Nathan Morton-Pena

During my time working in the synagogue, I would normally have the same role every Saturday which included cutting and buttering bread, setting it on a plate and delivering it to the tables. Then I would deliver the rest of the food and place them on the table along with the jugs, cups, and mugs. During their meal I'd be asked simple tasks such as refilling the jugs, tidying up any mess, taking out the bin bags or serving teas and coffees. Once everyone had eaten, I would carry all the plates, jugs, cups and mugs back to the kitchen to be washed where I would finally dry them and finish my shift. If there was an event, such as a Bar Mitzvah, I'd be at the ice cream table serving ice cream to the children. On one occasion during a big event, we were understaffed but had to make more food than usual so I took the initiative to get there early and help with the food preparation which led to us to have everything ready to be served just on time.

During my time volunteering in the charity, I learnt a lot of new skills such as steaming clothes, tagging clothes, serving customers at the till, receiving donations, jotting down customer information, helping on the shop floor (checking expiry dates, making sure nothing has fallen, organizing clothes by size, etc...) as well as helping set up before opening hours and helping set down after closing hours. I enjoyed my time volunteering there because not only were the staff nice but the day-to-day tasks I carried out were really interesting.

Although it's not technically an organisation, every Friday at my church I would sell snacks (such as cans, sweets, chocolates and crisps) to young people during 'Youth' which is what we called our weekly meet-up. This involved working the card machine, telling customers the snack prices, and being able to quickly give them their change if they were paying in cash. I even got an award at out yearly Christmas party for being such a well-rounded volunteer.