Amanda who volunteers at Loaves of Love
What inspired you to volunteer?
I was at a business conference, at Brighton SEO, and they were talking about donating your digital skills to charities. I thought it was a brilliant idea and having researched everything online I signed up to a few opportunities on Hive Portsmouth.
What volunteering do you do and who with?
I volunteer with a fantastic community project called Loaves of Love, in Portsmouth. I am the Social Media Manager and I help run the Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels.
When did you get involved with this organisation?
I am fairly new – I joined them at the beginning of 2023, and I am loving it.
What attracted you to this role & organisation?
Loaves of Love was created out of a wish to help and support women asylum seekers and refugees in the local community. They bring women together through the medium of baking bread to help them feel welcome and valued in the community. One of their goals is to provide a safe environment to support the emotional needs of vulnerable local women, to relax, interact and talk with each other, develop connections, skills and confidence. My day job centres around digital marketing for a well known baking equipment brand (Kenwood in Havant) so this fitted perfectly with what I already did, and I totally believe in the cause and in empowering women.
What are your activities and what do they involve?
I create content and post all of the day to day posts and recipes on all social channels, respond to enquiries and comments, post events and help drive traffic and more engagement to the platforms. On baking days, which are twice a month at the Pompey Centre, I pop over to the venue and take pictures for the following weeks content.
What motivates you to stay involved?
The other volunteers, most definitely, who were all so warm and welcoming, and the lovely atmosphere at the classes. There is always music and often lots of dancing – its a fabulous afternoon.
What have you personally gained from volunteering?
I love to help out with anything, so I get to do that. Plus it keeps all my social media skills current for my career, and I am discovering so much about my local community and learning loads. It’s a lovely creative job, so a lot of fun, and I can do most of it at home.
What would you say to anyone thinking about making the leap and volunteering themselves?
Take the leap and go for it! You volunteering can make a big difference to the direction a charity or community project takes, and in turn make a huge difference to people’s lives. They will really appreciate your commitment. It does not have to be a lot of your time, every little really does help. And you can learn a lot, it’s win win. And who knows where it might lead!
Do you have a message to share / anything else you’d like to say?
Yes please – we are trying to build awareness of our lovely project so please tag our social pages or site in anything you are able to? It helps us spread the word – Thank you! Facebook: @loavesoflovegb Log into Facebook Instagram: @loavesoflovegb Website: Loaves of Love
Feeling inspired to volunteer? Click the link below to get started!
https://volunteer.hiveportsmouth.com/search-results/?postcode=&keyword=loaves+of+love