Hi everyone!

For this blog I thought I’d change it up a little bit and write about my experiences working in the community here in Adelaide. Ever since arriving here, I’ve loved this city, and a few months ago I really felt like it was time to serve others and help make this a better place to live. This blog is going to be about my experiences!

I’ve been involved with several volunteer opportunities, but the one that I’m probably the proudest about is the Edge Assist Street Care that I’m a part of, which is out every Friday night here on Hindley street between midnight and 3 AM. Some people that I talk to think I’m insane for being out at that time of night, on that street, but for me it’s really a lot of fun.

Basically, we all meet at Edge Church on Hindley at about 11:45 PM, and begin making coffee, tea, hot chocolate, toasted sandwiches (or as the aussies call them. “sandies” or “toasties”) as well as organizing brownies and lollipops.  Once that’s all done, some of the team will stay back at the Church to keep making food, while the rest of us go out in teams onto the street with all of our food! We offer the food to anyone we see on the streets, including bouncers, taxi drivers, people out on the town for the night, homeless people, buskers, and pretty much anyone who may be living or working on the streets. 

People absolutely love us out there – I average about 10 hugs a night from random strangers. We also stay safe, with us staying in teams of at least 3, with at least one male a part of every team. The bouncers really like us as well, so that helps us feel safe because we know there’s an added element of protection.

I love being a part of the program. It’s really the highlight of my week, because I get to meet so many interesting people. It also helps that when people hear my accent, they have a lot of questions and want to talk pretty quickly. I have a lot of pride in what we do, and I love being a part of the team. The only time it gets a bit tough, is when it’s cold and rainy out. It’s winter here now, so sometimes we have temperatures around 2 degrees, and it can be rainy in winter here, so it’s a bit chilly sometimes! Kind of reminds me of home a bit though haha

Here’s a video clip that was prepared about what we do in the city. I really hope that you enjoy it!

View a great video about the team here

I’m also about to begin a new volunteer job with the Childhood Cancer Association of South Australia, and I’m really excited about the opportunity. I’ll be sure to write about that in a later blog!

Stay safe and stay well!