The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul exists to fight poverty and its efforts to do so depend almost entirely on volunteers. The Dublin Region alone has more than 2,000 volunteers, but it needs more. There are many reasons why people choose to volunteer, and here, one volunteer reacts when asked;
‘What advice would you give to anyone who wanted to volunteer with SVP?’
“Go for it! I have been an SVP volunteer for over five years now. I work with a home visitation Conference which meets one evening a week for three to four hours which I love, however, there are a whole variety of volunteering roles available within the Society; from home, hospital and prison visitation to youth club work. No matter what task you are charged with; whether it’s visiting a client to provide advice and assistance, holding a collection box at a church or packing and delivering hampers of food, all support makes a huge difference and is vital to the overall success of the organisation.
There is no doubt that you will get a great sense that you’re ‘making a difference’ and from my experience you will be joining a team of people that have come together to change things for the better. If you want to reshape your perspective on life and get a true sense of the Ireland we’re living in, volunteering with SVP is the way to do it.”