Anyone volunteer for the Trussell Trust?

[user1494670108]

I've been a SAHM for many years and have no need and not a huge desire to return to work but as the kids get older and more independent I definitely have more time on my hands. I used to volunteer in school but I didn't enjoy it hugely so I wondered about volunteering for a local foodbank. Is the Trussell Trust overtly religious? The fact that its a Christian charity makes me a little uncomfortable.
I'd quite like to hear from anyone who does volunteer for a food bank about what they do, commitment required and how they find it please?

I do. You do not have to be religious to volunteer there. Sessions may or may not start with a prayer, totally up to you if you join in, many of the volunteers go to Church a few like myself do not. We all share one aim, to feed people, help over a crisis and to treat our clients with dignity and respect.

I volunteer for two and a half hours a week, sometimes we are busy, other times not so much, even if you only help one person/family per session it is worth it. Discretion is one of the most important attributes a volunteer needs plus the ability to make a good cup of tea and to listen. Not judge.

You will receive training from your foodbank.

Go for it, it may or may not suit for other reasons, but give it a try.

Thank you @tumtiddlytum that's really good to hear. I need to give myself a kick up the bum, despite having been a fairly high flyer when I worked, I'm lower in confidence these days

You can do it.

One of the hardest things a client has to do is to walk over the threshold of the foodbank, it might be hard for you to, but go for it. What doesn't hurt us makes us stronger.

Good luck

I worked for them, am not religious in the slightest, so I certainly didn’t expect the volunteers I was managing to be!

I was ‘backstage’ rather than working directly with clients - so sorting all the food, arranging deliveries to the outlets, and doing out reach with schools and things. Most of the volunteers in my team were older, largely retired but all absolutely lovely and we had a great laugh together as we sorted each weeks donations.

I did find the conversation frequently got quite political, which I quite enjoyed but may not be your thing.

I volunteer for another similar charity and I really enjoy it. 99% of the other volunteers are great and I enjoy meeting our service users.

Our charity doesn’t require volunteers to be Christian but you do need to be in sympathy with the aims of the organisation. So if you honestly feel uncomfortable about working with volunteers or clients who have a faith then I’d choose another type of organisation and role TBH.

Registered charities in the UK do not discriminate against clients on grounds of religion . So if you are not willing to work with anyone who holds views you disagree with, you will need to make this clear when you apply. TBH I don’t know of any organisations who would be happy for you to work in a a client facing role if you are unhappy about working with Christians / Muslims / Jews / whatever.

All Food banks that I know of ( even the ones in mosques ) offer help to anyone who meets their requirements ( in terms of referrals etc ) , regardless of that person’s religious beliefs.

Our local food banks are run by the trussell trust and have a number of Muslim and Jewish volunteers, so definitely not overly Christian.

Rosemary, you have taken what I meant to an extreme, all i meant was that as I am not church attending, I would be uncomfortable with an overtly "churchy" feel, eg if most or all of the volunteers were members of the same church.
I have no objection whatsoever to any religion or anybody practising their religion of choice i just don't to feel like anyone is trying to convert me.

I see, thank you for explaining. It’s because you said

“The fact that its a Christian charity makes me a little uncomfortable”

Rather than what people usually say, which is

“ I’m not Christian / Jewish / religious “

When someone says they are uncomfortable with other people’s beliefs and they are worried they want to convert them, , it usually means something very different.

Imagine I said to you “ I am a little uncomfortable with so many Jews in the Labour Party, i dislike the overly synagogue feel and most of all of the members being Jewish, I worry that they are trying to convert me “.

What would you think ?

As Pp have said, people who work in food banks and service users will be of many religions and none. But it’s quite possible that on a certain shift, most of the service users might be catholic or Muslim. If this will make you “ uncomfortable “ and you would be afraid that they are “ trying to convert you “, then this might not be the type of role that you would enjoy.

Maybe it would help you to be a bit more open minded if you knew someone socially who was of a different religion to you. Don’t you know anyone, - a family member, school mum, kids teacher, nursery staff, former colleague - who doesn’t share your religious views ?

Does that person constantly try to convert you ? Are you scared that there would be more than one of them in the same room and they would make the atmosphere overly religious ?

I would guess that you have perhaps been outside the school gates with more than one Muslim and they haven’t got you. So it will be just the same with Christians or Jews.

You will find that most Jews / Muslims / Christians / Buddhists are good and kind people, just like most atheists, humanists or agnostics . You won’t catch their religion by working with them or providing a service to them .