Seeking volunteers to provide at-home companionship and respite

Be a force for good in your local community! EPC volunteers tell us they love their roles and get real meaning and purpose from visiting, chatting with and just 'being present' with people living with terminal illness across Melbourne's east. They bring normality and a piece of the community in to the homes of people who might be a bit isolated, or just want to chat about something other than health for a while.

If you like being with people, listening to stories, are happy to take people out, or are happy to help someone do the everyday things that we all like to do and take for granted, then we want you in our Community team. It's the volunteer team that supports people who may not have access to the usual social supports, or family and friends that we all need to live well and feel connected.

Our Community volunteers have helped people by: Going to the movies - helping an artist in their painting - taking someone shopping - visiting the MCG - playing basketball - going fishing - visiting every op shop in Melbourne's east - spending a few hours with someone so their carer can take some time out - learning a new skill/hobby together - listening to stories - chatting, laughing, sometimes even crying together.

So if you have some free time and lots of compassion, live in Melbourne's eastern to outer-eastern suburbs, and want a volunteer role with a difference, we would love to speak with you. We offer a lot of support, training, mentoring, networking and ongoing support and have great relationships with all of our 200+ volunteers - who are a vibrant, gorgeous group of people with big hearts and an ability to just be themselves with the people they visit.

Spending time with people facing end of life can be challenging...but it is also intensely rewarding.

EPC provides free, in-home support to people in Melbourne's east who are getting on with living after a diagnosis of terminal or life-limiting illness, which can significantly restrict their ability to access their regular social supports, their job, hobbies, etc. And that's where our volunteers come in.

Here's what our current volunteers have to say about our program:

“EPC is an incredibly professional and worthwhile organization which treats its volunteers just as well as it treats its own staff. Every volunteer is appreciated and valued.” “You get more out of it than you can ever put in” “There are so many benefits. I cannot imagine a more uplifting and supportive agency to volunteer with.”

For more information, call 1300 130 813 to have a chat with our Volunteer Services team, or head to our website to read more information and complete an application form.

**Please note that we are currently prioritising recruitment of new volunteers who reside in Knox, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges LGAs.

EPC Volunteers - making our community better through everyday acts of kindness.