It’s National Volunteer Week and like many organisations Presbyterian Support Otago has always been well supported by volunteers. In fact, almost half of our people are volunteers.
Miriam Jarvis is one of many incredible people who supports us. She has volunteered in our charity shops for almost 30 years.
“Before I volunteered at Shop on Carroll, I volunteered at Op Shop on St Andrews through a church volunteer group,” said Miriam.
“I’ve volunteered every Wednesday for 29 years and I really enjoyed brick-a-brac and fixing the jewellery and watches. There was never much training given so I just got stuck into tinkering. I still fix some things for friends, but I no longer do the fiddly bits!”
“I became involved because I wanted something to do, and I had some family members who worked here. I’ve found it really enjoyable and sociable.”
“Over my many years I've had come across some incredible things, as you would in such a store. Once I found $2,000 in an envelope, which was quite a find!”
“I now make cloth bags for Shop on Carroll. These started out as a gimmick really, as we were an upmarket shop looking to move away from plastic bags and add character to the store."
"This year I have made and brought in over 200 bags. I made 2,000 bags for two years running so I’m not sure how many bags my hands would have put together over the years”.
We did a quick calculation and estimated that Miram has volunteered for over 10,000 hours. Thank you to Miriam, and to everyone who volunteers as part of the Presbyterian Support Otago team. We couldn’t do what we do without you!
Article by Isabel Colville