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Volunteer Opportunities

KidsBank is powered by dedicated and passionate volunteers. As a volunteer with KidsBank you will make a real difference and contribute to an organisation with ambitious plans. You’ll have the opportunity to use your existing skills and learn new ones. Training and support will be provided. 

We currently have a waiting list for new volunteers. If you would like to be added to our waiting list, please contact us at: 

[email protected]

Meet This Months Volunteer

Helen

Hi!, I’m Helen and I have been volunteering at KidsBank since June 2020. Although I’m not the longest serving volunteer, I have been in a privileged position to see the changes that have taken place over this time. From working in our first home at Northgate Church which we soon outgrew, to the wonderful space that is the Kids Bank hub on Garden Lane. KidsBank has grown and grown in the number of referrals, donations, volunteers, staff and pop up locations. We now have a separate hub in Ellesmere Port for Uniform and Christmas referrals. The staff and volunteers get to be the channels of love and generosity from others – being poured into the lives of people we have never met, but who need our help in these difficult times. Our little donation of ironing and bundling makes such a difference and that’s why we do it. Roll on 2025 and all that is in store for KidsBank in the months and years to come!

Meet Our Volunteers

Janice

I have been a volunteer with KidsBank for just over 3 1/2 years. I was made redundant just before the lockdown in early 2020 and was looking for somewhere to channel my energies. The opportunity came to work at KidsBank and I’m so glad I signed up.

It’s so lovely to be a part of a team that is helping families in our area. KidsBank has come a long way since its days in a tiny space at the back of Northgate Church and it continues to grow and provide more services to families.

I have also benefitted from being a part of this great organisation. Everyone is friendly and welcoming – we work hard and it’s a serious business but we manage to have a laugh or two as well. And there’s biscuits!!

Caroline

I’m filled with inspiration after an afternoon volunteering at our KidsBank Hub. Whether it be admiration for the generosity of thouse who donate beautiful items, to improve the lives of those they will never meet, awe at the dedication and professionalism of my fellow volunteers and the referrals they’ve put together since my last session, or simply appreciation of having an afternoon of fun with like-minded people. 

Delivering the referrals really brings home how vital KidsBank is: it’s a privilege to be able to improve someone’s day or take a weight of their shoulders, even temporarily. I’m incredibly proud to ring a doorbell and hand over a parcel that will have such an immediate impact on the health and happiness of the children behind that door. 

Volunteering here is a win-win because as well as helping others, it feeds my soul and gives me an opportunity to help myself, mentally and emotionally. I invariably feel better after my ‘KidsBank sessions’. What’s not to love?

Liz

Having only recently joined the volunteer family at KidsBank in Chester I have been blown away by the donations generously given by people and the kindness shown to families who need a helping hand, not just at Christmas but all year round. It is an honour to be a KidsBank volunteer and to work with an amazing bunch of people.

Kath

I’ve had the most inspiring week at KidsBank this week. Had a shift at the Christmas Hub yesterday and main Hub today. I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of my local friends bringing donations and Christmas gifts. I’ve been humbled by the back stories of families we’ve been able to support. This is the most worthwhile thing I’ve done in my whole life. So grateful to be able to be part of KidsBank, and for the fellowship of my lovely volunteer friends.

Rachel

I’ve been volunteering for over 2 years now. I’m a mum of 3 and I own a restaurant in Chester, all of which keeps me very busy. I’m lucky to be flexible with my work life in order to help out at KidsBank. I’m honoured to be part of the truly fantastic team, and to be able to contribute and truly see the difference this charity makes to so many lives.

I love doing the newborn section, it’s never a chore for me. It’s such a special time welcoming a new baby, I like knowing that  I’ve helped provide something of a necessity yet presents it so it still feels special. All new mothers deserve that.

Jen

I had been aware of KidsBank since 2019 and had regularly donated to them at their premises at Northgate Church. As parent to two young children I recognised the need for the service that KidsBank offered and was extremely moved and inspired by the work that Cathy and her team did.

When an opportunity to be a regular volunteer at the new premises in Garden Lane arose I jumped at the chance.

Being part of a supportive and passionate team with a shared objective to improve the lives of families in need is incredibly rewarding  and my morning spent working at the KidsBank Hub is a highlight of my week.

Maggie

KidsBank is a wonderful team to work with. The care and attention to detail that goes into each and every referral is incredible and it’s so lovely to get feedback from the people we help. I’ve been volunteering for over a year and love making up the bundles of clothes for the children. We must always remember that whatever the reasons for financial hardship, none of it is the fault of the children and I hope that what we do at KidsBank, makes like just a little bit better for the familes we serve.

Julie

I had never heard of KidsBank till September 2022. I came to a volunteer day one Wednesday and by Thursday I was doing my first shift, and I’ve been going back ever since. My very first parcel was for Ukrainian refugees who had come here with next to nothing. That family took the time to thank KidsBank on our FB page and I was delighted to see the direct impact our actions have on families from near and very far away. I describe it to friends as like working in a warehouse – goods in; sorting; replenishing stocks and fulfilling orders. However it’s much more rewarding that your usual warehouse job!

Catherina

It is difficult to put into words the absolute passion I have for the incredible work of KidsBank and all the wonderful volunteers that work so hard together to ensure that vulnerable families are supported in such a positive way. 

As a volunteer for KidsBank, my passion for the charity grows each day, and indeed, I don’t think there is a day goes by where I don’t speak to someone about the tremendous work of KidsBank.

One of my most favourite tasks as a volunteer is completing a referral gift for a family. All items are chosen with immense care. On all referrals we enclose a gift tag with a message of hope. I love to put an extra heart underneath my name. The heart represents my love and the promise I made to myself years and years ago to always help vulnerable children and families to thrive through positive action and support. KidsBank allows me to do this. I am proud to be a volunteer.

 

Alex

I began volunteering for KidsBank in 2023 and I loved it from the start! It’s so evident that the staff and volunteers are brilliantly organised, welcoming and hardworking team. They are passionate about bringing hope to seemingly hopeless situations, in a wonderfully practical way. So much care goes into each referral and it’s always acknowledged that items of clothing must be excellent quality so that each family may feel highly valued, whatever their situation. 

I can honestly say it’s such a privilege to be a very small part of a big picture that is helping to show such care and support to those who need it greatly.

Bobbie

I’m Bobbie and I’m a member of the inspiring KidsBank team of volunteers. I joined not long after KidsBank moved to it’s current home and I love every moment and everyone since I started. Everything we do is done with love for our recipient families, which creates the best atmosphere for all us volunteers. We enjoy the happy, busy time we spend together, it’s a wonderful team spirit. 

Iona

Why did I join KidsBank as a volunteer? Simply because I care and it’s the most practical way for me to make a difference. I work with lovely people, we have a laugh but we also work hard to try to benefit as many families as possible during each shift all year round. I do love the build up to Christmas choosing party dresses and jumpers to send out as well as the much needed practical items. Every volunteer does their best for families we may never meet but who we are linked to by the love and care we put into every referral, it’s our way of giving a helping hand when it’s needed.

Sarah

I’ve been volunteering for KidsBank for over five years now and I’ve watched the incredible growth from a small back room helping a handful of local families, to a much larger premises, helping hundreds, if not thousands! I’m so proud of this growth, but also really sad that there is such need for this help.

I love both the environmental side of KidsBank, reusing so much clothing and equipment that might otherwise end up in landfill, and of course knowing that families are able to give their children the things that they need. I often think of my own children and how they would react to the beautiful bundles of clothes and toys that we gift to our families and I’m so happy when I know that children will be warm and comforted, even if other things in their life are difficult.

As I run a business, it’s sometimes hard to fit in my shift at KidsBank but I never regret it. I defintely encourage other business owners to consider what time they can volunteer too!

Audrey

I love being a volunteer at KidsBank. The team are amazing. Everyone is kind, friendly and caring. We work hard but have a lot of fun – the banter is great!

I joined KidsBank because it is such a wonderful organisation and it meant I could support local families. I can also donate my knitting.

I also enjoy organising, sorting and bundling all the wonderful donated books into age appropriate bundles. We give each child a bundle of books. FABULOUS! Being a volunteer at KidsBank is FANTASTIC!

Julie

Hi I’m Julie. I started my volunteering journey with KidsBank in 2022 as a delivery driver. It’s a wonderful privilege to meet our lovely families and see the difference KidsBank makes to them.

In June 2023 I was lucky to become one of the volunteers in the Hub where the referrals are put together. It’s great to be involved in the whole process and to work with some lovely people.

Christine

When I retired I knew that I wanted to do something useful with my time. I had heard of KidsBank but didn’t know very much about the charity and what they did. Then I met Cathy (KidsBank founder) at a crochet class, who spoke so emotionally about the hardship and suffering of so many families in our area that I knew that I wanted to get involved.

I absolutely love working with all the volunteers. Our Wednesday group have a lot of laughs and fun whilst doing our important work. I’ll do anything that’s needed. Whether it’s sorting, ironng – which I love, or making up the important referrals for our families, I put 100% into each task.

Hearing how much it means to families we help makes all the hard work so worthwhile. I leave every time knowing that what I help do makes a difference.

Collette

I am an adopted Cestrian as I am a Liverpudlian who has lived in Chester since 1984 and my three children, and now some of my nine grandchildren, attended school in Chester. I have great memories of my childhood, being brought up on a council estate in Liverpool where people cared for each other, usually in the simplest of ways, and that’s why KidsBank struck a chord with me. 

I have always involved myself in charity work, I can remember going with my mum to help out at local events. As a teacher and headteacher, the schools where I have worked actively supported various charity events but also cared for the school communities in a more subtle and discreet way, when it was needed – a helping hand! . I am a trustee on the board of a charity, working with foster carers in Malawi and visited Malawi in 2015. I have volunteered at an orphanage in Romania, three times. Those visits were very humbling in so many ways but, as with KidsBank, it was the generosity of people back home who donated essential goods, toys, toiletries etc. for me to take out there that epitomized kindness and care for children they don’t know.

In August 2021 I retired from full time work. I am still involved with primary education but retirement has given me the opportunity and time to explore other interests as well as giving a helping hand to my local community in Cheshire through Kids Bank.

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