Volunteer with Social Bite
Volunteers are at the heart of what we do at Social Bite. From our weekly food provision services to our annual fundraising campaigns; we wouldn’t be able to deliver our services if it wasn’t for the amazing people that give their time and commitment to Social Bite.
If you are interested in volunteering with us on our mission to end homelessness, we would love to hear from you!
We welcome you to get in touch via email: volunteering@social-bite.co.uk. or speak with our Volunteer Coordinator on 0131 353 02 50.
We require volunteers to help with the running of our food provision services, which are our Social Breakfasts, Social Suppers, and Social Scran services. These are regular roles and involve serving food and drink, interacting with the people that use our services, working alongside our Development and Support Workers on various activities for our sit-in food service events; and most importantly – having fun and welcoming people!
Throughout the year, we also have ad-hoc volunteering opportunities at our various fundraising campaign events. From giving out medals to cyclists at our Break the Cycle campaign, to collecting donated gifts at Festival of Kindness; there are lots of ways you can contribute.
We ask that most volunteers for our food provision services are able to volunteer on a regular basis, be it once a week or every two weeks. Volunteering at our Social Bite food provision events (Social Scran at our coffee shops, Social Supper or Vesta) usually requires 3 hours of volunteering for each event.
We have ad-hoc volunteering opportunities, when we welcome people to assist with our yearly campaigns like Break the Cycle and Festival of Kindness. In these instances, we will usually ask what you are able to commit to and then match you appropriately with the most suitable role.
We welcome volunteers to help make our annual campaigns possible. These include events like Break the Cycle and Festival of Kindness. These incredible campaigns are only possible through the incredible support we receive from volunteers. Whether you are able to give a few hours of your time, or if you would like to do several volunteering shifts – supporting Social Bite at a campaign is perfect for those who would like to give time to volunteering on a one-off or casual basis.
Please get in touch with us at volunteering@social-bite.co.uk. Our Volunteer Coordinator will respond letting you know what kind of opportunities are currently available or upcoming, and ask you to fill out Social Bite’s online Volunteer Application form.
You must be 18 or over to volunteer at Social Bite.
We do not require a Disclosure / PVG check to volunteer with Social Bite. When you apply, we will ask you to provide two references and to disclose any previous criminal convictions.
Yes. We ask that you provide two references in your Volunteer Application form.
Yes you can. If you are in receipt of benefits you are entitled to volunteer without losing your benefits.
The Department for Work and Pensions believes that volunteering can improve your employability. However, there might be some restrictions and requirements that a person might need to meet. Always tell your benefits officer that you are about to start volunteering.
You can find additional information here: gov.uk/guidance/volunteering-and-claiming-benefits
Yes. The UK Border Agency recognises volunteering as a purposeful activity and will not prevent people from volunteering. In fact, volunteering is a great way to integrate into a community and for improving spoken English. There is some useful information on the Volunteer Glasgow website.
This will be dependent on the type of conviction and whether it is spent or unspent. We welcome applications from everyone and ask that you declare any criminal convictions in your application from. We will discuss any convictions on an individual basis after application is received.
Social Bite will reimburse travel expenses to volunteers during the period they are volunteering with us. The procedure to claim expenses will be explained during the induction process.
Volunteering at Social Bite can potentially be physically and mentally demanding. Therefore, we encourage you to disclose information that will allow us to support you appropriately, match you to the most suitable role and make any necessary adjustments. Any personal information that you disclose will be treated confidentially.
Should you require more information about how your details will be stored please contact us at volunteering@social-bite.co.uk