As a business person or professional, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with so many things demanding your time, attention and energy.

As you grow in experience your rates get higher and you tend to focus on more high-value tasks. This means that a lot of people who need it might not be able to afford your time and experience.

This is why volunteering exists.

One thing I try to do is volunteer my time whenever I have it.

I try to guide those who need guidance on the paths I’ve already taken both informally and formally through organizations where I’m a business mentor and also give my time to causes I identify with.

What inspired this post, for the past few weeks I’ve been volunteering with Feed Leicester.

Feed Leicester is a community project gathering surplus food (that would have gone to waste) and distributing it to people who need it – the hungry and homeless (Twitter).

So basically, they create a platform to collect donations of food, warm clothes and beddings and with a team of volunteers, share these at the Leicester Market (after closing), once or twice a week.

I’d always wanted to do something like that, volunteer with a soup kitchen  food drive or something close, so when I stumbled on them (I was googling homeless statistics I think ), I immediately filled their volunteer form and was at the market 30 mins early the next Monday.

Theres a quick briefing and assessment of what’s available then everyone goes into different teams to start distributing. Food,  a hot drink, snacks, clothes beddings etc and are on it till either stock is exhausted or people stop coming

It is fulfilling but slightly depressing seeing so many people come out and wondering what can be done to eliminate homelessness & poverty (Food, Clothing & Shelter are basic needs).

I’ve been a lot more sensitive since then and I’d be spending a lot more time in this area.
Hope you can too.

I took no photos (I didn’t see the point and I feel the last thing people in this situation need is appearing in photos on some random blog).