Volunteer!

Volunteering with Bendigo Winter Night Shelter is an immensely rewarding experience

We are extremely grateful for the volunteers who have helped, and continue to help us meet the community need for shelter and care during the winter months.

Our shelter program has many moving parts, and we simply could not operate without the benefit of such a wide range of gifts, skills and abilities of our volunteers. If you’re looking for a place to give to the community, we are sure you will find a welcome place volunteering with us.

Exercise your volunteering muscles

Our program gives you the opportunity to exercise your unique volunteering skillset. Like all exercise, you can choose to volunteer as frequently as you like.

We appreciate what you do, because a fully functional shelter depends on you!

Hospitality
Serving our guests an evening meal, and helping them get a good night's rest
Transport
Transporting guests between our safe and welcoming meeting point and the cozy private accommodation in our mini-bus
Logistics
Leading teams, ensuring the accommodations are ready for guests and all provisions are stocked
People Care
Making our guests feel welcomed, cared for, safe, and most importantly, valued

Roles and Shifts

The volunteer schedule is based around these key roles and times*

Meeting Point
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
 Meet, greet and check-in guests
1 Leader + 1 Helper
Bus – PM
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM		 Transport guests from Meeting Point to Accommodation
1 Driver + 1 Helper
Kitchen
5:45 PM – 8:00 PM
 Set the evening’s dinner for guests
1 Leader + 1 Helper
Meal Provider
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM
 Church / Group / Cooking Team prepare a two-course meal, pre-cooked for guests
1 Leader (for delivery)
Evening
5:45 PM – 10:30 PM
 Prepare guests for a restful night
1 Leader + 2 Helpers
Overnight
10:30 PM – 6:30 AM
 Keep our guests safe through the night
1 Leader + 1 Helper
Morning
6:30 AM – 8:30 AM
 Guests wake up and are checked out
1 Leader + 1 Helper
Bus – AM
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
 Transport guests from Accommodation to Meeting Point
1 Driver + 1 Helper

Volunteer 2025

2025 season volunteer expressions of interest are now open.

Click on the button below to complete the expression of interest form. When volunteer applications officially open we will contact you directly. Your intent to volunteer helps us prepare for the season ahead.

If you have volunteered previously, we welcome you back and we would love to have you join us again. If you’re here for the first time, we thank you for your interest and look forward to meeting you!

Join The Team!

As well as volunteering at the shelter, there are many other ways you can contribute to our operations. You can become a member of Bendigo Winter Night Shelter, which gives you a say in how we run, or by joining our board or operations teams to drive our operations.