I came to Asda Park Royal for 2 hours around lunchtime to help Ealing Foodbank with the food collection organised in front of the supermarket. I had limited experience with such events, so it made sense to put me on the frontline to greet the customers and convince them to donate to the foodbank. I was given a green Ealing Foodbank tabard, a bucket for cash collection and a bunch of lists of the most needed items to hand to the shoppers. I kept running out of these lists once I figured out the tactics of how to hand them over in the most effective way. Some people turned out to be very generous, even if they picked the foodbank shopping list reluctantly. We had shoppers bringing the whole bags of goods! The most creative items on my shift were mushrooms (sorry, cannot take perishables!) and a big bucket of popcorn.

It was a pleasure to meet other volunteers, be outside on a warm day and get out of my comfort zone. Walking up to people and convincing them to donate was somewhat like working in sales - but enjoyable!