Kiwis are a good bunch, aren’t they?

Every year, we volunteer around 159 million hours of labour. And that number doesn’t include informal volunteering like simply lending a hand to a friend or helping a neighbour out!

At Mercer, contributing to community is part of our culture - every staff member is given one working day a year to make a difference. And in 2019, that added up 1,500 hours (around 37 weeks)!

So with National Volunteer Week fast approaching (20-26 June), we thought we’d take a look at the different ways people from Mercer are contributing across the country.

Kelly O’Brien - Kaibosh Food Rescue

When Kelly O’Brien first arrived in New Zealand, she knew volunteering would be key to becoming part of her new community.

“I’d done a little volunteering before I left England, but when I moved to Wellington I thought it’d be a great way to get to know people,” says Kelly, who works an Analyst for Mercer.

It was successful strategy, so when she moved to the Kapiti Coast last year, Kelly started looking for a way to meet and contribute to her new community. And when Wellington food rescue non-profit Kaibosh opened its 3rd branch in Paraparaumu and announced it was looking for volunteers, Kelly was quick to respond.

Kaibosh’s Aimee Bowden says volunteers like Kelly are critical to the organisation, which runs Monday to Friday.

“We have four part-time drivers who every morning pick up food from supermarkets in the area. The drivers return to Kaibosh with trucks packed with produce, meat, frozen goods, milk and cheese”.

“Our volunteers then quality check, weigh and box the food, so it can be distributed the next day to charities like The Salvation Army, Barnados, and Pathways,” says Aimee.

Already Kaibosh has stopped over 57 tonnes of waste going to landfill as well as helping at least 27 community groups on the Kapiti Coast.

Kelly’s able to volunteer 2-3 times a month even though she works full time at Mercer because she can work from home and has the flexibility to manage her workload around Kaibosh shifts.

“It’s a double bonus being able to volunteer at an organisation that’s focussed on reducing food waste and helping people in need,” says Kelly. “And I really like how Mercer encourages and supports employees to volunteer. Whether it’s reducing environmental impact, being a sports coach, or even helping out on your child’s school trip, we all get to contribute one day every year to a cause we believe in,” she says.

Considering volunteering? Learn more about Kaibosh. Or to see volunteering options across the country, check out Seek Volunteer.