Volunteer on Food Rescue in Portugal with IVHQ

My experience was amazing. Through IVHQ I got to meet people from all over the world. I left Portugal with friends from India, Mexico, Spain, Italy, and England. I felt true my immersed in the Portuguese culture and learned so much. The staff was also super kind and helpful. I loved working with my local team at the food bank, they were very welcoming. I was nervous at first because I didn’t speak any Portuguese, but everyone was super kind! I also had a lot of free time in this program to explore Lisbon.

This was my first time going abroad alone. I was really nervous before leaving because my English isn’t very good, and I was afraid of causing trouble for others. That nervousness stayed with me even until my second day in Portugal. I wasn’t familiar with the public transport there, and I felt like I messed up a lot of things. Unlike others who get excited before starting a new experience, I mostly felt scared. I even wondered why I had made such a brave decision. But little by little, that nervousness melted away because of the warmth and kindness of the people around me. At the hostel, I met sincere and talkative friends. During volunteering, I finally met staff who guided me patiently and helped me a lot. I could clearly feel that I was respected and treated equally. No one laughed at my broken English. That made me never regret my decision. I often walked alone on the streets of Lisbon, enjoying the beauty of the city. Although the weather wasn’t great, I will always cherish the warmth and touching moments this experience brought me.

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It is one of the best experiences i have ever had. Could not have asked for a better place to volunteer at. The IVHQ staff were more than helpful and amazing overall, they really help us adjust to our new home and to our project. The project itself was really interesting and made a big impact. The city is surreal, very diverse, rich and full of life.

I arrived in Portugal with my flight delayed 2 hours past my scheduled pick-up. I was worried my pick-up guy abandoned me, but he was still around. We drove to the location. My initial glimpses of Lisbon were not too pretty: It looked like we were in the middle of nowhere, some back-country land. It wasn't until we arrived at the hostel that things started to look better. The hostel itself is well-kept and cute. The people there tend to your dietary restriction if any and make you feel at home. Day 1 was orientation to the hostel and the program--short and simple. Day 2 was the first volunteer day. The R3Food organization we volunteered at had a very well-structured system; we felt kind of obsolete too be quite honest. The cause is a worthy one though. The shifts we had alternated between morning and night, around 10 AM - 1 PM and 8 PM - 11 PM. It was mostly packaging food, bringing food in, getting food from stores and doing in-person deliveries. The toughest part would be finding matching lids for the Tupperware. This volunteer program gave ample time to explore Lisbon. I got to visit Belém, Cascais, Alfama, Central Lisbon and Sintra. We did a wine tour and relaxed on the beach, did a city tour on a Tuk-Tuk, and went to Cascais''s Lumina Festival. I recommend downloading MAPS.ME (free offline map navigator app) and walking around Lisbon especially in Alfama and the nearby areas. I will never forget my experiences here, the people I met and Lisbon itself. Thank you IVHQ and ImpactTeam. Well done.