Each month, we speak to someone from our family volunteers, staff, or partner agencies whose passion and dedication is helping us to ensure that no one in Cambridge faces hunger alone.
As we are close to completing the move to our new warehouse unit on Nuffield Close, we thought it would be interesting to sit down with one of our amazing volunteers who helped ensure that the move was smooth and successful. We therefore spoke to warehouse-based volunteer, Andrea Smith, who kindly supported us with the mammoth move!
Read on to learn more about the move, the new unit, Andrea’s background, and what she enjoys doing while she’s not with our Foodbank…
What was your background prior to joining the Foodbank?
I was what some would call a ‘great stick in the mud.’ I spent 36 years working for the same telecommunications consultancy in Cambridge and, for 34 of those years, I was an Editor. While the documents I worked on were produced by technical experts, they weren’t necessarily targeted at people with similar levels of knowledge. So, one element of my role was to ensure that our documents were digestible for executives, managers, and other key decision makers. I worked on a lot of company reports, new business proposals and presentations, helping to ensure our messaging landed well with our target audiences. It was very interesting working in technology and seeing how it changed across the almost 40 years that I was with my company – things certainly changed a lot!
Why was it that you wanted to start volunteering with the Foodbank?
I retired in February 2024 and was looking for opportunities to keep myself busy while supporting a good cause. I’d sometimes see Foodbank volunteers standing outside my local Tesco store encouraging people to donate and this made me seriously consider helping out. However, it was during lockdown, when one of my children mentioned that they were interested in volunteering with the Foodbank, that the seed was first planted in my head.
I only live a short bike ride from the Orwell House warehouse which is very convenient and I get to support an incredibly important cause. My position based at the warehouse also doesn’t require me to use a computer which, after 36 years of using one almost every day, is a big relief!
What are your current roles and responsibilities at the Foodbank?
I’m based in the warehouse and volunteer a couple of hours per week on a Wednesday. My team is usually made up of three or four people, including me, and we’re led by Ben Hancock, our Warehouse and Logistics Coordinator. The tasks typically involve sorting, weighing and processing new donations, and packing our three-day emergency food parcels.
You volunteered to help during the warehouse move. Can you tell us about that process and about the new unit?
I raised my hand to help out on the third day of the move, and by the time I got there the team had made tremendous progress. All of the shelving units had already gone across to the new unit and the old warehouse at Orwell House was already looking pretty empty. The only things that remained were some of the food items – this was to ensure that we maintained our level of service so that all our visitors who required emergency food were able to access it.
I was tasked with helping sort the food and the crates at the new unit on Nuffield Close. When I was there, it was quite difficult to envision exactly what the new warehouse will look like once it’s fully functional, but I got the impression that it will be much easier for teams to move around the area. There’s much more space between the aisles and it’s brilliant to have all of the shelving and racking located within one big space, as opposed to being split across two units like in the old warehouse. I can imagine it will be significantly more efficient in terms of operations once it’s up and running.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not volunteering?
Since I’ve retired, I’ve adopted a fairly laid-back approach to living – that’s what my husband would say at least! Having said that, I enjoy focusing on my physical fitness and do Pilates at least twice per week. I also run two or three times a week and attend a strength and conditioning class in my village.
Asides from fitness I’m also a passionate baker, enjoy bird watching, visiting nature reserves, and doing puzzles.