Anne Hopwood has recently received a pretty prestigious award and she says that it is not just for her, it is for every volunteer at Foodcare Orange.

“I have received the NSW Senior Volunteer Award. I was nominated by the Foodcare committee. I have been with Foodcare for a number of years. I am the chairperson and I manage the volunteers, so I do quite a lot.

“I am very pleased, but I also recognise that it isn’t really about me on my own, it is about the 60 volunteers that make up Foodcare that I work with. If those volunteers weren’t there, there would be no service,” said Anne.

Anne has been involved in volunteering since she retired, and she encourages others to give it a go.

“I think when people retire they want to give back to the community and they also want to connect with the community and people. So, it is a wonderful opportunity to still be active within your community in a very worthwhile cause, but at the same time you are giving and also receiving. You can’t say that one is more important than the other,” said Anne.

Anne has been volunteering with Foodcare for the past five years and she has become very passionate about what they do.

“I enjoy the connection with people and I enjoy being involved with a program that I feel very strongly about it. Foodcare offers two things, it is a food relief and a food rescue service, so it answers two main goals. It is helping with waste and helping people and I like that,” said Anne.

Foodcare currently operates two days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-12.30pm from the Glenroi Community Centre and it can make a massive difference to your grocery bill.

“Anybody can shop, there is no criteria, so you don’t have to be on a pension. It is for anybody who thinks life is a bit tough as the moment.

“We have an example where we purchased $50 at Foodcare, then we purchased the same goods at a leading supermarket and it was $150. So, it is a saving of $100 for people which is incredible. We are hoping later on to open for more days and longer hours because we know a lot of people are working part time and struggling so it would be really good for them to be able to access our service,” said Anne.

Congratulations Anne on a very well deserved award and to all the volunteers at Foodcare for providing such a great service to the community.

If you would like to know more about Foodcare or volunteer, you can call 0447 577 884 or email info@foodcareorange.org.au