Team. My time there is fulfilling and rewarding, and I have never left the building without a smile on my face.”

• Louise Spence, Taree Community Kitchen volunteer.