Sunshine Coast Orange Sky volunteer Lesley Kelly on helping the homeless

A Sunshine Coast woman has shared how volunteering to help the homeless has changed her life for the better.

Lesley Kelly, Mary-Anne Cahill, Cheryl Gadsby, and Jan Pullar all met volunteering to help the homeless on the Sunshine Coast. Picture - contributed.

A Sunshine Coast woman has shared how volunteering to help the homeless has changed her life for the better.

Lesley Kelly, 69, of Caloundra, started volunteering in Nambour more than eight years ago. Now, she still volunteers weekly for Orange Sky at Maleny.

She’s lived on the Sunshine Coast since 1990 but says it took volunteering to feel like she really belonged to the community.

“It’s amazing and you get back much more than you ever give which I didn’t expect when I signed up,” Ms Kelly said.

Through her volunteer work Ms Kelly met her best friends – Mary-Anne Cahill, Cheryl Gadsby, and Jan Pullar.

“We’ve been through births, deaths, and marriages together. I’ve seen them every week for eight years,” she said.

“I think volunteering gives you more empathy and understanding. In my case more of an understanding of being homeless.

“There’s this stigma that these people made poor life choices to end up homeless but I’ve learnt this isn’t the case and sometimes in life things just happen that are outside of your control.”

Reflecting on the past eight years, Ms Kelly said she would encourage anyone feeling a bit lost to sign up.

“It gives you a sense of purpose, that feeling of giving back,” she said.

“It’s a real sense of community and is very fulfilling.

“People who are sleeping rough or are doing it tough deserve our acknowledgment and time too. They always tell me how lovely it is to have someone listen to them and just have a chat. They’re people too and often they’re lonely.”

Loneliness has been declared a global health epidemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) – with many Aussies turning to volunteering as a positive way to mitigate the impacts of social isolation.

Lesley Kelly, Mary-Anne Cahill, Cheryl Gadsby, and Jan Pullar all met volunteering to help the homeless on the Sunshine Coast. Picture – contributed.

Orange Sky, a not-for-profit providing free laundry services and free showers to those experiencing homelessness across Australia, is working to combat this through their volunteering program.

Ms Kelly said the Sunshine Coast branch was always looking for more volunteers.

“I’d recommend it to anyone,” she said.

“I think anyone would get something out of it.

“We would especially love to see more young people volunteering here. They bring so much to the table.”