What is it like to be a Volunteer?
There are loads of people like you volunteering within Basildon borough, and across Essex, and we thought you might like to hear about some of their volunteering experiences. Here’s Suzannah’s volunteer story…
Name: Suzannah
Role: Olio Food Waste Hero
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, my name is Suzannah. I’m 37, and for my day job I work in Essex Digital Services for Essex County Council. I live in Chelmsford with my partner, 2 rescue tortoises; Tommy and Queenie, and a Romanian rescue dog; Brian.
Tell us a little about the organisation.
Olio is a sharing app for local communities, with a mission to reduce waste. From food to furniture to clothing. It was launched in 2015 and they currently run in 49 countries. The app is free and open for everyone to use.
What do you do in this role?
I collect unused food items from various businesses, like Boots, Pret A Manger, Tesco, Iceland etc., to distribute for free around the community and to save it from going to waste.
All items are collected at a prearranged time with the business, most have collections at the end of the day. People then come and pick up the items from my house that evening after requesting what they would like.
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- Olio food collection ready for distribution
How did you find out about this volunteering role?
I found out about it from a colleague and thought it was a great idea that I could help with.
How long have you been volunteering and how often do you volunteer?
I started volunteering with Olio about 2 years ago, in early 2023. I now have 6 regular collections I do every week, over 3 evenings from 5 different places.
NB. You can log your volunteering activity for roles like this which could count towards the Dishing Out achievement in the Volunteer Activity Portal. Find out more here, or sign up at www.volunteeractivityportal.co.uk.
What’s the best thing about doing this role?
It’s a fantastic feeling knowing that I am helping to prevent food being wasted and just being thrown away when it can still be used. It’s also great being able to help households out in a time of costs going up. However, this app is not designed to be relied on for food, because there is never a guarantee what will be available or if the shops will have surplus food at all.
It has been a real eye opener on how much food gets wasted from supermarkets, cafes and restaurants, and it’s fantastic that Olio has been set up to help reduce the waste.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would definitely recommend using Olio. It’s not just for businesses, because if you have items in your cupboard you don’t want, including any non-food items, you can list them. There is a whole area to borrow items as well.
Find out more:
You can find out more about Olio here: https://olioapp.com/en/download-olio/
If you’re inspired by Suzannah’s volunteer story, and you have your own volunteering story you’d like to share, then please let us know by filling out the form here: Submit a Volunteer Story.
You can also start your own volunteer journey by checking what’s available on the BBW Volunteer Network.