Sue finds fulfilment and purpose volunteering with Finchley Foodbank
After retirement, Sue felt a loss of purpose. But volunteering, and giving back to her community, has given her new direction.
Hello! Please tell us about how and when you got involved with Finchley Foodbank?
For twenty years, I worked for the Chairman, CEO and main shareholder of a major private construction and consultancy company with offices around the world. The job was diverse, complex, stressful and a 24/7 roller-coaster.
When I finally retired in 2022, I struggled with a loss of identity and grief for the loss of the huge community of which I was a big part of. I felt I had been cast adrift in a stormy sea with no compass and with no idea of what direction to take.
What motivated you to volunteer? What did you want to get from it?
Sue - Tuesday and Friday session leader at Finchley Foodbank
The one thing I always knew when I retired was that I wanted to give back to the community in some form or another. For me, volunteering was an obvious choice as I get a huge amount of pleasure in giving rather than taking. Making a difference is an enormous motivator.
Four years on, and now I have four volunteering roles! Apart from Finchley Foodbank, I volunteer and on the committee for the Long Lane Pasture nature reserve; I volunteer for Age UK doing shopping for one of their clients and I’m a reading assistant at Martin’s Primary School.
But it was only after I started at the Foodbank in 2023 that I started to feel a positive shift and sense of direction in my life. Here I found another community and engagement with like-minded people. My life has now become more balanced. When I come back from a shift at the Foodbank or at the Long Lane Pasture, I feel rewarded, satisfied, happy with a sense of fulfilment thanks to the other lovely volunteers, or whether it just being in nature.
And how did you become a session leader?
I always knew that I could lead as I had several leadership roles within my workplace and feedback was positive. However, before putting myself forward as a session leader (whether it be a sorting or client session), it was important that I knew the whole process of running the Foodbank so I made sure I volunteered for both sorting and client sessions to see and understand the entire cycle.
I do enjoy leading enormously. To be a good leader you need to be confident and demonstrate to people that you know what you are doing. I am a confident, sociable person and quite comfortable in that role.
There are, however, a few key attributes that are essential in not only leading but, most importantly, leading successfully. The main ones are good communication and organisational skills and clear direction. It is essential that everyone is clear in understanding what their roles are and have confidence in their team leader. It is also important to ensure that everyone feels that they play a key and collaborative part of the team so listening skills are important. Once the session has ended, I want the team I lead to leave feeling that we’ve made a difference collectively.
Lastly but not least, despite the seriousness of what we do at the Foodbank, it is essential that we bring fun and joy into the sessions.
We are always trying to encourage volunteers to become session leaders. What would you say to anyone thinking about stepping up into the leader role?
Anyone who is thinking of stepping up into a session leader role is probably already halfway there. As I mentioned above, it is important to understand how the Foodbank runs; it’s about having the confidence in being a clear communicator and organiser. When you do take the decision to step up, you will discover skills you might never have imagined you had.