Volunteers serve over 1.5 million meals

Sanitarium staff regularly volunteer at Coast Shelter’s free community restaurant through an employee volunteering program that’s been running since 2012. Coast Shelter calculates that Sanitarium staff have contributed well over 2,000 volunteer hours in support of the community through meal preparation and service.

In 2020, thanks to the financial assistance and volunteer power of Sanitarium and other organisations the Coast Community Centre served their 1.5 millionth meal to those doing it tough on the Coast. CEO Rachel Willis said “We here at Coast Shelter are incredibly proud to be tackling homelessness and domestic and family violence with Sanitarium as our friend and supporter. Without you and your team we would not be able to do what we do, and we thank you for helping us to support those doing it tough.”

“In 2019 Coast Shelter nominated Sanitarium for the Corporate Volunteer of the Year award through Volunteering Australia Central Coast. We were so happy when we heard that Sanitarium made it as a finalist against a large competitive group of other worthy corporations.” “Volunteering at Coast Shelter is a great opportunity to give back to the local community and help those doing it tough,” says Laura Augros, who coordinates Sanitarium’s six-weekly Sunday night shift at Coast Shelter. “As volunteers, we get a feeling of appreciation for what we have and are grateful we are able to help others."

Kylie Hogan, Volunteer Coordinator Coast Shelter said “Sanitarium is one of our trail-blazing corporate partnerships whose generosity has been ahead of its time here on the Centre Coast, with a well-established employee volunteering programme. Encouraging your employees to volunteer not only greatly assists Coast Shelter to feed the vulnerable in our community, but it is well documented that these types of programs create a more positive working environment for your own employees.”