SOFEA have over 200 volunteers on their books. Some support every day, some much less frequently and particularly through the pandemic they were key to the very rapid and sudden increase in their operations.

Between March and August 2020 volunteers helped to make and distribute over 110,000 food parcels containing over 2 million items.

Most of the volunteers enjoy contributing to the food distribution operation, but others support across the organisation. All make an important contribution to the education and employability programmes they run with young people.

This session will cover:

• The value of volunteers/ volunteering to the organisation and to the volunteer

• How to recruit volunteers (and how to recruit staff from the volunteer force)

• Onboarding and induction (including compliance)

• Working with volunteers: Roles of volunteers/ Deployment of volunteers/ Challenges of volunteers/ Interacting with volunteers form other organisations

There will also be an opportunity to volunteer with SOFEA for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

The event will run from 10 am – 2.30 pm with the afternoon session dedicated to a short stint of volunteering in SOFEA food redistribution warehouse. Lunch will be provided, and there is parking on site. Sign in at unit 1E.

About SOFEA

SOFEA has a dual social mission – educating disadvantaged young people and providing surplus food to other not for profit organisations.

Founded just over 5 years ago, it has grown to a revenue of £1.5m, employing 48 people on three sites.

For more information about the eScalate programme , visit www.oxfordshirelep.com/escalate

Please note that this evetn is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is delivered as part of the eScalate programme to help SMEs. By engaging in this programme you are being offered assistance under the De Minimis regulation which allows a company to receive up to but not exceeding €200,000 of public funding (at the applicable exchange rate) of De Minimis aid over a rolling three-tax year fiscal period. This de minimis declaration does not cover undertakings engaged in: the primary production of agricultural goods and fisheries/aquaculture, road freight, services of general economic interest and export related activities and activities favouring domestic over imported goods. Please note, support cannot be given to undertakings (businesses) in difficulty. In order to receive support from this programme, you will be required to complete an application form and other relevant documentation.