A LinC to the community looking for volunteers

This article was originally published in Star Mail.

LinC, Love in the name of Christ, is a church crisis support organisation on the hunt for more volunteers.

General Manager Julie Szabo said LinC and its team of roughly 60 volunteers are always listening to the community for feedback on how they can best assist and one of the areas of need is transport.

“We have been getting feedback that people who weren’t eligible for community transport need it, but we do need volunteers to do it,” she said.

“So that is one of our needs, finding a local transport coordinator and volunteer drivers – we’d love to get that set up.”

The group has been serving the community for 30 years but it needs more helpers to continue to provide its vital service.

Volunteer can assist across a variety of areas including in bookkeeping, emergency relief intake, fresh food program, drivers, grant writing, fundraising and social media.

With reach from Wandin to Warburton, LinC is currently providing food parcels through its weekly fresh food program, petrol vouchers, financial guidance, budgeting programs, and other practical care to Upper Yarra residents.

President Ray McDonald said the food pick-up service runs out of the Millgrove Baptist Church became a social event before the pandemic and hopes to revive this community side with easing restrictions.

“People would come into the church, sit and chat amongst themselves and have a cuppa,” he said.

“We’d start the distribution at 10.30am, but people would come at 9.30 and make friends with each other while we provide that service for them.”

The social aspect has become just as important as physical goods for those who rely on support.

The recent Eastern Volunteers roving expo’s visit to Warburton and Yarra Junction will help promote LinC beyond the Upper Yarra community.

“You don’t have to be a churchgoer to be part of LinC, you don’t have to live in the Yarra Valley – you just have to align with our values, which is really loving and caring for people,” Ms Szabo said.

“A lot of people volunteer thinking they’re going to help people a lot, but they also end up getting so much out of it themselves.”