Op shop volunteers - Sacred Heart Mission

About the position

Sacred Heart Mission is a local Melbourne charity focused on elevating disadvantage, social exclusion, and homelessness. Volunteering in our op shops is absolutely crucial to Sacred Heart Mission as our stores provide the funding that allows our other services to run.

About Sacred Heart Mission

Every day of the year, Sacred Heart Mission assists hundreds of people who are experiencing homelessness or disadvantage to find shelter, food, care and support. Through our wide-ranging homelessness services, research and innovation we strongly advocate for an inclusive, fair and compassionate community where people can overcome disadvantage and trauma.

Everyone is welcome at our table

We are committed to providing volunteering opportunities for all people regardless of age, gender, cultural background, disability, or sexual orientation. We recognise the strength and value in diversity, and actively foster an inclusive community. People who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander are strongly encouraged to apply.

Our op shops

Our 13 op shops in Melbourne contribute up to 30 percent of Sacred Heart Mission’s total income.

As recycling hubs for their communities, our stores work with local businesses and residents on reducing landfill, giving pre-loved goods a second home and educating communities on how to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“Volunteering – just do it. It’s fantastic. Makes you feel good.”

We talked to six op shop volunteers about their volunteering experience – and why they recommend you to join our op shop family:

Join our op shop family

Hear what Olivia, Julie, Arian, Duong, Hilary, Carol and Paul have to say about op shop volunteering – and why they recommend you to join our op shop family:

Olivia: I think volunteering is important, especially for organisations such as Sacred Heart Mission, because it allows them to exist.

Julie: Volunteering is so important to me as a single mother and a self-employed person. So for me to be able to spend a few hours giving back to the community is a great thing.

Olivia: I originally started volunteering in the Elsternwick op shop because it was my local op shop. It was just such a nice place to be. Everyone wanted to be there. Everyone was really welcoming and passionate about what they were doing.

Adrian: You get all sorts of characters coming in from overseas, a lot of backpackers, and there’s an eclectic bunch of people that live in the neighborhood here with unusual haircuts and their fashion sense.

Duong: Normally I come in at 10:00 AM and then I ask for the manager to give me some tasks. And then most of the time I hang the clothes, tagging, and then taking them out to the store and people can start to buy them.

Hilary: I do four hour shift and I spend most of my time on the floor. Sometimes I do the cash register, but most of the time I’m putting more things on the racks, tidying up the racks, tidying up the shoes.

Carole: It’s a great way to keep yourself involved in your local neighborhood. Brunswick Street is the most fantastic street – it’s just full of surprises. The biggest surprises is this shop, it’s great. It’s just the best.

Olivia: I think volunteering has changed me in a lot of ways. It’s introduced me to a lot of people that I otherwise wouldn’t have interacted with or gotten to know.

Hilary: I really think that this will be something I’ll do for many, many years to come.

Julie: Volunteering – just do it. It’s fantastic. Makes you feel good.

Paul: It gives you acceptance. It gives you an inclusion. It gives you confidence. It’s a real thing. And if you put something into it, you’ll get something back in tenfold.

Responsibilities

Help provide a welcoming atmosphere, make the store look presentable, provide fantastic customer service, work the till and be part of a wonderful op shop team. And most importantly come be part of something bigger.

Commitment

We are flexible with what fits your schedule but prefer a half or full day commitment once a week or fortnight.

To apply

As part of the application process we will ask you to agree to a confidentiality agreement, Code of Conduct and be willing to undergo a police check.

Apply now

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