Volunteering Experiences: Meet Suzette

From running the Food Pantry to baking for events, serving on the PCC to cooking a full Community Lunch for 60 people, Suzette is a vital part of life at St John’s. Her commitment to giving back, practicing her faith, and supporting others shines through in everything she does.

In this interview, she shares what inspires her to volunteer, what she finds most rewarding, and the highlight that stretched her skills — and made her proud.

1. What do you do as a volunteer at St John’s?
   I volunteer with St John’s across a number of initiatives. I am a member of the PCC committee at St John’s, and in this role, I help plan and oversee the activities of the church. I also set up and help run the Food Pantry, sourcing and collecting surplus food donations from local businesses to redistribute to our community. Sometimes I help bake cookies, cakes and pies for our events. Often, I am simply an extra pair of hands at our events like Messy Church.
   
   

2. Why do you enjoy volunteering?
   I enjoy volunteering because it helps me be active and meet like-minded people in my neighborhood. By volunteering my time and effort, I feel like I am contributing to building a community that is inclusive, vibrant, resilient, with a deep social network, and actively addressing the needs of the wider community. It also helps me practice my faith in my everyday life.
   
   

3. What’s one memorable moment or highlight from volunteering this past year?
   I cooked the Day of the Dead-themed Community Lunch last November. I cooked a traditional Mexican dish called “Mole Poblano” and catered for 50-60 people. This was definitely a highlight in the past year! I’ve never cooked for so many people, and I was definitely worried about it for weeks. I was so glad the Community Lunch went fantastically well, and everyone enjoyed the food. 

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Feeling inspired?

There’s a place for you at St John’s.

Whether it’s helping behind the scenes, sharing your cooking, collecting food for neighbours, or just being an extra pair of hands, there’s always a way to get involved.

At St John’s, volunteering means building a stronger, more connected community — and we’d love to have you join us.
Drop us a line at office@sjun.org.uk or come and say hello one Sunday, we’d love to meet you!