Volunteering for a quarter-century

This National Volunteer Week, we’re celebrating the people who have helped shape the ASRC community over the past 25 years.

Volunteers have always been at the heart of the ASRC. Long before the organisation grew into what it is today, volunteers were answering phones, welcoming people through the doors, packing food parcels and helping create a place where people seeking asylum could access support with dignity and care.

Few people embody that history more than Rob.

Rob first began volunteering with the ASRC in 2001, during the organisation’s earliest days in Footscray. Starting in the reception team, he helped answer phones, support intake processes and welcome people accessing the ASRC for support, often becoming one of the first people they would meet.

Over the past 25 years, Rob has contributed across multiple programs, supporting everything from Community Food to Education Support. As the organisation evolved, so too did the many ways he chose to contribute.

Today, Rob is a dedicated volunteer within the ASRC Foodbank, where he continues to volunteer every Monday, a commitment he has maintained for years.

Working behind the scenes, Rob helps sort and pack fresh fruit and vegetables, kitchen staples, spices and culturally important food items that are distributed through the Foodbank each week. His work helps ensure people seeking asylum can access nutritious, culturally appropriate food during incredibly difficult times.

But for those who volunteer alongside him, Rob is known for far more than his reliability.

Bringing warmth, humour and generosity to every shift, Rob has become a much-loved presence within the Foodbank team and the wider ASRC community. Whether welcoming new volunteers or stepping in to support during busy periods, he consistently helps create an environment grounded in kindness and community.

Recently, during a period of volunteer shortages, Rob stepped up to take on additional shifts to help ensure Foodbank operations could continue uninterrupted and members could still access the support they needed.

Across 25 years of volunteering, Rob has witnessed the ASRC grow from a small community organisation in Footscray into the country’s largest independent human rights organisation supporting people seeking asylum.

As the ASRC marks its own 25-year anniversary, Rob’s ongoing commitment is a reminder that meaningful change is built collectively: through people who continue to show up, week after week, year after year, for their community.|

If you’re interested in volunteering your time and skills to help create meaningful change for people seeking asylum in our community, learn more about volunteering with the ASRC today.