Shoalhaven Neighbourhood Services held a morning tea to thank their volunteers on Wednesday.
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Morning tea organiser Louise Moulang said the event was aimed at celebrating and honouring their volunteers.
“They really are the backbone of this organisation,” she said.
“We have nearly 50 volunteers in this organisation, that’s a significant amount of service, it’s 4000 hours offered annually.
“People are bringing their strengths to the role and being in service to others. People might be socially isolated, so it’s really valuable for the inclusion factor in their community and being able to bring people together.
“We wanted an opportunity to honour and thank them for that.”
Mrs Moulang believes volunteering gives people a sense of purpose and belonging.
“It’s a real opportunity for people to bring their lived experience to a role and that can be valued,” she said.
“That’s a really important part about being a volunteer, that you have that sense of purpose and you really belong to something that’s meaningful”
Shoalhaven Neighbourhood Services is valuable in a diverse way to a large number of people across the Shoalhaven.
Volunteer Greg McLeod said it was a rewarding role.
“I love giving back to the community and helping people,” he said.
“All the volunteers who help this association do it for the same reason, because they have empathy and sympathy for people they help.
“It’s quite rewarding, not only for the client we assist but I’m sure everyone would agree, they get a little bit out of it themselves, that’s why the majority of people volunteer.”