Tom Hardie has been volunteering since he was at high school. Photo / Megan Wilson
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 about13 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.”
Stanford Yu started volunteering this year. Photo / Megan Wilson
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.
