I have been volunteering for Bags of Taste for little over a year now. I shop for groceries, I then divide, count, weigh out and prepare the ingredients bags for the next day’s deliveries to participants before they start their course.
I also deliver the bags to participants personally.
I can often tell when I arrive on a street, which house I need to head for. All the windows are shut, curtains drawn tight, door, drive or garden looking unloved and uncared for. The houses look shut off from the world.
I ring a bell or knock and wait.
Sometimes I hear children or dogs, but most of all, I hear nothing. I get a sense of the unknown causing some anxiousness. As the doors open I am greeted by a familiar sight. Someone who looks pale and exhausted by what life has thrown at them. The stale air rushes past me to the outside as I smile and introduce myself “Hello, I’m Clare from Bags of Taste” and hand over their bag.
If they are willing to engage in conversation it is wonderful. It’s an honour to be in a position to wish them luck and hope they enjoy the course, reminding them that they have just become part of a community and will be mentored and supported with any questions or worries they might have.
I explain some of the special things we’ve put in their bag –different ingredients if they’re diabetic or gluten-free, or about the sheet of tips for fussy eaters if the participant is a parent.
I often feel that most likely I would have been the only person that participant has seen and spoken to for days.
Sadly, I have come across some participants not able to answer the door. I leave the bag and take a photo, walking away, to return in 2 minutes to find the bag has gone. I then get confirmation from Bags of Taste and their mentor that the bag has been received and that participant is ready to start their course, which I am pleased to hear.
