Sam – Volunteer

Sam has had cerebral palsy from birth and signed up to volunteer after being diagnosed with autism, and learning that FoodCycle is a Disability Confident charity. 

He’s clocked up hundreds of miles travelling by train to volunteer doing the dishes at FoodCycle community meals in Leeds, Bath, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Bristol, Huddersfield, Havant, Peterborough, Exeter, Clacton, Norwich, Southampton and Cardiff. 

Sam also credits his experiences with FoodCycle with helping him find new voluntary work. He now volunteers at a charity shop in his hometown as a Volunteer Housekeeper, and has even been roped into doing the washing up there too! 

Sam says:“FoodCycle has been brilliant in terms of giving me an opportunity to learn how my autism works in the real world.

“When you’re pot washing, you can see that you have a pile of dishes to do, and afterwards the kitchen looks a lot cleaner and tidier than it did when you first walked in – and you know that’s going to help the guests because it’s contributing to them getting a healthy meal.”

He adds: “I almost feel able-bodied when I am volunteering with FoodCycle. I feel like I can go to a session and my disabilities don’t matter.”

Sam has written a poem about his volunteering experience with FoodCycle, entitled Pot Washer:  

Pot Washer   

In the heart of the kitchen, where pots do reside,
I stand as a volunteer, with sponge as my guide. 
Amidst suds and steam, in a dance with the grime, 
I find purpose and joy, in this humble rhyme.  

No laurels or fame, just plates to be clean, 
Yet with these simple tasks, a beauty unseen. 
For in serving others, in this quiet endeavor, 
I find richness in life, that lasts forever.  

With each scrape and scrub, I polish not just pans, 
But the bonds of community, where goodwill expands.
For in giving my time, in this small role I play, 
I find meaning and connection, in a special way.  

So here’s to the pot washers, unsung and unseen, 
Whose acts of kindness, like gleaming pots, gleam. 
For in volunteering, we find our true worth, 
In the simple acts of service, that shape the earth.