Day2 - The warehouse is in full swing

Another busy day at the warehouse with collections arriving from 2 schools, 2 churches and a leisure centre. At its busiest all the checking tables were in use and the warehouse was humming with more than the sound of the heaters! The cartonned total is 1490 but there are many boxes awaiting cartonning.

All go at 10am

As the weeks progress, there will be a few regular features to the blog: - a "Spotlight on" section will take an in-depth look at the different activities that help keep the warehouse running ; "filler of the day" will highlight original or novel filler ideas; "volunteer profile" will talk to the volunteers about how they help and more importantly why; and of course there's "Where's Ted?" as he roams the warehouse.

Spotlight On..... Training.
The first thing any volunteer will do when they arrive is spend time at the training table with one of our team of trainers. The trainers are responsible for welcoming the volunteers and giving them all the information they need to send out the "fair boxes" that we require. This is no mean feat and there's alot of information to take in, especially when the country specific information is included. As these regulations can change year on year it's important that everyone is trained each season even if they have checked previously.

The Training Table

Special attention is given to the "can go" / "can't go" area as this is often the place that generates the most questions from the volunteers. The training table has good examples of all these items and can be referred to at any time.
New volunteers are then assigned a buddy who will work through their first few boxes with them ensuring the process is understood. At all times the volunteers are encouraged to ask questions and never make assumptions about can/can't go as it could be putting someone at risk in our partner countries.

John's happy packing

Someone who has known the warehouse processes for the last few years is John Jones. He became involved with the warehouse as his wife was a dedicated volunteer though as a teacher he knew about OCC through his school. He often helps in packing cartons and driving the van. He particularly enjoys driving the van and collecting from the schools, where the children often come out and help load up. He says it's a great moment for them to wave off their boxes. John has been particularly inspired by the OCC stories seen on DVD at his church. For him it's about giving something to those who have nothing. Thanks John for talking to me.




Filler of the day?? How about these lovely boxes, hand-made, decorated and filled with jewellry. Beautiful and so easy to pack.

Hand made jewellry boxes

So that leaves Ted - and today he can be found comfortably relaxing in the donated wool box under the sales table (New items that cannot be sent but can be sold raising transport money). The wool is available for any keen knitter or pom pom maker, donations are welcome but really just return the finished article!

Ted relaxing in the wool box

Come on Ted - there's work to be done.


See you tomorrow!