A day in the life of a Community Grocery volunteer
The LCG is open Monday – Friday 09:30 – 16:30. The morning shift for volunteers in 09:00 – 13:00 and the afternoon shift is 13:00 – 17:00. Before we open the doors to the customers we do a general check, making sure everything is to our very high standards and that the shelves, fridges and freezers are stocked up.
Once the doors are open there are several jobs to do, you can be customer facing behind the till or signing up new customers. You could be replenishing the shelves from the storeroom or unpacking a delivery and then at the end of the day once we have closed the doors we make sure everything is clean, tidy to ensure it is ready for the next day.
At the Community Grocery we offer a 12-item shop for only £4 after an annual membership payment of £5. This is a huge saving in comparison to supermarkets and means people can get a decent amount of quality food without breaking the bank. We have no criteria to sign up, we are here for anyone who needs a helping hand, times are hard and nobody deserves to go hungry. Everyone deserves access to good quality fresh and stored food and that’s what exactly what we have to offer.
We also offer an ear for anyone who needs to have a chat, our job is more than just selling food, it’s caring for our community and making sure everyone feels they have a safe space with us.
Volunteering at the LCG is extremely rewarding and fun! The volunteers are amazing and such a fun friendly bunch of people. The customers are lovely, you quickly get to know them and build up relationships, there’s never a dull day at the LCG, you can’t go a single shift without laughing.
I am someone who suffers with anxiety but everyone at the LCG is so friendly, welcoming and supportive. I look forward to the days I get to work in this incredible environment. It is very easy to get involved and volunteer with us, you can just follow this link https://communitygrocery.org.uk/volunteers/. You are also more than welcome to come into the store anytime to ask about what it’s like to volunteer here.
The LCG is a safe and friendly environment and we welcome everyone. We hope you consider volunteering with us and also please feel free to come into our store at Beaumont Manor and talk to one of our volunteers about signing up and enjoying what we have to offer.
