Current Volunteer Opportunities
To volunteer with Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre please apply online now by completing our online Registration Form. If you have any questions prior to deciding to volunteer, you can call our volunteer coordinator on 0499 501 068.
Cart with Heart is one of our programs where we serve a free cup of tea or coffee to the community five days a week from 9:30-2:00pm. Cart with Hart also called the coffee cart is designed for when clients arrive at MDNC, we want them to have something to look forward to, a way to entice people to show up, attend, and enjoy what we have to offer. Cart with Heart is more than just a free coffee or tea with a snack but intended to send a message of ‘we are here for you’, no matter what it is, we’ve got your back.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Check if there is enough water in the urn and the water container before turning on the urn.
- Ensure that the coffee cart is clean and tidy.
- When opening coffee cart hatch, seek for help where needed. Do not damage the tent outside of the coffee cart both while opening or closing.
- Ensure that you have everything required for the day. These include spoons, sugar, coffee, milk, tea, disposable cups, plates etc.
- Listen to client requests and ensure to serve based on their taste.
- Welcome each client with a warm smile and greet them politely.
- Note client numbers in the tally sheet and ensure that all interesting conversations are recorded.
- If a client chose to chat about his/her challenges be sure to send them in to reception or community support as there is a range of services offered by the organization that one could benefit from
- When milk runs out, inform the finance department or volunteer coordinator before walking across the road to collect more.
- Inform reception of all items that are short of supply to be included in the Coles order.
- When closing the coffee cart, ensure that all gadgets are turned off except the fridge. Refill the urn and the water container and ensure that all rubbish is taken to the garbage bins.
- Ensure that the area around the coffee cart is free of any items that could have been from the coffee cart.
- Attend all Coffee Cart meetings
- Abide with all guidelines and policies in place
The Frozen Meal Cook-up Program was initiated in response to Community need for cooked food other than a grocery parcel. It’s aimed at creating large volumes of packed and frozen meals ready to go to community members in need, free of charge. The meals are available to anyone needing assistance. This can range from people experiencing homelessness, food insecurity, families in crisis, older Community members, people recovering from an illness and need a few cooked and nutritious meals made with a whole lot of love.
This opportunity is suitable for individuals who are happy to work in a team of two or alone. Able to create a meal out of any available and able to stand for a few hours.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Organize all equipment required for this cooking. Usually, large pots and on occasion baking dishes
- Check all ingredients are in the prepared grocery box and add any extra condiments or cooking oils etc.
- Be responsible for quality control and the main cook even if there will be a team of volunteers to assist with prep and clean up
- Support to create at least 30 meals in one cooking which could include casseroles, bolognaise, curries etc. A mix of vegetarian and meat when possible
- Represent MDNC by embracing a strong sense of community, be a great team player and highly organized individual.
- Pack all food in containers ready for refregeration
- Print food labels showing what kind of meal and dates of preparing
- Record all meals prepared
- Attend all frozen meal cook up meetings
- Abide by all policies and guidelines in place
Food Recovery Driver support is suitable for those interested in helping with collections and deliveries even if you do not have a driver’s license, however, this is an added advantage if you do.
Food Recovery rescue excess food from local supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants. Rescued food will then provide healthy, nutritious meals and food parcels to community members across Far North Coast NSW free of charge. So much food that otherwise would have gone to land fill is rescued. The aim is to connect communities with free food to support those most vulnerable. This is a few hours opportunity setting off at 9:00am and return about 12:30pm.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Collect all crates from within the HUB, load them into the Food Recovery Van for return to the appropriate donor stores (Woolies or Coles).
- Check with Program Lead or More Than a Meal team on what food or what else to look for when collecting food (If we have a fridge full of tomatoes, maybe we don’t need to collect so many).
- Ensure to put on your high visibility vest before departure. This vest MUST always BE WORN during the run. This is a requirement of COLES and SECOND BITE and a reminder to SAFETY FIRST.
- Call each donor store ahead of time preferably 15mns to your arrival, (numbers for donor stores are at the back of your Collection Log Board). The idea is to coordinate your arrival with the respective stores. It will help with delays in the loading bays if you call ahead.
- Fill incident report forms in the event of hurt or damage to self. Fill out an incident report, and make sure it is delivered to the Operations Practice Coordinator.
- Adhere to all restrictions put in place by stores. The van has a Covid safe kit. (Sanitizer, gloves, and masks). If you notice these items getting low, please record this information on your daily checklist form.
- Weigh and record all food. Return the Board and Van key’s to respective locations.
- After offloading food at the Gulganii for sorting, remove any rubbish from the Van and sweep out the back of the Van.
- Attend all Food Recovery meetings
- Abide by all guidelines and policies
The community pantry is a low-cost supermarket that was created to ease access for groceries that had become a priority when Covid restrictions were at their peak. It is a cost recovery model, where anyone in the community could become a member for $2.00 and purchase their choice of groceries at very low-cost price facilitating both empowerment and dignity of choice. Our low-cost supermarket located behind the Commonwealth bank between Mullum Hire and Kiva Spur is a place where some people who may be doing it tough come to shop items at low prices and get free fruit, bread, veges and whatever else may be available. Volunteering at the pantry requires hearts filled with love ready to give away. Got love to give away…join our team.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Restocking shelves
- Pricing items on the shelves.
- Warmly welcome clients and provide guidance around the Pantry.
- Assist clients needing help with packing and/carry shopping to the car
- Assist food recovery team to offload groceries from the van
- Help with sorting and putting away of the groceries to safety.
- Refer clients needing additional support to relevant programs
- Assisting with the till where necessary
- Attend all volunteer meetings
- Follow pantry policies and guidelines.
Our “More Than a Meal” (MTAM) program has served 62,000 meals to community members since 2016 and helped many with social isolation have improved overall wellbeing. In early 2015 it was identified that there was a need in our community for people to access a wholesome cooked meal. The service is designed to offer more than a meal, therefore reducing social isolation, and promoting social inclusion. It is a space where people can come together, develop new friendships, and share their story in addition to providing a free nutritious meal to the community in an environment that is welcoming and non-judgmental.
Creating this space also facilitates a ‘soft entry point’ for people who may need to access other services available at the Neighbourhood Centre. For example, community support, women’s services, legal aid, Gulganii Community Pantry, Recovery support services etc.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Food preparation – handling and cooking
- Food Safety Management
- Menu Planning
- Kitchen Management
- Assist with serving food at lunch time.
- Kitchen and dishes cleaning after mealtime.
- Please ensure to read More Than A Meal Job Description (Docs & Links)
- Follow kitchen guidelines
- Occasionally pick up additional required items from Woolies
- Attend all MTAM meetings
Community Support helps people access support using a case coordination model of service delivery. This support may take the form of material aid, advocacy, referral, electricity vouchers, Work Development Orders (fines) or identifying issues impacting on day to day living. Community support assistants (Volunteers) work closely with the community support worker to provide care and assistance to people with emergency support needs, helping them to get appropriate support
Community Support staff and volunteers work closely with in-house and outreach services to ensure an integrated and cohesive practice delivery.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Helping to triage clients
- Assisting with filling intake forms for new clients
- Assisting with assessing old client’s situation and providing the necessary support
- Organizing food parcels according to client situation needs and family size in line with community support guidelines
- Heating up frozen meals
- Assess client needs and provide a pantry voucher where necessary in consultation with the community support worker
- Ensuring records are taken of all frozen meals, showers and food parcels,
- Keep a record of all showers taken by community members
- Assisting with client referrals in consultation with the community Support worker
- Keep the community support worker informed whenever a client presents with multiple and complex challenges
- Consult with the community support worker when not sure how to go about a situation or what to do
- Assisting clients with completing processes online or over the phone ensuring that the right process if being followed
- Assisting with rescheduling client appointments (WDOs, EPA)
- Providing emotional and social support to individuals in need.
- Connecting clients to resources and services
- Reporting all WHS concerns to the operations coordinator
- Identifying gaps and suggesting possible solutions
- Reporting new trends to community support worker
Food Recovery rescue excess food from local supermarkets, cafes, and restaurants. Rescued food will then provide healthy, nutritious meals and food parcels to community members across Far North Coast NSW free of charge. So much food that otherwise would have gone to land fill is rescued. The aim is to connect communities with free food to support those most vulnerable.
Tasks and responsibilities
- Ensure that there is enough fuel (More than half) in the car before leaving for the food run
- Record the car milage before and after the food run is complete
- Report any mechanical related concerns immediately you notice any to the food recovery manager
- Collect all crates from within the HUB, load them into the Food Recovery Van for return to the appropriate donor stores (Woolies or Coles).
- Before departure, please check with you Program Lead or More Than a Meal team on what food or what else to look for when collecting food (If we have a fridge full of tomatoes, maybe we don’t need to collect so many).
- Ensure to put on your high visibility vest before you leave for the run. This vest MUST always BE WORN during the run. This is a requirement of COLES and SECOND BITE and a reminder to SAFETY FIRST.
- Call each donor store ahead of time preferably 15mns to your arrival, (numbers for donor stores are at the back of your Collection Log Board). The idea is to coordinate your arrival with the respective stores. It will help with delays in the loading bays if you call ahead.
- In case you hurt yourself, there is a basic first aid kit & incident report forms in the van. Fill out an incident report, and make sure it is delivered to the Operations Practice Coordinator.
- Please note that when you are at the food donation stores, you are subject to its Covid Safety requirements, ensure to adhere. The van has a Covid safe kit. (Sanitizer, gloves, and masks). If you notice these items getting low, please record this information on your daily checklist form.
- Make sure you get a break. When you get back from your run, take the time to eat.
- Check Collection Log sheets, make sure all food has been weighed and recorded, prior to returning the Board and Van keys respective locations.
- After offloading food at the Gulganii for sorting, please remove any rubbish from the Van and sweep out the back of the Van.
- Clean/wash the car if and when its necessary
The Mullumbimby and District Neighbourhood Centre Management values the support and efforts of volunteers and therefore has a clear commitment to appropriately recruiting, managing and utilising their time and skill.
For more information about volunteering, please call the Neighbourhood Centre on 02 6684 1286 Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4pm or email our Volunteer Coordinator Sylvia on ops@mdnc.org.au