{"id":4139,"date":"2025-06-03T09:17:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T09:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/?p=4139"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:41:10","slug":"how-volunteering-with-olio-helped-teresa-rediscover-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/olio-stories\/how-volunteering-with-olio-helped-teresa-rediscover-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"How volunteering with Olio helped Teresa rediscover joy and friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teresa from Newcastle first came across Olio back in 2020, during lockdown. At the time, she downloaded the app and let it sit quietly on her phone. It wasn\u2019t until four years later, in 2024, that Olio found its way into her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI requested something from a <a href=\"https:\/\/help.olioapp.com\/article\/121-what-is-a-food-waste-hero\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Food Waste Hero<\/a>, and she said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you become one yourself? You\u2019d be a great asset to Olio.\u2019\u201d <\/em>So Teresa signed up.<em> \u201cI did my first collection, then my second&#8230; and that was it \u2013 I was hooked!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-qw.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeqnwa-jiQ5No6DGPCvgsF2atNIrEUVaPgOnc5v-BAyEYSdktMaT012QUy5de62G0yVhbzSNds-nKNYy5SKrsCfiF0_vy0vedq2yS9knnTjVqLJFxIkDgzGIU8FwFKWN5VOVBR8OQ?key=Gx3yg07Y27nzroZouoAtAGr6\" alt=\"volunteering with olio\" style=\"width:500px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what she didn\u2019t expect was how deeply the experience of volunteering with Olio would impact her mental health.<em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cBefore Olio, I didn\u2019t really go out or mix with people much. But once I started collecting food, I noticed I felt better. I wasn\u2019t feeling as low.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teresa\u2019s love of recycling, crafting, and reducing waste made her a natural fit<em>. \u201cAfter a few weeks, I started to make friends;&nbsp; really good friends. We meet up for a brew, chat on WhatsApp, and we\u2019re always there for each other.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-qw.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXflRj_KbhdM_TQA5h2NVsRK9CsvXotVpvdwTJq-C_KKL-kdQAQxcslHkVWDOzkahemRZjdST2cyYRiyn4K4EEJ4uBrFqfvNNHue3bQqFCeQtziclcgIpZq1inFQVz4vQUl8RVPLrQ?key=Gx3yg07Y27nzroZouoAtAGr6\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Presents for Teresa\u2019s 50th from a fellow Olio-er Gill<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, nearly a year in, Teresa\u2019s not just a dedicated Food Waste Hero \u2013 she\u2019s also a <a href=\"https:\/\/help.olioapp.com\/article\/334-squad-captains\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Squad Captain<\/a> in two groups and has done close to 400 collections. <em>\u201cThat means a lot to me. It shows me I can do things I wouldn\u2019t have done in the past.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For her 50th birthday, her Olio friends surprised her with handmade gifts \u2013 a heartfelt card from a fellow volunteer\u2019s daughter, and thoughtful presents from her friend Gill. <em>\u201cIt made me feel so seen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-qw.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXe8WJpq_AXL2yfDvCymYZaiDji1IP9cDZZIX7BU4EMFNmY-jO9yh_lz-ZS6XMqVTtzZ456z-LKFFwBVNtyCR2XKrXtn-4fbtFVVUUnw_S-O8rrkSspdGadgWXIj_g53SpokOnHV5A?key=Gx3yg07Y27nzroZouoAtAGr6\" alt=\"\" style=\"width:500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>A card fellow volunteer\u2019s daughter made for Teres<\/em>a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\u2019s also formed a special bond with Russell, her \u201cOlio scanning buddy,\u201d who helps with collections at Sainsbury\u2019s. <em>\u201cWe\u2019re like best friends. I made him a thank you card recently \u2013 he\u2019s over retirement age and still works so hard.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-qw.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdXM2QTMJSV8g-HuK0N__Ptyi_5ZPF89kWnPXRq2xBW9iWBEkkyrlShkJLGP9NJ-mpi_bxXT7e1f1neS1dj72Uy3CGrSQxYDul74ibXbeo-xWpEQCU2JYqtsv7t3r8GjscZInOh1A?key=Gx3yg07Y27nzroZouoAtAGr6\" alt=\"volunteering with olio\" style=\"width:600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Teresa with Olio scanning buddy, Russell<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since joining Olio, Teresa\u2019s cut down on her medication with her doctor\u2019s support, and says she\u2019s feeling happier and healthier than she has in years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What do you love most about Olio?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe people. It\u2019s the connections, the friendships, the sense that you belong. Volunteering with Olio has changed my life \u2013 I\u2019m doing something meaningful, helping others, and for once, I feel proud of myself. I\u2019m loving every minute of it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Inspired by Teresa\u2019s story? <\/strong>In celebration of Volunteers\u2019 Week, there\u2019s never been a better time to join the movement. <a href=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/become-an-olio-volunteer\/\">Sign up<\/a> to become a Food Waste Hero today and start making a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teresa from Newcastle first came across Olio back in 2020, during lockdown. At the time, she downloaded the app and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":3958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-olio-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How volunteering with Olio helped Teresa rediscover joy and friendship - Olio | At Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how volunteering with Olio helped Teresa find joy, friendship, and purpose \u2014 and why it could change your life too.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/olioapp.com\/en\/olio-stories\/how-volunteering-with-olio-helped-teresa-rediscover-joy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How volunteering with Olio helped Teresa rediscover joy and friendship - 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