Let’s not under-estimate volunteers

Like you, I’m very much aware that a lot of organisations rely on help from volunteers to function. There’s nothing new in that of course, but a couple of recent discoveries about volunteers in the town where I live, literally gob-smacked me – then, when I thought about it a bit more, I was greatly encouraged. Let me explain.

Wearing my Cheerful Giver hat and drawing on my experience as a marketer and businessman, I have just started helping a local family run charity in my town with some of their projects, two in particular. The charity is called Ashcroft’s Let’s Make Better (LMB), and the owners also operate two IGA Supermarkets in their local town, Orange NSW. Incidentally, you’ll be able to discover more about this charity on The Cheerful Giver very soon.

One of the charities LMB helps is the local Vinnies Van that goes out two nights a week distributing food to people who may otherwise go hungry. The food provided has generally been sandwiches and hot drinks, but thanks to LMB, we’ve been able to add 20 hot meals each week to the sandwich fillings etc. donated by LMB.

The other is the local FoodCare group. This group has been operating for several years and thanks to donations and support from the community, LMB and other food outlets, provides groceries and food items etc. for desperate local families at either very low prices or for free. FoodCare only opens for limited hours each week, but it gets very busy and is quite an operation with many logistical aspects to contend with.

Both the Vinnies Van and FoodCare in Orange, a regional city of around 45,000 people in the Central West of New South Wales, each rely on a number of volunteers to help them function. Nothing surprising there, but how many volunteers would you reasonably expect to put their hand up and volunteer to help with such work? 20 each? 30 each?

Would you believe the Vinnies Van has 50 local volunteers and FoodCare 100? It’s true, and I find that both amazing and very encouraging. And that’s just in these two local organisations with 150 people willing to help their neighbours in this way. Makes you wonder how many other volunteers are there helping in different ways across the City?

Doesn’t it do your heart good to hear a story like this? I hope so.

I have always known there are countless Cheerful Givers out there, be it givers of money and materials or givers of time and service.

I consider myself to be a Cheerful Giver and I don’t share that to boast in any way, but rather just to say, I don’t know about you, but stories like this encourage me to give even more.

I believe there’s enough food and money in the world that no one need go hungry. We just need Cheerful Giving to become a way of life among more people who clearly have far more than they need.

Cheers and go well!

Bob (Holland)

10th August, 2025

Feel free to send me some feedback or comments anytime contact@thecheerfulgiver.com.au