A VAST Volunteering Case Study
The Compassion Kitchen and Roberto Carlos
“Helping others helps me, and everyone needs a hand and heart to help”
Roberto Carlos is one of the amazing volunteers that has been supporting The Compassion Kitchen as a Soup Kitchen Volunteer.
The Compassion Kitchen feed the homeless and those in need every Sunday.
The Compassion Kitchen is a charity established and run by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ. The Compassion Kitchen feed the homeless and those in need every Sunday with the help of their volunteers at Sacred Heart Parish Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.
Gloria, our Inclusive Volunteering Project Officer, initially met with Roberto Carlos in August 2024 and spent time getting to know Roberto Carlos and gaining insight into Roberto Carlos’s skills and abilities.
Roberto Carlos had previously worked as a Restaurant Manager in an American Restaurant in South America and had also previously volunteered in a charity shop in London so had lots of great interpersonal skills.
Roberto Carlos thought that the Soup Kitchen volunteer role would be the one for him.
The Compassionate Kitchen were looking for individuals whose skills and abilities below matched Roberto Carlos exactly, so this was a great start!
Roberto Carlos was excited to start volunteering and when asked why Roberto Carlos wanted to volunteer, he said:
“I enjoy helping others and am eager to improve my English skills”
Roberto Carlos’s role and responsibilities are diverse and include:
- Volunteers begin at 9:00am each Sunday and typically finish around 1:30pm.
- They assist with preparing and cooking food, serving a hot meal and drink, which changes weekly to offer variety. All food is provided free of charge to community members.
- They help support the effort to feed approximately 65-70 people.
“I enjoy practicing my improved English skills, helping others, and have made many new friends.”
“I think that help and support is very useful, and charities need helping hands from people who are volunteers from the heart”
We absolutely agree Roberto Carlos!
