SuperGrans Manawatū seeks volunteers with cooking and preserving skills

SuperGrans Manawatū volunteer and programme co-ordinator Jayme McGrath is seeking volunteers with preserving and cooking experience. Photo / Judith Lacy

Jayme McGrath wants her inbox to be jam-packed. Not with spam or ham promotions but with inquiries from potential volunteers.

She recently joined SuperGrans Manawatū as the volunteer and programme co-ordinator. She organises cooking and preserving workshops and ensures there are enough volunteers and participants for each.

This allows the facilitator to focus on running the workshop instead of administration.

McGrath is looking for volunteers to help the paid facilitator during workshops.

All ages and genders are welcome with the current volunteers ranging in age from 21 to 85 years old. One has been volunteering for SuperGrans since 2010.

Another pair of hands means workshop participants can split into small groups and be hands-on instead of observing.

Volunteers need patience, enjoy social interaction, be passionate about cooking, have experience in preserving and knowledge of seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Participants are given some of the preserves to take home and the rest is given to charities to distribute to the community. This means volunteers and participants are also giving back to Palmerston North.

McGrath says it is cool to see the ripple effect of sharing.

She has a background in scheduling in social services and the banking and insurance industries.

She says SuperGrans is incredible in supporting her to maintain a work-life balance and continuing to learn te reo Māori - a journey important to her and her family.

She has a 2-year-old daughter and a son, aged 10, and works 20 hours a week.

Volunteers don’t have to commit to a set day and time. The workshops are usually run during school hours but SuperGrans is exploring holding weekend and evening ones.

McGrath wants the volunteers to have an amazing experience each time so they keep coming back.

Manager Joanne Baird says the non-profit organisation has only two fulltime-equivalent staff and couldn’t provide its services without volunteers.

SuperGrans helps people make the best of what they have by learning new life skills and improving existing ones.

Volunteers are welcome to suggest ideas for workshops.

To apply to be a volunteer, visit sgmanawatu.org.nz/volunteer, ring 06 354 3804 or email jayme@sgmanawatu.org.nz.

Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.