As September marks the beginning of University for many people, students are coming or returning to the UK and may need to quarantine, in response to government guidelines. As a result, many students will not be able to go to the shops and some may struggle to get deliveries.
As a Shopping Dropping Volunteer, you can support the students who are self-isolating stock up, by picking up their pre-paid groceries from the designated shop and dropping it off at their address.
This is how it works:
-based on your postcode, you will be paired with a self-isolating student from your neighbourhood. You can choose to be paired with more students, depending on your availability.
-the student will be advised to place an online order through Click and Collect – this means the shopping is pre-paid and no cash handling is involved. After completing the order, the students will need to share a reference number with you to go and collect the shopping.
-you will be asked to contact the student, introduce yourself and agree on the date and times when you could pick up and deliver their groceries. -on arrival, notify the students you have arrived, ask them to collect the shopping from the doorstep and wait for the person to do this. That’s it!
FAQ:
* What are you looking for?
We are looking for community-minded and thoughtful students who want to help us make the start of university a pleasant experience to ALL students. If you stand in solidarity with your colleagues who are self-isolating and would like to give a helping hand to make this period a bit easier for them, that’s you!!
Desirable skills: Communication, listening, ability to follow instructions, attention to detail, ability to follow Health and Safety procedures, sensitivity and understanding.
Please note that due to COVID-19 we are only asking people who are physically well and able to carry out these tasks to sign-up for the Shopping Dropping volunteering opportunity. If you have any concerns, please contact the volunteering team.
Who can apply?
Any student at the University of Sunderland (Sunderland campuses) who is able to help, especially throughout September and October can apply for this opportunity. While this not a high-risk volunteering opportunity, we advise students in the clinically extremely vulnerable category to read the information provided and consider carefully whether they wish to sign up.
How can I apply? If you haven’t already, register and complete your volunteering profile online by following this link. If you get stuck and need some help doing this, get in touch via biancabrisan-1@sunderland.ac.uk and I (Bianca) will help you with any questions or queries you may have. As students will be arriving in the UK throughout September and October, the deadline to submit your application is 12pm on Monday 19th of October 2020.
Why should I get involved?
*Develop your confidence and skills -Communication, self-management, problem solving, organisation and planning are just some of the skills you will be developing as a Shopping Dropping Volunteer.
*Make an impact -This role gives you the chance to play an active role in your immediate community and help self-isolating students stay safe and stock up through what can be a stressful period.
*What about Reward and Recognition?
As a volunteer, you will be able to record your experiences and skills gained, receive an invite to SU Loves You Awards. You can also include it when applying for the SuPA Award, and have a fantastic experience to talk about at job interviews. We also have a new and exciting Reward and Recognition Scheme for our volunteers, which we will tell you more about soon.
* What’s the time commitment?
This volunteering opportunity will mainly run throughout September and the volunteers can commit as much or little time as they want. We do however recommend that the volunteers should be available for at least three shopping trips. As there are multiple student intakes throughout the academic year, you may be asked whether you can support students later in the academic year. Volunteers can support one or more self-isolating students, depending on their preference and availability.
*I still have questions. Who can I contact?
If you have any questions and would like to know more about this, please contact Bianca, our Activities and Opportunities Coordinator at Bianca.brisan-1@sunderland.ac.uk or at +447549164623.