One of our clients at Launchpad 135 is now volunteering with Readifood – Reading’s Food Bank with whom we work closely with, regularly supplying them with fresh produce from our allotments.
This is *Martha’s story.
What brought you to Launchpad?
I was going through a rough time (personally and with my housing) and needed support at the time.
What activities / courses have you enjoyed at Launchpad 135?
Everything! Cookery, I made pizza. Emotional Intelligence course (puzzle solving). Music – I loved singing. Art is a personal highlight, I love painting and drawing at home, so it is great to do it with other people. Learning from each other’s work.
How has coming to Launchpad 135 made you feel?
Welcome. Connected. Supported. Liked (by other people). Things in my past have made me feel worthless so coming to Launchpad 135 has made me feel different.
Have you learnt anything about yourself after coming to Launchpad 135?
I have, yeah, I have learnt that it is okay to show your feelings. It’s okay to feel depressed, I realised I am not the only one. I have learnt techniques to use to feel better. Launchpad 135 is a positive environment to be in.
How did you hear about Readifood? What made you decide to approach them about becoming a volunteer?
Through Sian (who’s our Team Leader at 135) in a work ready session. I was interested and quite excited to apply for the Women’s Work Experience project. Sian helped me to complete an application form for the Women’s Work Experience at ReadiFood and also helped me with my CV. I was actually the first person to go through their work experience project, Sarah (from Readifood) asked me for my thoughts and feedback and I feel like I helped shape the experience for others.
What kind of work do you do at Readifood?
We sort food donations that come in (by expiry date and type of food/toiletries etc). Make up food parcels, depending on what deliveries are taking place. I get given a list and a trolley, it’s a bit like food shopping! The parcels then go into different coloured crates (e.g. black for a single person or green for vegetarian) with specific labels on them ready for the delivery staff to deliver.
Warehouse tasks, manual handling – moving items around the warehouse. The items with the longer expiry dates go out the back so the food with shorter expiry dates are used first. It is so well organised.
I had a mentor called Jude during the 12 weeks I did at the Work Experience project, I also had catch up meetings with Sarah. ReadiFood also helped me to find a computer course. I kept a folder record of what I did each week and got a certificate and reference from them. I was given the opportunity to keep volunteering and I have been volunteering with them for over a year!
Do you have any plans for the future?
I’d love to keep volunteering there. In five years, I’d like to get a certificate! I would get involved in more deliveries, taking the parcels to other charities and people’s homes.
*To help protect the privacy of those we help the name has been changed