Tom Hardie has been volunteering since he was at high school. Photo / Megan Wilson
Each Friday, three young volunteers spend their day packing food, stocking shelves and making deliveries for the Tauranga Community Foodbank. They speak to reporter MEGAN WILSON about what they love about volunteering and how it helps those in need.
Tom Hardie has been volunteering at Tauranga’s foodbank for about 13 years.
The 30-year-old started when he was in high school and enjoys helping people who need food.
His mother, Bron Hardie, volunteers with him and says he “loves all the people and they love him”.
The duo are sharing their volunteering story with the Bay of Plenty Times as part of its six-week Christmas Appeal to raise funds and food donations to help the charity feed people through the holidays and beyond.
Bron Hardie says her son also works at Countdown in Pāpāmoa.
“He’s used to working and stocking shelves, so he just comes in now and just stocks shelves and does whatever the manager wants him to help [with] because he’s big and strong.”
Occasionally, the pair go out to make deliveries too.
“Each day I think we all have our own family that’s here. We all get along and it’s fun,” Bron says.
“At this time of the year, it just ramps up with Christmas, but it’s been like it right from Covid.
“We all work hard and break down everything we’ve got.”
Mitchell Wright-McVeigh, 28, has been volunteering for more than two years.
“It helps keep me busy and helps [to] contribute in some way.”
Wright-McVeigh says he is looking for work, so volunteering helps him build skills such as organisation.
Stanford Yu, 21, started volunteering this year.
He enjoys it because he likes to help people and says it is a “good environment” to work in.
In his role, Yu said he packs and seals eggs, frozen vegetables and toilet paper.
Foodbank manager Nicki Goodwin says the age range of volunteers is really varied, with the youngest being 18 and the oldest being 91.
“We love having the younger people here - it’s always entertaining. Different thoughts, different ways of doing things.
“Everyone has pretty strong personalities so there’s often a lot of laughter, different music choices are always interesting.”
Goodwin says there are about 90 volunteers a week in December, compared to 60 during the other months of the year.
“Often we manage to convert them into becoming permanent volunteers so some people that might come and help in December decide it’s somewhere they want to spend more time and they’ll sign up to be on the roster.”
She says the volunteers are the lifeblood of the foodbank.
“They are the best people to work with, so every day I’m very grateful for the volunteers.”
The couple spend five months a year in America running their business.