Thank you to our Volunteers!

June 1-7 is national Volunteer’s Week which is a special time to say thanks for the contribution of millions of volunteers around the UK.  The Genesis Trust depends on the support of amazing volunteers to fulfill our work of supporting the homeless and vulnerable people in the Bath area.

We would like to introduce you to Sam Packer who has supported the Genesis Trust, specifically the Bath Foodbank, since April 2020.

We asked her a series of questions about her volunteer experience.

How did you originally connect with the Foodbank?

“My friend and neighbour, who I knew volunteered at the Foodbank, put me in contact with Angela, who I knew from Church & was in charge of the rota.”

Why did you want to volunteer with the Bath Foodbank?

“​I wanted to do something useful with my furlough time and my friend had always spoken highly of the Foodbank and the invaluable work they do.  I thought I could be useful, I wanted to help those people for whom life was tricky and not just while away this time on the sofa.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 25, in The Parable of the Sheep & Goats, that ‘Whenever you failed to do one of those things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me – you failed to do it to me.’  We’re all one pay cheque away from life being difficult and so I pack each Foodbank parcel bag as if it’s something I would like to receive myself.”

What has been the highlight of your volunteer experience or even been difficult? ​

“Currently we don’t have contact with the people who receive the parcels so if it’s a family with little ones, I’ll always ring and ask if they need nappies and toiletries.  One chap I spoke to broke my heart as he was so grateful to be able to have wipes & nappies.   He explained that he wanted to and needed to work, but due to the pandemic couldn’t and he was struggling.  He kept saying ‘thank you, thank you, you don’t know what this means to me.’   Seeing friends from church whilst at Foodbank has been great especially during the first Lockdown when it was all so unknown.  It’s also satisfying to be able to cater for those with very specific food needs as it can be a challenge at times but we do our absolute best.  I really enjoyed filling the bags with treats at Christmas and Easter and loved that the children received vouchers for The Entertainer toy shop thanks to the generosity of some of the local churches.”

Sam went on to say, “I think that everyone should try, where possible, to volunteer.  If you can’t then please consider putting a few extras in your shopping trolly and dropping those items off in the collection boxes as you leave.  Your time at Foodbank will be well used and you will find great satisfaction in helping others.

So all of us at the Genesis Trust would like to say a big thank you to Sam and all our volunteers who offer their time, skills and effort to support our work and help others in need.