A very different Volunteers’ Week

Since the start of the crisis, volunteering has been the silver lining

National Volunteers’ Week run by the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) takes place annually between 1–7 June. Traditionally, this has been an opportunity to celebrate volunteering and to thank volunteers for everything they do for charities year-round.

Traditionally, the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) has encouraged all the charities we support to celebrate their volunteers, as well as going on a week-long roadshow, meeting and thanking volunteers and promoting volunteering to those who might be interested.

This year has been very different, but all the more reason for thanking the volunteers for their amazing contributions to make a difference in the community, especially during this unprecedented pandemic.

Since the start of the crisis, volunteering has been the silver lining. Nationally through the NHS, regionally, in religious communities, in neighbourhoods and via social media, people have come forward to help each other get through the situation with dignity and have shown they care.

JVN has seen this first-hand, witnessing a huge increase in the number of people accessing our website, which has meant that we in turn have been able to provide charities with delivery drivers, befrienders, activity organisers and much more. In fact, Jami has said that half of its 60 new volunteers were directed to the charity through JVN.

Anyone who volunteers knows that you get as much out of what you do as you put in. And anyone who works with volunteers knows that they don’t do it for the thanks. They do it because they want to help someone else, they do it because they care, they do it to make a difference. Needs will not go away over the next few weeks, months and years, and charities need to be there to support their beneficiaries. In turn, charities need volunteers to help deliver their vital services. And JVN is here to support charities and volunteers to enable them to do so.

So, a huge thank you to everyone who has volunteered over the past three months and year-round. We couldn’t do this without you.