For the people behind the service, volunteering means more than just helping people - it’s about giving back to the community they love

“I’ve come in with a worried heart and left with a warm heart.”

For Fay Lister, a visit to Manor Parish Community Kitchen and S2 Food Poverty Network (S2 FPN) means more than just picking up her weekly food shop. The volunteers give up their time weekly to help people through difficult circumstances, cook free hot meals and package up food parcels for those tackling food poverty.

placeholder image — Volunteers serving food | Submitted

As well as providing food for people, the volunteers enjoy talking to regulars and upholding that feeling of belonging in the community. Volunteer Maggie said the kitchen can be a very important space for those who may otherwise spend their time alone: “People who don’t normally talk to anybody else, they’re quite lonesome. But they can come here and sit and have a cup of tea, a meal, and they have a chat.

“Working together in the community is what life should be about, isn’t it? We need to work together for the people of Sheffield.”

David Ernest, a recently-started volunteer at S2 Food Poverty Network community shop, said one of the things that stood out to him was the feeling of choice and control that people get from using the service: “They can choose which milk they like rather than whatever you have. They have a list of things, like a menu, where they can pick items like brown bread or blue milk, so they can take whatever they want as they have options to choose from.

“The experiences give you a lot of personal satisfaction because it gives an opportunity to give back to society, especially to those who are in need.”

The volunteers also see people who first come to the kitchen for support go on to become part of the team themselves, which S2 FPN Trustee Geraldine said she finds to be one of the most rewarding things about working there: “When people come as users of the service, then start volunteering, it’s just great.”

The relationships that are built between the volunteers and people who regularly visit the kitchen are just as important as the services on offer. What may begin as a quick pitstop for their weekly shop can quickly develop into friendships, regular conversations, and for some, a new role within the local community itself. And this journey from needing support to getting involved with the team is something Sarah Short, community kitchen coordinator, sees a lot.

“It’s really nice to see people when they come in quite shy, but then they actually go away really happy and keep coming back,” she says. “Quite a lot of them end up becoming volunteers.

“People in this area need that community spirit. People come together. We help the local community know that there is something out there for them if they’re on their own, if they’re struggling.”

For the volunteers, it’s that sense of connection and fulfillment that makes giving their time so worthwhile. And for the people that come to the kitchen, it can turn what might otherwise have been a difficult day, week, or even month into one with a little more warmth.

Because while food may have brought people through the door, it’s the volunteers on the other side of it who make people want to come back.