Julie Hogg, Lead for Children and Families volunteered with Us2U, helping to pack 515 Christmas food hampers. She was motivated by a desire to support children, young people, and families across Dumfries during a difficult and often costly time of year. Julie’s contributions included checking pre-packed hampers to ensure all items were present, topping up hampers with missing items, acting as a runner for others checking bags, and collecting and donating items from herself, her family, and friends.
What motivated you to give your time to this cause? I am new to working in Dumfries and Galloway and so only found out about this Community group when I saw a relative buying all the squirty cream tins from our local Farmfoods, she had gathered c 300. She explained what it was for and shared the link via social media, and it was at this point that I was hooked and keen to get involved.
I had intended to volunteer closer to home, but this project was close to my heart. The cost-of-living crisis and food and fuel poverty impact us all, but some more than others, especially as today it is impacting some of our most hardworking families and vulnerable children in Dumfries & Galloway. The majority of my professional career has been within the Voluntary sector, and this time of year, I would always be involved in something. It’s worth noting that not all these families are receiving additional support, statutory or otherwise; they are just trying to do the best they can with what they have available to them at the time. There is no ‘type’ here, just families who have the courage to share their worries and vulnerabilities with community spaces and places that they frequent and feel safe with.
Christmas was always made as a special time for me as child of 4 and much planning and effort went into it this from my parents so that on this occasion, we could eat and enjoy foods that we didn’t usually have and were not rationed to. Saving with catalogues to buy sweet treats and buying desserts like Arctic roll, Viennetta or Neapolitan ice cream instead of having mums’ homemade puddings or going to the ice cream van on a Sunday afternoon with 25p to ask for the Pyrex bowl to be filled up to accompany an apple charlotte or apple crumble, which to be honest most of us favoured to festive treats.
I received a warm welcome when I arrived at the project, with help assigned to empty my car as some items were too heavy. The task was explained and I was encouraged to approach anyone if I was stuck. We were repeatedly encouraged to take breaks and a space to rest and grab a brew and a biscuit was available.
From 3 years old to 81, all had a part to play with many smiles and helpful signposting when looking for limited items. No one said no to any ask, whether that was last-minute purchasing locally or collecting a mountain of fresh produce from a local food and supermarket stores. Other community groups and families were in attendance following a monumental effort the day before, with a dedicated day for young people to volunteer.
Did you encounter any difficulties while volunteering?
I had the opportunity to catch up with Lee, who set the group up, as a response to families struggling during this time who had been furloughed, and both parents were in full-time employment. As a family, they had put some mini essential items together as he felt that displaying rainbow just ‘wasn’t enough help’ for those in need; was just a symbol. So, the project grew from 15 to 50, to 100, 200 and now 515 food hampers in the last 3 years, distributed to families referred by other third sector community groups of all ages and schools. As a community group, every penny raised/donated can be spent on food items only for those referred, so at times, resources such as paper and pens to label hampers and set out collection/pick up points.
What did you learn, discover, or accomplish through your volunteering experience?
Lee’s motto is very much – if you need anything, ask the Community as they always respond and show up in ways that you could even anticipate or articulate. This project is an example of this in action. All 515 hampers were complete, along with cooking cards to feed a family over 5 days, including a festive meal. The families remain anonymous to the Community group, as do their circumstances. Some agencies that refer can share the impact of hampers received back to Us2U, but not all do, which is a missed opportunity to capture the impact. As this group is enabling other groups to respond to their beneficiaries, sometimes Us2U are not credited or seen in terms of the monumental effort that goes into this type of delivery.
From your perspective, why is volunteering important, and how would you invite others to take part? I always find that volunteering is a relational activity for me which gives me some focused time to step out of my own shoes and support those in greater need. A sense of belonging and shared common purpose tops me up at this time of year, as well as knowing that I have made a difference, however small. It’s a privilege to support our children and families, especially at this time of year.