Media Release

Uniting Country SA Volunteer Thank You

Uniting Country SA (UCSA) would like to thank their volunteers for the contribution they have made during the past year. The work provided by UCSA’s 162 volunteers plays a vital role in the delivery of services to the community. Volunteering plays a valuable role in contributing significantly to the quality & vibrancy of our society and in sustaining healthy, resilient communities. The South Australian volunteering effort is valued at $5 billion annually.

 

UCSA’s volunteer workforce enables the operations of centres such as the Port Pirie Community Centre, the Parham Street Centre and the Peterborough Community Hub. Volunteers operate UCSA’s op shop Goods @ Gertrude, and the Port Pirie Community Foodhub, UCSA’s food security support store. Uniting Country SA’s volunteers also provide a variety of services to the community including cooking meals, tutoring children, assisting in UCSA’s parenting programs, processing tax returns, and assisting with writing the No Interest Loan Scheme loans (NILS).

 

In the past year, UCSA’s volunteers specifically labelled books for the green/blue bookcases, treated 105 children for headlice, delivered 2000 calendars in Port Augusta, helped achieve our 10,000^th Microcredit Loan, and processed over 100 tax returns, the highest in South Australia.  The volunteers produced and sold 1,179 ‘Tasty Tucker’ meals, they serviced 4,120 customers at the Community Centre, 2,840 customers at the Community Foodhub, and thousands more at Goods @ Gertrude. This year alone, volunteers distributed over 20 tonnes of food, including 5 tonnes of bread and 16 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

These are just some of the examples of support volunteers have provided to local regional communities in 2019. UCSA is incredibly grateful for their contribution, without this dedicated group of people we would not be able to provide many of the services Uniting Country SA do.