Student life can be busy, exciting… and expensive. Between lectures, part-time jobs, deadlines and trying to have some kind of social life, volunteering can feel like just another thing on the to-do list.
But what if volunteering actually fitted around your life – and helped save you money too?
With Student Volunteering Week in full swing (9-15 February), it’s a great time to discover opportunities that are flexible, meaningful and genuinely rewarding.
Before we get into the five reasons why volunteering with Olio is such a good fit for students, let’s quickly cover what the role actually involves.
How to volunteer with Olio?
A Food Waste Hero is a volunteer who rescues surplus food from local businesses and shares it with people nearby using the Olio app.
That means collecting unsold food, from groceries to chef-prepared meals from cafés, supermarkets or even film sets and then sharing it for free with neighbours.
Collections are local, don’t take much time, and can easily be done on your way home from uni, work or the library. You choose when and how often you volunteer, with no minimum hours and no long-term commitment – it’s totally flexible!
Sound like a good fit? Here’s 5 reasons to get involved!
1. Feel great rescuing unsold food 🌍
Every day, huge amounts of perfectly good food go to waste – even while people nearby are struggling to afford their next meal. According to WRAP, the UK wastes an estimated 10.2 million tonnes of food every year, most of which is still perfectly edible.
As an Olio volunteer, you can help stop that food from going to waste!
It’s quick, flexible, and incredibly rewarding.Our volunteers love knowing that a short collection has helped both people and the planet.
2. Keep food for free and save money 🥕💸
Let’s be real – student budgets are tight, especially with the cost-of-living crisis still hanging around.
One of the unique things about volunteering with Olio is that you’re allowed to keep some of the food you rescue 🙌
Depending on the collection, that could be anywhere from 10% to 100% of the food.
That could mean free fruit and veg, bread, sandwiches, ready meals or even chef prepared treats!
Olio helps stretch your budget so there’s more left over for the fun stuff – whether that’s a night out or simply not having to check your bank balance every time you tap your card. (We’ve all been there…)
In fact, one student was able to slash her grocery bill to a whooping £5 A MONTH. Goodbye instant noodles! 👋
3. Gain skills and experience for your CV 🎓
Volunteering with Olio doesn’t just feel good – it looks good too 😉
As a student volunteer, you’ll build transferable skills that employers value, including:
✅ Time management and reliability
✅ Communication and community engagement
✅ Organisation and problem-solving
✅ Sustainability and social impact awareness
Whether you’re applying for internships, part-time jobs or graduate roles, volunteering shows initiative and real-world experience beyond your degree. And yes – it absolutely deserves a spot on your CV.
4. Make a difference in your local community 🤝
University life can sometimes feel like its own little bubble – lectures, group chats and meal deals on repeat. Volunteering with Olio is an easy way to step outside that bubble and feel part of the community you’re actually living in.
You’ll be sharing food with neighbours, meeting other local volunteers and supporting people just around the corner from you. It might be a quick hello at the door, or recognising familiar faces – small moments that add up to something meaningful 🥰
It’s community action that’s local, human and genuinely uplifting.
5. Boost your wellbeing and improve your mood 💚
Volunteering has been shown to support mental wellbeing – and 76% of our users report improved mental health.
Volunteers tell us that volunteering with Olio helps them:
👉 Feel more purposeful and less stressed
👉 Build confidence and routine
👉 Feel connected rather than isolated
👉 Add a positive moment to their day
Doing something small that helps others can have a surprisingly big impact on how you feel.
Thinking about volunteering?
Volunteering doesn’t have to mean giving up loads of time or signing your life away. With Olio, it can be as simple as a short walk, a quick pick-up and a rescued bag of food.
There’s no better time to give it a go than this Student Volunteering Week (9th – 15th February).
Here’s how to do it with Olio:
👉 Download Olio and create an account (if you haven’t already)
🦸 Sign up as a Food Waste Hero
📖 Complete our short food-safety training on the Volunteer Hub (because safety matters!)
🍱 Claim your first collection and see how easy it is to make a difference – on your terms and with some free food as a bonus!