It Takes A Village…

[Menolly]

What does our Watch community do in the volunteer realm to help their local communities? I know @Skyweir has been very active in the search and rescue of saving animals during the wild fires in Oz over the past few years. Let’s use this space to discuss our volunteer work and perhaps encourage others to get involved as well.

I’m not all that active in the volunteer community. I occasionally help out the local CHABAD with delivery of seasonal items or cooking and setting up the community room for festive meals and events.

However, I have a friend who is planning to move across the country at the end of next month. She has a lot of canned goods she’s not planning on taking with her. I remembered seeing a photo the other day the free pantry at a church in Kirkland showing it could use some donations.

I also went through some of my shelved food stuffs I wasn’t using, packed them up and picked up some goods from my friend. I then made my first donation at the pantry. Here’s hoping I did it right.

I’ll probably make a stop once a week until my friend’s back stock is diminished


The outside of the pantry at Holy Spirit.


What I found when I first opened it.


And a few non food items on the bottom.


After I added the items I brought. I hope some of these items will fill needy bellies.

[peter]

Gosh Menolly - now you're putting us on the spot.

Answer is, from my end, not nearly enough. I'm not fit enough to do much more than I do in terms of going to work and returning home bushed at night. In the UK, working in shops etc is borderline voluntary work anyway, and I hope I spread a bit of 'sweetness and light' while I'm there. I talk to customers and often they share a bit with me, which I try to help with now and again, by advising or simply being positive. It ain't much, but I'm not wealthy enough to give much; I'm not healthy enough to contribute much. But talk a good talk - that I can do. Just leaving people feeling a bit better is sometimes enough.

[Menolly]

I definitely understand that, @peter .

My point above is that I collected canned and pantry goods from a friend, as well as contributing a little of my own, that were obviously not going to be used. So, there wasn’t any actual sacrifice being made; in fact it helped reduce overcrowding of my stores on my part.

The only extra effort I put in was my taking the time to bring the goods to the pantry and restock it. At most it took a few hours in one afternoon to coordinate between my friend and myself.

Here on the Eastside of Seattle, and I’m pretty sure elsewhere as well, grocery stores have donation bins for pantry staples set up right by the exits. I think they’re intent is for shoppers to purchase already prepackaged bags of items to donate, however they do accept outside items to be put in as well. If we all took a few minutes to go through our stores before each shopping trip, bag up anything we are pretty sure we won’t need, and put them into said bins on our way into the store to shop, I think nearly anyone can find the time to do that. Even if only once a month or less.

It’s nothing extravagant nor excessive, but every little bit helps, nu?

[peter]

Absolutely Menolly.

We also have those baskets on the exits of supermarkets etc, and they're pretty well donated to at most points.

But charities are feeling the pinch far more as the cost of living rises and people simply have less actual money to donate. Charity shops are conversely, doing rather well as people fall back on second hand goods (which I've always been a fan of - I'm not tight, I'm careful, as a farmer friend of mine used to say).

But, but, but.....

What are we to think of the argument that charities can actually do more harm than good, if they take pressure off governments to fulfil their responsibilities in terms of looking to the interests of the people, such that charities are not needed in the first place?

This is probably complicating things from the 'ground level' as it were, of actually doing the work, providing the service, that is so valuable to the recipients, but it is a factor worthy of consideration.

We are not societies that are underdeveloped or poor to the point where people should be dependent upon charity for life's essentials, and that it is so speaks volumes in itself about the way our societies are structured.

(But ignore this side of it Menolly, because I'm absolutely aware that this isn't the direction that this thread is meant to be going. My bad! )

Now animal charities are a place I'd love to do some work for. Cat's protection catteries etc. Maybe one day.....

[sgt.null]

Donate to the food pantry.

Donate to the animal shelter.

Donate to the good will.

[peter]

Agree Sarge.

If you can't contribute with your actual time and work, you can at least do so with financial or material aid.

Very, very important. No contribution is too small.

[Skyweir]

Well I volunteer with our local State Emergency Services unit here in Braidwood but as our animal minding adventures have taken off ~ Ive not been as actively involved this year 2025 … but I was awarded New South Wales Volunteer of the Year in 2023 ~ which was nice n all … but I struggle now to find time for our bi-monthly training lol .. in fact I missed the most recent flood rescue training at Warri on the Shoalhaven River. I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t make that one as flood rescue is a big ticket item locally. We have boat n all the fandangle rescue equipment & I might be the only member of the unit not yet qualified. A damn pity too cuz you get a groovy ass wet suit.

So I’m going to have to make time!! Pity there’s only 24hrs in a day.

I enjoy volunteering & doing first response work ~ it’s highly rewarding We do a range of call outs from flood rescue human, flood rescue animal, we support LE are land search & rescue (this is a pretty routine call outs), storm jobs can involve roofing, tarping, jacking up structures, clearing tree falls, anything storm related. Supporting the other emergency services, providing crime scene lighting etc, supporting the firies, etc

It’s good honest fun