More volunteers needed at Our Village

OUR Village is calling for volunteers as the local charity struggles to keep up with the increased demand.

The organisation – a merger of the Geelong Mums, Eureka Mums and St Kilda Mums groups – provides vital services for babies and children in need by re-homing essential items within the region.

Our Village head of community engagement and operations Julia Roache said the increase in requests and stock has resulted in the organisation needing “more hands on deck.”

“The more people we have, the more efficient we can be.

“We want to keep supporting the babies and the children in the Geelong area who need our help, we just need to get the goods processed and cleaned and packed really timely.

“The quicker we can get the stock processed and out, it means that we don’t have babies waiting for clothing or for a safe place to sleep.”

A higher number of volunteers will also allow the charity to have enough coverage for times of the year where people are often away.

The Our Village volunteer program has no rostering system, allowing people to donate their time when it’s best suited to them.

Volunteers can take on a range of responsibilities from greeting people donating and sorting clothing through to ensuring the cleanliness and safety of some of the larger items.

Our Village also has volunteers who take items home and get them ready to be distributed to those in need.

“Coming into the warehouse might not suit everybody, so there’s things that they can do in their own homes if they want to. We try and find something for everybody,” Ms Roache said.

“It’s such a fun thing to do [volunteering]. Everyone really loves it, it’s a really friendly place and it’s so easy.”

For more information or to get involved, head to ourvillage.org.au