It’s Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu, National Volunteers Week from 16-22 June, and Orange Sky Aotearoa - a non-profit organisation providing free mobile laundry services and warm showers for people experiencing homelessness or hardship - is encouraging more Kiwi’s to volunteer in their community, stating positive effects for personal connectedness and well-being as key benefits.

Orange Sky Aotearoa Senior Impact Manager, Kat Doughty, says there is much to gain from volunteering with the charity. 

“The theme of this year’s National Volunteer Week - Whiria Te Tangata, Weaving the people together - aligns really beautifully with the mahi that our Orange Sky volunteers do. Our kaupapa is to positively connect communities, to create a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are often ignored or feel disconnected from their community. It’s about coming together to uplift the mana of those in our community.”

Studies have found that the act of volunteering can have positive effects on an individual’s well-being, both physically and mentally, including improved mental health, increased life satisfaction, and increased feelings of happiness and social connectedness. These benefits extend beyond the individual, with studies showing that the wider community can also experience increased social cohesion and community connectedness.

This is significant given there is an increase in people - in New Zealand and around the world - reporting feeling lonely or socially disconnected, to the degree that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness to be a pressing global health threat.

“Our shifts provide an opportunity for connection, and this has real benefits not just for those facing hardship, but also for our volunteers.” says Doughty.

Figures from StatsNZ 2021 show that approximately 50.7% of New Zealanders undertake volunteer work, and every week all over Aotearoa, hundreds of Orange Sky volunteers come together to ensure that people experiencing homelessness or hardship have a place to access laundry services and build genuine connections.

However, the State of Volunteering 2022 (SOV22) data published by Volunteering New Zealand showed that 25.5% of people in New Zealand do not volunteer with an organisation because they have not been asked to do so, or because they do not know how to get involved.

Doughty says that volunteers are at the heart of Orange Sky and they are always looking for keen people to join their teams in Auckland, Wellington, Porirua, Hamilton, Christchurch, and the upcoming Hawke’s Bay service, launching in August. 

“We have volunteer opportunities ready for the taking, we just need to get the word out. It is incredibly rewarding to do something each week to support the community.”

“The increasing need for support services like Orange Sky is also at the forefront. We are seeing more and more people access our free laundry and shower services just to get by.

“We aren’t just seeing those who are experiencing homelessness and don’t have a safe place to sleep at night. We are seeing families, retirees, students, middle-aged women and even people with current employment coming to us for support. 

“To support the increasing number of Kiwi’s experiencing homelessness and hardship, Orange Sky is committed to growing our services to be there for people in need. However, we need amazing volunteers to support the growth and operations of our services on the ground - we can’t do what we do in the community without volunteers.” 

Since its launch in 2018, Orange Sky Aotearoa has grown to operate over 31 shifts each week across the motu, supported by a team of over 250 volunteers. Collectively, they have completed more than 21,900 loads of washing, provided more than 11,500 warm showers and engaged in more than 33,500 hours of conversation with the community.

If you would like to support those in your community experiencing homelessness or hardship, head to orangesky.org.nz to lend a hand as a volunteer or make a donation – every little bit helps.

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