Volunteers

Soul thrives on kind hearts.

Be part of something bigger

We rely on the involvement of keen, enthusiastic and generous volunteers to keep doing what we do. If we had to pinpoint our ‘secret sauce’, it has to be our warm-hearted team of more than 220+ volunteers, who we call our family.

With only one full-time and six part-time members of staff, we literally could not have achieved everything we have without the people who donate their time, skills and smiles to us and our guests day after day, week after week, year after year.

Like all charities, we value hard work, compassion and kind-heartedness in our volunteers. What really sets our team apart is the strong bonds that form between our volunteers and the welcome they give to all that join us.

Join our Soul family

We couldn’t do what we do without the help of people with time to spare and kindness to share. If you or your workmates, friends or family would like to join our community of volunteers, we’d love to hear from you! Hear from Floor Manager Sue Prosser about how volunteering at Soul is “just the best” and how your volunteering contribution empowers Soul Hub to support some of the most needy and vulnerable in our Newcastle community.

Volunteering at Soul

Volunteering at Soul

There are so many different ways to volunteer at Soul Hub. This means there’s bound to be a role that matches you and your skills perfectly. Kitchen, floor, reception, admin, fundraising, maintenance or events: where do you fit?

We see Soul as so much ‘more than a meal’ and like to define what we offer as a ‘convergence of help’ – a place where we assist in many ways. Could you and your business support us by becoming one of our guest Attending Services?

Whether you’re a barber, doctor, audiologist, podiatrist or employment specialist, your professional skills have the power to change our guests’ lives.

Support guests with confidence

The safety of our volunteer family is important to us. That’s why we have an Operations Manual for our team to help keep our guests, volunteers and staff safe and to ensure the effective running of Soul Hub meals and services.

As a volunteer, you’re responsible for knowing and abiding by these policies and procedures. Inside the manual, you’ll also find helpful information, resources and training modules that will assist you in your role at Soul.

Steps to become a volunteer

  1. Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below and complete the application form.
  2. Submit form to volunteers@soulhub.org.au
  3. Once we’ve received your application, we’ll contact you for a trial shift. This is so you can experience volunteering at Soul.
  4. At your trial shift, you’ll participate in an induction and be given information about being a part of our team.
  5. At the end of your trial shift, you can discuss ongoing rostering with the Kitchen Manager or Team Leader.
  6. You’ll receive an email confirming your roster and sharing information about connecting to our rostering app ‘Deputy’. Ongoing shift notifications are sent through the app.

The safety of our volunteer family is important to us. That’s why we have an Operations Manual for our team to help keep our guests, volunteers and staff safe and to ensure the effective running of Soul Hub meals and services.

As a volunteer, you’re responsible for knowing and abiding by these policies and procedures. Inside the manual, you’ll also find helpful information, resources and training modules that will assist you in your role at Soul.

Corporate Volunteering at Soul

We have the following options available to choose from for corporate teams to join us, each offering a unique experience.

1. Join us in the dining room for lunch with our General Manager, Matt. Experience what is like to be among the bustle of Soul for a sit-down meal and discuss with the GM the ways Soul is there for our guests or difficulties faced such as housing. This includes a two-course meal, a tour of Soul and an opportunity to meet some of our guests and volunteers. (Maximum 15 people)

2. Join us in small groups (4 people max) to help out in either our kitchen or reception area. Be part of the heart of Soul and serve on the ‘frontlines’ of Soul, serving Newcastle’s most vulnerable in times of need.

3. Support Soul through our fundraising activities. We are a non-government funded organization and rely on the generosity of our community. One of our most rewarding and fun activities that is popular with corporate teams is the Sleepout for Soul in May. Grab your team and sleeping bag and spend a night with us outside at the Bolton Street Carpark. It is always a fun night with a band, fire pit and lots of stories shared with other sleepers experiencing a taste of what it means to sleep rough as many of our guests do.

There are so many ways to be a part of our Soul family and we look forward to having you experience the wonderful nature of Soul and get close to understanding what life can be like for our guests.

Please note options 1 & 2 are offered monthly, on a rotating basis and are very popular. At this stage there is a waitlist, and we endeavor to help you in any way possible.

If you would like to discuss the options in more detail, please don’t hesitate to contact Mary on (02) 4926 1758 or email volunteers@soulhub.org.au.

Apply to be a volunteer

Your generosity will meet real needs and help vulnerable people.

Meet our volunteers

Our wonderful family of volunteers make Soul Café what it is. They bring the heart, the fun, the compassion, the skills, and experience and each and every one makes a difference to the lives of our guests.

Volunteer

Meet Billie

Billie has been at Soul since February this year and is cheeky, loving, and part of the Newcastle deaf community. She’s studying Global Indigenous Studies at Newcastle University and is…
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Volunteer

Meet Steve

Talk about jack of all trades… Meet Steve. Steve worked as a nurse unit manager at John Hunter Hospital for 6 years. He’s a former soldier in the army, deploying…
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Volunteer

Meet Helen

Helen’s not one to take a break, the first thing she did after retiring was applying to become a Soul volunteer. Now she’s an incredible asset to our reception crew.

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