All of the volunteers at SSVP Brant Thrift Store are young at heart, regardless of their chronological age. However this summer, additional lively young volunteers arrived to assist our usual crew.
At the pre-sorting table, Quin (Gr. 9 at Assumption College) has been assisting Grandma Rita with her tasks.
In new volunteer roles necessitated by the pandemic, Ally (Gr. 12 at North Park Collegiate) and Kylie (Gr. 12 at Assumption College) have been greeting customers, explaining our hygiene and physical distancing precautions as well as disinfecting shopping carts.
When Julian (Gr. 9 at St. John’s College) has arrived each Wednesday with his grandfather, volunteer Edwin, he has jumped into whatever task awaits, especially lots of sorting: food donations, hangers, clothing and lots of other stuff.
When Charlie (Gr. 10 at Assumption College) has come along with grandmother Elaine, he has proven to be a “doer”, both receiving donations and pre-sorting them under the direction of volunteer Theresa.
Volunteer Wies’ granddaughter Sophie (from Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School in Orillia) shared her years of experience with SSVP Brant as she returned for a working visit at the sorting table.
With much appreciation for this sharing of their energy and enthusiasm we wish our young volunteers well as they return to whichever version of school they have chosen. And we are excited to know that some of them will be returning to help periodically in the next months as their schedules permit.
Volunteer experience (40 hours total) is currently required as part of the graduation requirements for high school students in Ontario. Also, the commitment, work ethic and community spirit demonstrated by such activity is recognized positively when students apply for post-secondary scholarships or bursaries.
Any high school student wishing to volunteer during the school year is very welcome to join our team at SSVP Brant Thrift Store. To explore this possibility contact us at ssvpbrant@gmail.com.