VOLUNTEER

In-Person ROLES

Volunteer Driver or Biker

Drivers and bikers deliver our food parcels. We always need drivers and bikers to help deliver to households across Oxford, both during the day and in the evenings. You can sign up for a regular route, or respond to requests whenever you’re available.

No vehicle is too small – cyclists with a backpack, basket or pannier are invaluable for delivering smaller parcels closer to our Hall on Cowley Road. 

We will plan a route for all your drop-offs and there is always a coordinator available to answer any questions during your shift.

Hall Volunteer

The Hall is our food distribution hub, located on Cowley Road. Hall volunteers pack the food parcels that go out to households across Oxford. They also unload deliveries or donations and carry out maintenance to keep the hall organised and hygienic.

The Hall is open for in-person volunteering from 9am to 7pm every day except Saturdays. Shifts can be regular weekly times or on an ad hoc basis, and we encourage a minimum commitment of two shifts of two hours a month.

We provide training for all the tasks required, and no volunteer will be on shift alone. You will need to do some lifting and carrying, but we always ask you to work at whatever pace suits you.

You can register your interest to volunteer by completing this form below:

What can oma Offer you?

OMA is all about volunteers, and we:

  • We have a volunteer debriefing system where you can talk through worries or concerns any time, which you can find on the form above

  • Can provide references

  • Connect volunteers to training on different topics of interest such as domestic abuse, mutual aid values, etc.

  • Helps you to build new skills and experiences

  • Foster a sense of community

Hall mask-wearing policy

Until May 2023, OMA continued to wear face masks at all times when working in person at the Hall. As an organisation whose fundamental infrastructure was built up during the height of the pandemic, the protection of our community’s health and the accessibility of our working space has always been and remains a priority.

Over the past year or so, the question of whether to continue to wear masks at the Hall has been the subject of a lot of discussion, with strong feelings on both sides!

Unfortunately, it has been impossible to approach this issue via consensus-based decision making or a majority-vote system. The most recent survey from February – April 2023 had a near 50-50 split between those who would like to continue wearing masks while working at the Hall, and those who would not. We would also like to acknowledge that there are structural inequalities that undermine and dismiss the wishes of those with hidden disabilities or long-term health conditions, and that these may prevent people from voicing their opinion, particularly publicly. We believe that OMA should be the kind of organisation where the power dynamics caused by structural inequalities in the wider world, and which also affect us internally, should be recognised openly and honestly.

We propose that masks continue to be worn at the Hall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays will be days when masks are not required, but can be worn if desired. We hope that this system will enable those for whom the current mask policy is a fundamental aspect of their experience at OMA to continue to contribute, while also making space for those for whom the current mask policy is not working.

We aim to trial this new system for three months, starting from the week beginning the 8th of May. At the end of these three months, there will be an opportunity for us all to meet to discuss how the new system is working, whether any unforeseen issues have arisen and whether we would like to make any changes.

OMA stands in solidarity with all those who have been marginalised by public institutions and healthcare systems, by workplaces and by social spaces due to an unjust lack of accessibility. It is important to acknowledge all the ways in which OMA unhappily contributes to dynamics that privilege those who are able-bodied, and reaffirm our commitment to making sure not only that OMA remains accessible, but radically improves in this area.

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to this process. It has been difficult at times but together we can make community-centred decisions that reflect what we want the world to look like!