With next week being National Volunteer Week, let’s ponder just how valuable volunteering is to our community.

It is essential to the fabric of Australian society – but in the Wimmera-Grampians region it forms an even more special component to our way of life.

Volunteering not only enables people to enjoy their hobbies and a valuable social outlet in their lives, it can actually make a difference in some people’s everyday lives.

In the case of the Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre, their volunteers make a difference that could mean life or death.

The food, medicine, transport and other help they provide is vital for those people in our society who need an extra helping hand.

At the weekend, we saw some of the best examples of volunteering with two major events taking place in Horsham – the Mother’s Day Classic and the Love Your Mum afternoon tea.

Not only did they create special events to be involved in on Mother’s Day, but they raised a lot of money for some great causes.

And they would not have happened if it wasn’t for the hard work of volunteers.

This year’s theme, Your Year to Volunteer, puts a call-out to all Australians to continue to support their communities in any way they can.

With rising cost-of-living pressures and time constraints changing how people engage, volunteering opportunities need to be more flexible and informal than they have ever been.

Volunteering doesn’t always have to mean taking on a role like a sports coach or joining a school’s parent committee – it could be as simple as helping a neighbour with groceries or bringing in people’s bins from the street.

You can make volunteering work in ways to fit around your life. And while these contributions aren’t always captured by traditional measures, they are critical to community wellbeing and social connection.

Everyday ways of people supporting each other also strengthen our communities.

But there are also plenty of opportunities in our community to volunteer with an organisation if you are willing and have the time to do so.

We often see call-outs for more volunteers with community groups and sporting clubs – and this is a worldwide problem.

Organisations need to ensure their own systems, structures and policies allow for accessible and flexible opportunities for volunteers.

In a time when volunteering is on the decline across Australia, organisations need to adapt to changing lifestyles to unlock and encourage volunteer participation in order to survive.

How sad would it be to see a community group, club or charity close due to a lack of volunteers?

They all play an integral role in what makes our region such a great place to live, and raise a family.

The theme of ‘Your Year to Volunteer’ for National Volunteer Week is your invitation to volunteer in any way you can – whether it be in a formal role, in everyday life, or just on a semi-regular basis. There are so many ways and roles to make a difference, and volunteering can also be good for your own health, confidence and enjoyment of life.

The entire May 13, 2026 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!