Compassion Centre Volunteers

The majority of volunteers help in the Soup Kitchen, however the Centre has other volunteer roles available.

MISSION – to support people in need to live with dignity in the community.

The Suzanne Aubert Compassion Centre is a social service organisation that has been working with and for the people of Wellington for more than a century. The Centre was established by Suzanne Aubert at a time of great social need in 1899. The Centre has responded to the changing needs of the community over the last century providing support to those on the margins. This support is only possible because a large team of volunteers gift their time and talents and work as part of the team at the Centre.

The Centre operates a Soup Kitchen at its Tory Street premises. A breakfast of hot soup and rolls is served to 25–40 guests, and hot dinner to 70–100 from Monday to Saturday. The guests who come to the Centre for a meal may:

be living alone and appreciate the social contact
have mental or general health issues
be recently released from prison
be homeless and sleeping rough
be staying at the Night Shelter or in rooms in boarding houses or hostels nearby
have a dependency on alcohol, drugs, glue or gambling
be passing through Wellington from other parts of the country
be unemployed

We ask no questions of our guests and welcome all.

Volunteer roles & training

All Soup Kitchen volunteers attend an introductory training session at the Centre. This is alternatively held on a Saturday afternoon or weekday evening and takes three hours. Training sessions are held every three to four months. Additionally, volunteers who go on to work in the Soup Kitchen in the evening, complete on‑the‑job training over a period of weeks with the guidance of more experienced volunteers.

Volunteers in the Visitor Programme also complete a short additional training session.

Ongoing training on particular areas is offered at various times throughout the year.

Volunteer roles

The Compassion Centre has the support of a great many volunteers. The majority of volunteers help in the Soup Kitchen in the evening.

Soup kitchen – evening
Six or more volunteers work as a team with Centre staff to serve dinner to our guests and assist in the kitchen (4.30–6pm Mon–Sat). Generally volunteers work once a week, once a fortnight or once a month. Every effort has been made to make the dining room in the Centre an attractive place, much like a cafeteria, where guests can feel welcome and comfortable in a friendly and warm environment. Volunteers play a significant role in creating this environment through the friendly service they provide to our guests.

Other areas volunteers assist with …

Soup kitchen – morning
One volunteer helps in the Soup Kitchen (7.30–8.30am Mon–Sat) to serve soup and bread, wipe tables, do dishes etc. Generally volunteers work once a week, once a fortnight or once a month.

Friday Forums
Every Friday afternoon the Soup Kitchen holds a forum for the guests. Soup Kitchen guests feel comfortable attending forums at the Centre in a way they may not elsewhere, and are keen to engage with presenters and enjoy each others’ company. We try to have a good mix of informative topics as well as entertainment. Volunteers can help with the organisation of the forums, by sourcing speakers and being present at the forums. Forums usually last one hour, and are a good way to get to know the guests.

Visiting Programme
Volunteers visit the lonely, sick and elderly as well as refugee families. These clients often live in the large complexes of flats run by the City Council or Housing NZ. Volunteers commit to short regular visits (usually one hour a week).

The Gathering
This is a regular get-together (1.30–3pm, the first Wed of every month) for elderly clients to enjoy light entertainment, afternoon tea and conversation. Volunteers transport clients to/from the Centre and assist in hosting duties.

Bread collection roster
A volunteer collects and transports bread donated by Wellington City New World to the Centre using their own vehicle (7am, Mon–Sat). Volunteers usually commit to one day a week.

Harbourside market collection
Volunteers attend the Sunday market (1.30–3pm) to receive fresh fruit and vegetables donated by stall‑holders and their customers. They then transport the goods (in their own vehicle) to the Centre. Volunteers usually work in pairs or with a Sister once a month.

Food Day Appeal
Twice a year on Saturday, donated food is collected from an Island Bay supermarket as part of the wider Foodbank Coalition Appeal. Volunteers assist for an hour handing out leaflets, receiving the donations and thanking benefactors.

Street Day Appeal & Raffle
We have an annual Street Day Appeal on a Friday and volunteers assist either as a street collector or an area co-ordinator. In conjunction with this, we also run a raffle and volunteers assist with ticket sales.

Miscellaneous fundraising events
Volunteers assist with a range of one-off fundraising events, eg fashion shows, cake stalls, movie nights

What now?

If you think you might be interested in volunteering at the Suzanne Aubert Compassion Centre, please download this form and return it to us. You‘ll be contacted with details of the next relevant training session.

Suzanne Aubert Compassion Centre
132 Tory St
WELLINGTON 6011
Phone: 04 385 9299
Fax: 04 384 9769
Email: sacc@compassion.org.nz

To read about a recent Compassion Centre volunteer, please click here.

If you would like to know about vounteering generally fo the Sisters of Compassion, please click here.