This is Darcy. She has been volunteering with us for a while now, so I had a few questions for her about her volunteering experience so far.
Q: What is your regular day job? new role? A bit about what you normally do. My regular day job is Content Marketing and PR Manager for a travel and hospitality company, hence why I've been on furlough for a year now! Q: What are you doing volunteering with Be Enriched? Tell us about your role/day in a few sentences. I've been volunteering at Be Enriched most Fridays for about 8 months and have loved every minute. I help out Julie and the team in the Graveney Canteen kitchen, cooking up hot meals for members of the local community. Q: What prompted you to volunteer, and why for Be Enriched? Being furloughed during such a terrible year for so many people, I felt really passionate about getting out and doing something useful in my spare time. I found Be Enriched online and it looked like a really fantastic charity, particularly during a global pandemic. So I got in touch and was over the moon to be able to become a regular weekly volunteer. Q: What in your opinion has been the best thing about this type of volunteering? Combining my love of food and cooking with supporting people in my local community and knowing that the meals we cook directly help them each week. Q: Clearly, you value volunteering - could you explain to someone who's not tried it, why? The canteen is now a major part of my weekly routine and something I genuinely look forward to every week. The social side of volunteering is amazing - we always have a laugh and enjoy a good chat while we prepare and cook the meals. Plus, the sense of purpose I've felt while putting my time to good use has been invaluable from the first day I spent with Be Enriched. The feeling that you're helping make a difference to someone's day or week gives a sense of accomplishment and really does lift your spirits, so of course volunteering has been incredibly valuable to me. Q: Have you taken up any new hobbies, learned any new skills or made new friends through volunteering during the current pandemic? The canteen team is an absolute powerhouse and after 8 months volunteering with them, I've not only made some incredible new friends but the new cooking techniques and recipes I've learned are endless! Radha's dahl being a recent favourite.
Q: Will you be volunteering again? Any particular causes or roles take your fancy? (You don't have to say 'Be Enriched'!) I will definitely keep volunteering, wherever I live. I think I'd probably try to keep to small, local charities who need the support, however spending a few weeks volunteering abroad has been on my bucket list for a long time, too. Q: What's your signature dish that you like to cook for family / friends? Please share the recipe if it's not a family secret! One I usually make quite a lot for family and friends is a butternut squash and spinach lasagna with lots of cheese! It's a great one to prepare in advance and cook later, plus it tastes delicious. The recipe is by Mob Kitchen here.
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