We’re very proud of our Employee Volunteering Scheme, which supports employees to volunteer for up to two working days each year, which in turn supports our communities.
From offering skilled labour to lending a helping hand, colleagues have volunteered with charities, in their own communities, and in our schemes, services and care homes across the country.
"The Employee Volunteering Scheme is a great way to grow closer to our customers - whether that is volunteering through our network of 200+ community partners, or through our charity of the year, FareShare.”
FareShare redistribute surplus food to charities who support people in need. Earlier this year when choosing our Charity of the Year, the cost of living crisis was at the forefront of many of our minds. This crisis is unfortunately playing out in real-time and affects people across all levels of society - including potentially our own customers. FareShare not only supports these vital foodbanks and charities, but also helps reduce food waste.
Craig Moule, Group Chief Executive, said:
“Last month I was privileged to be able to use one of my Employee Volunteering days to support a local charity, the Worcester Foodbank, along with five other Sanctuary colleagues. In the four hours I spent there, we helped the regular volunteers to pack several food parcels and put away donations in the exceptionally well-organised warehouse section. The experience really brought home to me the value of the work that’s done there.
Over the last couple of months, Sanctuary team members have been volunteering at the Worcester Foodbank to support with regular volunteer holiday cover – thank you all for taking part. I feel honoured to have played just a small role in helping this charity deliver its vital services.”
Ruth Allsopp, operations coordinator at Worcester Foodbank said:
"We are so grateful to have had consistent support from the Sanctuary team throughout July. Our workforce is powered by volunteers who are often retired and tend to get away before the summer holidays start for a well-earned break. After telling Sarah Davies, Sanctuary’s Senior Community Investment Administrator & Employee Volunteer Coordinator, about our reduced workforce she did an incredible job of finding extra pairs of hands to come and support us.
“Usually this time of year is quieter and gives us an opportunity to take stock and recharge, however because of the cost of living crisis we have been seeing a consistent increase of 30-40% on last year. This demand has also led to us purchasing a large amount of food each week which all needs to be unpacked, stored and rotated effectively.
“The Sanctuary team members have been a huge help in lightening the load, and making sure that we are able to provide a consistent and varied service to our clients in crisis. They have been positive, hardworking and interested in what we do and their compassion towards those we are supporting has made them a perfect fit for the team. Some team members have even come back more than once and we are so grateful to them and Sanctuary for giving up their time to support us and our clients."