At Habitat Mid-Vancouver Island we are continually grateful to the amazing group of volunteers that give up so much of their time to help us with our mission. It is always interesting and heartwarming to hear why our volunteers give their time and what they get from the experience too.
Joe Pereira has been volunteering in the Nanaimo ReStore since 2014. He comes into the store almost every day and spends most of his time in the warehouse where he can be found fixing and cleaning lights, ready to go out onto the shop floor. Joe explained to us why he wanted to volunteer with Habitat Mid-Vancouver Island and what it means to him.
“When I retired my wife Lyn and I moved to this beautiful city, we had a lot of work to do to renovate our house, but as time went by I found myself wanting to feel useful again. I’ve always enjoyed helping people and when Lyn suggested that volunteering at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore might be a good fit for me I decided to give it a try.
“It wasn’t very long before I found my niche, and it’s become an important and rewarding part of my life. I love being able to be of service to the people who come into the store, and to an organization this is helpful to so many people in their pursuit of the dream to own their own home. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and pride to be part of that.
“It doesn’t hurt that I’ve met a lot of people and have made good friends here as well.”
Joe has also been recognized at a national level by Habitat for Humanity Canada for his dedication to volunteering! We are so proud to have you as a part of our team!
We wanted to say a big Thank you to Joe, who has dedicated so many hours to helping his community through Habitat Mid-Vancouver Island, we miss you and hope to see you soon!