When Ann and Barry retired they were both looking for new and beneficial ways to fill their spare time. Ann had been working in schools administration and Barry had been an engineer with the Port of Melbourne Authority.
When Ann heard about FareShare, she was excited about volunteering in the kitchen. After learning FareShare also needed drivers, she suggested her husband Barry register too. In August 2016, Ann joined the kitchen crew and Barry got behind the wheel for food rescue and delivery runs.
Ann enjoys her Thursday afternoon shift in the kitchen – both the company and the end result of helping others. Barry drives for FareShare twice a week.
Barry considers himself fortunate to get broad exposure to FareShare’s operations, from food collection right through to distributing our cooked meals to charities. He views his voluntary role as his new “job” and while he takes his responsibility very seriously, he feels it’s more friendly, inclusive and relaxing than his paid work was.
Outside of FareShare Ann and Barry spend time with their four grandchildren, other family and friends, and love having the time to travel. Barry is keen on cycling, classic cars and languages – he’s learning Spanish and French. He keeps busy and is known as a Mr Fixit to his friends.
Ann and Barry are proud of their volunteering roles with FareShare (as are 99%+ of the volunteers we surveyed in April this year) and have found FareShare a valuable way to give back to the community in their retirement. We are very grateful for their generous and ongoing support.
