In the ninth of a series of articles, Revd James Gilder of Wanstead Parish introduces two local volunteering opportunities that residents may wish to take part in
There is something about the shortening days of autumn that seems to spur me into action. Looking at the world as it is, it can be easy to feel, occasionally, there is perhaps not much point in action – because everything seems to just get worse! In truth, I guess the stories of things getting better don’t always make for interesting news.
If, like me, you get that slight itch to do something new, something productive, as the nights get shorter, you might be interested in a couple of things you can volunteer for that will undoubtedly make a difference (though possibly not get you in the news).
At the Parish of Wanstead, we help to run the Forest Churches Night Shelter throughout the winter months. Starting on 1 November and running through to the start of April, the shelter provides beds and warm meals for homeless people in north-east London. You might recall in the old days we used to run this from the parish halls, but now it is all run in conjunction with the YMCA on Forest Road, Walthamstow. This enables service users to have a proper bed and a shower, as well as an evening meal, and means people don’t have to pack up their belongings every night to travel to a new church hall the next day. Wanstead volunteers’ night at the shelter is Tuesdays. The volunteers cook a meal at home for about 15 people, and then take it along to the shelter in Walthamstow, serve it up and eat with the service users. Afterwards, the volunteers clear up and chat or play some board games with the service users. Volunteers are always paired-up and a professional member of staff is on hand at all times to assist. You don’t need to stay overnight. The meal is usually served about 6.45pm and the shift is over by 9.30pm. Volunteering at the shelter last winter, we were astounded at the amount of homeless people who were well-qualified and who even held down full-time jobs despite not having anywhere to call home. It was a salutary lesson that everyone is only a few unfortunate decisions away from being homeless. People who volunteered really enjoyed the experience and the interactions they had, and we were all on the rota only about five times throughout the winter, so it wasn’t arduous.
There’ll be another volunteering opportunity at Christmas. Last year, we held a free Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day in the parish halls. This was for anyone who wanted to come, with a view that nobody should be alone on Christmas Day. It was a jolly occasion and we had about 30 guests, and excellent food (thanks to The Duke, who supplied all the meat). We’re fully intending to run the same this year. Perhaps you would like to help? Or maybe you would just like to come and eat with us? If you would like to volunteer for either of these initiatives, please let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
To contact Reverend James Gilder, email wansteadparishadmin@uwclub.net
