Recognising the contribution of our volunteers

Without volunteers St John’s Care could not open the Emergency Relief Centre - Monday to Friday 9.30 to 2.00pm - for our clients who come seeking help.

Volunteers are also integral when it comes to hosting our monthly community lunches i.e. cooking the meal, setting and cleaning up, waiting on tables, etc.

There are also the unseen volunteers who do a range of tasks like collecting food at Shopping Centres, cooking frozen meals, tending the veggie gardens at the rear of the Centre, knitting scarves and beanies, plus many more wonderful contributions by so many people.

This week we are recognising all the volunteers who work at St John’s Care. We are so grateful to all of you.

Some of our volunteers have been coming to the Emergency Relief Centre one day a week for many, many years. We appreciate their huge commitment. We also rely on their vast experience when training new volunteers. They have been amazing at thinking on their feet and dealing with some of the many challenging situations. We could not cope without them.

Recently, we had a client that was causing a significant disruption in the Centre. They were shouting and pointing at the volunteer saying that no one would help them and that every other service had let them down. Their expectation was that SJC would let them down as well.

The volunteer who was dealing with the client remained calm and controlled. She continued to help her choose clothing items and defuse the situation.

As the client was leaving the Centre, she looked at the volunteer and thanked her for all her help. It was brilliant work done by one of our volunteers who generously gives of her time to support people doing it tough in our community.

We are quickly moving towards our busy period in the lead up to Christmas when the need for volunteers increases. If you are interested in volunteering your time over this period, please contact our Programs Manager Jason on

6248 7771 to discuss your availability.

Required Items: Packets of pasta meals, Shampoo & Conditioner, fruit juice poppers and honey.

The St John’s Care Team

Photo: Volunteers collecting food at shopping centre.