CatholicCare is blessed to have a wonderful group of volunteers who work across a range of our programs and across many sites. One in particular is our Emergency Relief (ER) program, which commenced this year to provide financial and material aid to assist families and individuals experiencing hardship.
Hitting the ground running, the Warragul team was the first site to open their doors to clients. To mark International Volunteer Day this year, we asked Tom and Josie about their experience as ER volunteers.
Image: CatholicCare Emergency Relief volunteers Tom and Josie.
How did you get involved in volunteering with CatholicCare?
Josie: “I have always volunteered in some capacity. As a previous teacher and trained counsellor, I worked in the Marriage and Family Ed unit as an educator and group facilitator, so I know Denise Lacey well and she invited me to apply for the role. After retiring and moving to Warragul, I wanted to give back to the community and share my skills by helping people”.
Tom: “I have a business systems background and made a career change when I transitioned into social work with Anglicare in their foster care, adoption and permanent care programs in 2003. After retiring in 2013, I continued my involvement with Anglicare through volunteering in their ER program for two and a half years, and transitioned to CatholicCare earlier this year. I enjoy getting out of the house and doing something valuable that helps others in the community”.
What do you see are the needs in the local community of Warragul?
Josie: “The cost of living is the primary problem for people on Newstart allowance. Some are just surviving from week to week. It’s been said that being on a low income and dependent on welfare is like an elastic band – once it’s stretched out to its full capacity, it only takes one small upset to break. That’s the situation many of our clients are in and where the help of ER can be timely and meaningful”.
Tom: “Many of our clients are in private rental due to the shortage of public housing, and with the high cost of rent and increased costs in utilities, it makes it hard for people to get by. We often see single mothers, or young mothers whose partners are out of work. We have also seen clients who have fled family violence or who are homeless”.
What are some of the positive impacts you see the Emergency Relief service having on your clients?
Tom: “Clients are on a spectrum of need, from people who barely get by and need regular assistance, to those who need a one off ‘hand up’ to get them over a bump in the road. Earlier this year I assisted a father and his son who were homeless and sleeping rough in their car. They required voucher assistance for petrol and groceries. A small but meaningful level of assistance can bring some relief and make a positive difference”.
Josie: “I see the positive impact of offering our clients confidential help without judgement. Many who come to our service are genuine and leave grateful with a sense of relief. Sometimes it can be as simple as making a final payment towards a bill. Recently we paid the remaining $67 of a water bill, which gave the client some peace of mind. Or assistance with vouchers towards groceries, which for one client freed up just enough money to buy her child a birthday present”.
How has your volunteer experience benefited or enriched you personally?
Josie: “The experience has opened my eyes to how difficult life is for some people - particularly those who are isolated, on low incomes, or experience relationship breakdown and family violence. Typically I would not have seen such desperate needs in my community if I wasn’t volunteering in Emergency Relief. It’s given me an understanding of the hardship that others experience, and the opportunity to help people in such circumstances”.
Tom: “Volunteering in this role has given me a meaningful opportunity to help people practically and do something positive in my community. I enjoy getting out of the house, interacting with people and being part of a team that cares for the community”.
Volunteers like Tom and Josie are invaluable to CatholicCare. Our new ER service depends on volunteers to operate; we could not deliver quality service without dedicated volunteers like Tom and Josie.
At CatholicCare, we strive to help people reach their potential and live life to the full. International Volunteer Day marks an occasion to recognise how our volunteers contribute towards this mission - so we pause to acknowledge their contribution and say thank you.
To all our wonderful volunteers at CatholicCare, thank you for another year of great service. We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a safe and blessed New Year in 2020!
December 5 marks International Volunteer Day. The theme this year is “Volunteer for an inclusive future”. This is about how volunteering provides opportunities for people who are often excluded – to positively impact their own lives and play a constructive role in their communities by volunteering their time and skills. Through volunteerism, communities around the world can experience improved solidarity and inclusion.
Find out more about Volunteering with CatholicCare.
Read more 85th anniversary stories