Volunteering has many benefits. You can share skills that you’ve gained over the course of your own career. On the flip side, you can gain experience from working in a volunteer capacity. You might even find yourself gaining employment from your time in the volunteer trenches. Dyane Wiens is the Volunteer Coordinator for Many Hands Resource Centre in Morden. “I’ve been here now for just over two years on staff.” Wiens explained. “It's a part-time position. I was a volunteer before taking on this role. I believe I volunteered for at least three years.” Pandemic precedes role Her introduction to the centre came during the pandemic. “It was actually during COVID.” Wiens shared. “I guess I started volunteering when the food bank was still being run by a different organization. At that point, it was The Hub. “Then the organizers of that weren't able to do it anymore. Many Hands agreed to take it on, so then I just continued volunteering from there. I initially started off delivering hampers during COVID, when we weren't able to have people in the building. Then from there, it just evolved to the point where we became part of the Many Hands organization. We moved into this space, and from there I was asked to come on as staff.” For Wiens and her volunteers, food is the primary focus. “Our biggest program is the food bank.” Wiens pointed out. “That takes up a very large portion of our volunteer base. We have shifts on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. “On Mondays and Tuesdays, we have about 5 or 6 volunteers here each day. On Wednesdays, we have 30 volunteers coming through that day. We also have our community meal program. Once a month, we host a free meal for anyone in the community who wants to come. That also uses, I think, probably around 30 volunteers just to put that meal on.” Smaller, but no less important Another program running at the centre is a little smaller. “We have our Thursday drop-in, that one's a smaller need.” Wiens shared. “It's a smaller program, but still so important, and so vital. It takes a unique person to volunteer there because it's a very social program. There's such a diverse group of people that you need to be comfortable talking to, everyone and anyone in order to thrive there.” Each volunteer role requires a certain skill set, or other requirement from a volunteer. “The food bank often involves the need to lift and carry things. So if you're not physically able, well, that's not a good fit for you. “With an organization that deals with either people in crisis, or people who are struggling, we don't always get to see the best side of our clients, right? Sometimes our volunteers aren't prepared to see that and to experience that. So that can be a challenge. But we've been blessed and have had very few that haven't been able to deal with it, and many who have dealt with it well. I can tell you how blessed we are with the people who have come our way.” Given the current state of the economy, Many Hands isn’t seeing a need for their services slowing down. “We're seeing an increase, especially for the food bank.” Wiens admitted. It's a slow increase, definitely not getting lighter. There's always more people coming.” .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Despite the growing need, Wiens finds positives in her role. “One of my favorite things is on Wednesdays. We have a group working in the back that is packing hampers and serving the clients back there. We also have a group in the front that are hosting those who are waiting for their food hampers, and we have been serving soup to those people. Anyone who comes in, we will serve soup. It's not just for food bank clients. “The group that's hosting in the front, serving coffee, soup, welcoming people, managing things up there, they are such a fun group. There's one volunteer that I'm constantly joking around about. He keeps on complaining that he's going to talk to the union about his working conditions. I always give him a hard time about how he just needs to wash more dishes and then maybe he might get paid what he's worth. “We just have so much fun together. I think that's my highlight, is just the times that we have just laughed together and those relationships that have built, because I started off volunteering with them. I knew most of the programs and I knew a lot of the volunteers to start off with. So, yeah, I just really, really enjoy the people and love watching and being part of the connecting that happens, even among the volunteers.” Related stories: Food for All in Morden: Many Hands shares stark numbers behind growing food insecurity Volunteer Manitoba looking to Ignite Volunteerism in April Family atmosphere eases user experience The close-knit relationship between Wiens and her volunteers, combined with that intent of the team to ease the experience for visitors to the centre translates to a much friendlier space. “Most people don't want to come to the food bank.” Wiens acknowledged. “They don't want to be here, but it's a necessity. I love that our volunteers have created an atmosphere where it just feels like you're coming into a living room, coming into someone's space where you're welcomed and relaxed. “I think that's because of our volunteers. They are the ones that have created that, and they're the ones that have made this place special, I think.” Volunteerism high for centre While the need for so many of their programs continues to grow, oddly enough their volunteer corps is stable. “I try not to say this too loudly because I know it's not the norm.” Wiens confessed. “But very rarely am I desperate for volunteers. It seems like we have a steady stream of people coming along and approaching us. In the two years I've been here, I think I've reached out maybe twice looking for volunteers, but really in the end it's word of mouth, it's people who have used our services that reach out and say, I'd like to give back now. “Newcomers coming wanting to learn English, wanting to learn customs, culture, get some Canadian work experience. But very rarely have I've been desperate for volunteers. That's a unique place to be in. Most organizations feel like their volunteers are being overworked because they don't have enough. We're always happy to welcome new people into our family, onto our team, but there isn't always a huge need. I don't take that for granted.” Wiens also related how some members of the community might not even be as aware as their dedicated volunteer force, when it relates to the services Many Hands tries to backfill. “I was talking to a former volunteer. He and his family, they all volunteered here. His wife and children, all five of them had volunteered with us for quite a while. They were very much an integral part of our organization and different programs. But life changes, right? They had to move on. So he made an interesting comment the other day. He said that for people who don't work in organizations like this, it's really easy to believe there isn't a need. He said it's really easy to live your life believing everybody's doing okay when you just work out in the general public. He said now that they're not working with us anymore, he has to remind himself about the need that's out there. “I found that fascinating because we sit here going, do people not understand? Do people not know what's out there and the people that are struggling? And he's like, you know what, I was immersed in it for years. I think he started volunteering just before I did, actually. So we were volunteers together for a few years. So for him who had been here for four or five years, to now say he's been away for six months and to go, I'm already forgetting what you guys do all the time and the people you serve. I just thought that was a fascinating perspective from someone who had been here and left. I guess, just his comments on how important it was for them to have been a part of this organization, to know and to understand and to be, to be more aware of that side of our culture and not just the people who are doing okay.” Many Hands Resource Centre operates in the well-known 500 Smith Street space, providing a number of critical services for the community of Morden. To learn more, visit their website.