University classmates Zohara Mendis and Celia Kan just wanted to give back to their community, but they found it hard to find the time around their studies. Until they found pop-in volunteering.
They are among the first to trial a new type of community service being offered by Lifeline on the mid-north coast of NSW.
"Pop-in volunteering is for anyone who has a little bit of time to give to us," retail manager Jemma McDonald said.
"Before, it might have been a little bit daunting with work commitments and children to book in that time and give a commitment. Now we're just asking if you have a spare hour, half an hour, just pop in and lend a hand."
"Because of our program and the way it's structured our timetable changes daily," Ms Mendis said.
"Some days we'll be in [university classes] for the whole day, and some days we'll have a free day, and we never really know when we're going to be needed.
"So it's really good for places like this just to be super chill and allow us to pop in and say 'yep, you can do two hours'."
Volunteering downturn drives new ideas
Helen Cornhill manages one of Lifeline's stores in Port Macquarie and assigns the pop-in volunteers jobs including hanging clothes, sorting books, and cleaning and tidying the store.
"People who come in and do an hour or two hours at a time can do things that we don't have time to do like being in the shop and helping the customers, doing dusting at the same time. All that sort of thing," she said.
Already, one of the pop-in volunteers has decided to stay for a full day on a regular basis.
It is no secret that volunteering rates are dropping, but it is hoped the more flexible option will see a rise.
"The idea of pop-in volunteering is really fabulous because it just gives people, if they've got half an hour to spare, something to do, [to] feel like they're giving back and actually making a contribution," said the CEO of the Centre for Volunteering, Gemma Rygate.
But she warned against relying solely on such episodic volunteering.
"There is a need for a mix of volunteering opportunities, and most large organisations are very capable and able to do that," she said.
"It's really all about trying to have the full mix and to strike a balance so that people can contribute in any way they can, and at whatever time they can."
Benefits of volunteering
Volunteering does not just benefit the community, it has personal benefits for those who volunteer as well.
"It's a lot of fun working here, you make a lot of friends," Ms Cornhill said.
"I've had volunteers who have been here for 15 or 20 years now. We've all made really good friends out of being in a volunteer situation."
Ms Rygate said for unemployed people it could help in finding a job.
"Volunteering is not only giving your time freely, but quite often we've seen that volunteering can be a pathway to employment down the track. So there are so many benefits for both the volunteer and the organisation," she said.
"There are whole-community benefits, there are individual benefits, and economic and social benefits for the state and the nation. So it's almost a no-brainer really."
Pop-in volunteering has motivated Ms Mendis and Ms Kan to learn more about their new home.
"We get to talk to a lot of the people here and that's actually the coolest part — getting to talk to the ladies who volunteer here who have been working in the community for so long and learning from them, just talking to them about their experience," Ms Mendis said.
"It's a really good way to get to know people from the community and interact with a lot of different people," Ms Kan said.
"And you're contributing and helping out at the same time, so it's a win win."
