Tauranga SPCA volunteer Aidan Carnie has been volunteering for about three years. Photo / Supplied
Watching a neglected animal find a new, loving family is “probably the best feeling ever” for Tauranga SPCA volunteer Aidan Carnie.
The 34-year-old volunteers in the SPCA’s cat team and trains new volunteers.
Carnie told the Bay of Plenty Times he had been volunteering for the SPCA for about three years.
“I didn’t think I’d be there for that long, but I ended up loving it and loving the people.”
Carnie had been living overseas but moved back home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I didn’t have a job, I wasn’t really a social person, so I thought I would need to do something.”
He saw an SPCA Facebook post asking for volunteers.
“I contacted them and put my application in, and then started from there.
“It’s a good way to meet people and ... it’s awesome working with the animals.”
Watching their journeys from being abused or neglected to “showing their personality and becoming playful again”, then being adopted by a loving family was “probably the best feeling ever, to be honest”, he said.
Carnie did four shifts per week but would also put his hand up for extra shifts when needed.
The work involved cleaning the cats’ cages, giving them food and water, and making sure they had clean blankets and toys to play with.
“Once we get all the cleaning done ... we can go in and spend some time with them ...”
Some of the animals had been neglected or abandoned, “so they need a bit more time to get used to people again”.
Carnie said he helped at the SPCA adoption days when potential cat owners came and volunteers would try and “pair them with the most perfect cat”.
“The last couple that we’ve had, we get heaps of people through and we end up adopting quite a few animals out which is actually amazing.”
Tauranga SPCA volunteer co-ordinator Bethany Thomson said volunteers were the “life-blood” of SPCA.
“Volunteers help to carry out essential daily care tasks including feeding and cleaning in our animal areas.
“They help staff to provide a loving and caring environment for the animals that we rescue and play a vital role in giving animals in need their second chance.”
Janice Delicata has volunteered for Bellyful Tauranga for about 10 years.
Bellyful provided up to three nights of meals to whānau with babies or children under 12 facing challenges such as illness, bereavement, stress, isolation, pregnancy, miscarriage or baby loss – regardless of financial situation, its website said.
Delicata said she started helping with “cookathons” – when a group got together to cook, pack and freeze meals.
Referrals came from Plunket, midwives, social workers and friends. Families could also self-refer, she said.
Delicata said she would contact the families and deliver frozen meals to them.
She volunteered “whenever I’m needed”.
“Sometimes you might do two deliveries a week, sometimes you might do none for three weeks.”
Delicata said she was the volunteer co-ordinator and organised the onboarding of new volunteers.
“I really believe in Bellyful,” the retiree said.
“You see some of these mums – they’re so tired and they’re just so grateful when you arrive with the meals.”
She said the most rewarding part of the role was “knowing that you’re making a difference in somebody’s life”.
“For anybody who’s got a little bit of time to spare, I would definitely recommend it.”
Bellyful Tauranga branch co-coordinator Sarah Elliott said for meal recipients, “it’s a reminder that the community does care”.
“It’s a very rare service to have cooked meals turn up to your house without many questions asked.”
Elliott said the branch was always looking for new volunteers. Roles did not require volunteers to commit to a regular day or time.
“Having a big number of volunteers is really critical for our organisation to allow that kind of flexibility.”
She said nobody was in a paid role at the branch and without volunteers, “we are nothing”.
Elliott acknowledged Bay Catering, which allowed Bellyful to use its commercial kitchen, storage room and freezer for free.
Those interested in volunteering can visit the Bellyful website.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.