Social Bite (Aberdeen)

Support homeless people through provision of food and employment opportunities, and raise money for good causes through social enterprise. We are a ‘Social Business’. This means that 100% (every single penny) of our profits are given to good causes and 1 in 4 of our team are formerly homeless people. We also feed the local homeless community through our ‘Suspended Coffee and Food’ initiative.


Current opportunities

*Why we need you: At Social Bite we believe that no one should be hungry, there is enough food and wealth in the city that means we can do something about this. Food is a great way of meeting peoples’ needs as well as offering community, a listening ear, and sign posting people to other services they may need. *What will you be doing? As part of a team of volunteers and a Social Bite shop staff member, you will be: • Preparing hot food, drinks, and setting up the shop to offer this take away service. • Being a friendly face and talking to people about how they are doing. • 'Signposting' people to various services provided by our partner charities e.g. housing/benefits advice, courses, drug/alcohol support. • Inviting them to Social Suppers. • Cleaning up after the session has finished. • We are looking for volunteers to help us on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays 2.00pm-3.15pm. *What skills and attributes do you need? • Being friendly and personable to ensure all customers feel welcome in the shop. • Enthusiasm and energy for serving customers. • A tolerant and non-judgemental attitude. • The ability to volunteer as part of a team with staff and other volunteers. • Experience of a catering environment/with food would be great but is in no way essential. • Experience of working with vulnerable people or those experiencing homelessness would be great but is not essential. *What support will you be given? • Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards. • Regular opportunities to feedback to Volunteer Coordinator. • Volunteer Calendar of events and Volunteer Bi Monthly Newsletter. • FLOW Online Food hygiene and healthy & safety training. • Quarterly refresher training evenings. • Debrief with on-call staff member when needed. Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards. *What benefits can you expect? • To be part of a fun and friendly team. • Satisfaction of seeing vulnerable people benefit from the food and support we provide.   • The chance to develop skills and experience in a major charity/social enterprise, community work and catering. A fantastic opportunity and all help makes a real difference for people we support and is greatly appreciated. For more information please email: volunteering@social-bite.co.uk

*Why we need you: At Social Bite we believe that no one should be hungry, there is enough food and wealth in the city that means we can do something about this. Food is a great way of meeting peoples’ needs as well as offering community, a listening ear, and sign posting people to other services they may need. *What will you be doing? As part of a team of volunteers and a Social Bite shop staff member, you will be: • Preparing hot food, drinks, and setting up the shop to offer this take away service. • Being a friendly face and talking to people about how they are doing. • 'Signposting' people to various services provided by our partner charities e.g. housing/benefits advice, courses, drug/alcohol support. • Inviting them to Social Suppers. • Cleaning up after the session has finished. *What support will you be given? • Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards. • Regular opportunities to feedback to Volunteer Coordinator. • Volunteer Calendar of events and Volunteer Bi Monthly Newsletter. • FLOW Online Food hygiene and healthy & safety training. • Quarterly refresher training evenings. • Debrief with on-call staff member when needed. Induction session with a background to the organisation, role specific training, and information about local services to sign post people towards. *What benefits can you expect? • To be part of a fun and friendly team. • Satisfaction of seeing vulnerable people benefit from the food and support we provide.   • The chance to develop skills and experience in a major charity/social enterprise, community work and catering. A fantastic opportunity and all help makes a real difference for people we support and is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact Aimee Smith, Social Bite Volunteer Coordinator at email aimee.smith@social-bite.co.uk or telephone 07849082973.

Our vision for Social Suppers is simple, we want to be able to provide delicious and nutritious food to people who are currently homeless or experiencing food poverty. We believe in meeting people’s basic needs for food and shelter, and at the same time as building positive relationships providing individuals with opportunities to make the changes they want to make in their lives. *Why we need you: To volunteer alongside Social Bite staff and a team of volunteers to provide regular hot meals and support to people affected by homelessness (on a Thursday afternoon). *What will I be doing? • Volunteering with Social Bite shop staff to prepare the shop and get food and drink set up for each evening session. • Welcoming people to the shop. Being a friendly face and talking to them about how they are doing. • Passing on information to people about how they can access services provided by our partner charities e.g. housing/benefits advice, courses, drug/alcohol support. • Cleaning and tidying up at the end of the service. *Relevant training and excellent support is provided to all volunteers. Including: • Food Hygiene training (can be done remotely through our online training portal) • Induction with a staff member • The chance to complete a trial session to see if volunteering suits you. • A training evening, where you will be shown how we run the sessions plus information about the local services that our homeless visitors can access. • One to one support from a designated staff member as and when you need it. A fantastic opportunity and all help makes a real difference for people we support and is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact Paul Rodger, Development and Support Worker, Social Bite at email: Paul.Rodger@Social-Bite.co.uk or telephone: 07946125705.