Maundy Relief – We work on the frontline in the community by responding immediately to need.
Maundy Relief Drop In – Interview with Teresa
This month I decided to chat with Maundy Relief’s Drop In manager Teresa. There’s often a lot going on in the Drop In, and it can appear overwhelming from the outside, so it seemed a good idea to get to know what really goes on.
Teresa and I took a seat in the dining room, a little out of the way from the hustle and bustle of the main desk. There is always the option to speak in a quieter, more personal setting if someone would like.
Laura: How did you come to work at Maundy Relief?
Teresa: I came to find myself working at Maundy because I was actually a guest many years ago. I didn’t come for lunch or anything like that. But I used to come a lot to get support from Dorothy, who founded the Charity because at that time I had a lot of mental health problems, and I was an alcoholic. So that’s how I came to Maundy. Then, I accessed the counselling service and I found it so helpful. After that I went into rehab, got sober, came out, did a counselling degree, did my placement at Maundy, and then I got a job here!
Laura: Is there anything we should know about you as a person?
Teresa: I can be hard work, I can be very helpful, I say what I see, and I say it as it is. Sometimes people have difficulty with that but if I want to say something in 10 words, I don’t use 30.
Laura: What kinds of day-to-day activities do you get up to here?
Teresa: My day-to-day activities include answering the phone, doing the food parcels, meeting with our guests every day that come for lunch… It all depends from day to day, sometimes it’s emotional support, physical, practical. However I can help, I do.
Laura: I get the sense you really enjoy working here, can you tell us a bit about why?
Teresa: I love working here. I get a lot of support from the management, I love the guests, I love the ethos of Maundy and I know how much it can help.
Laura: What is the best part about your job?
Teresa: The best part of my job is giving things away! Food, clothes, whatever it might be. It could be time, helping with applications – whatever it is. When I can give to somebody, when I can make their life a little bit easier at that moment in time, that’s what I do.
Laura: What is the biggest challenge you face?
Teresa: The biggest challenge I face is when we get new starters, usually they’ve got ginger hair with glasses, and they’re called Laura.
Laura: (Nervous chuckling…)
Teresa: No, the biggest challenge I suppose is not always being able to help people. If I can’t help someone, I guess I feel a little bit jaded about that. Obviously, I do get people that can be quite rude and aggressive with me if I have to say no to something. But sometimes they come here and they’re at the end of their tether and they take it out on whoever the first person they come to see is.
Laura: Is there a story you’re able to share that has really stuck with you from throughout your time working here?
Teresa: I remember in the very first Covid lockdown, the major one, a lady rang up and she was a single mum with four children. The youngest one, a baby, had quite significant health issues and she had to go to Manchester hospital. And of course, it cost a lot of money, because if she couldn’t get the hospital transport because of Covid she had to pay for taxis. So she had absolutely nothing. So, we sorted her out with food, we sorted her out with counselling support – so she got emotional support. And she also got a referral to the benefits side and that helped her to get more money – so she’s one that I remember very clearly.
Laura: It’s always reassuring to hear those kinds of success stories. Is there a season in the year where your role becomes more difficult?
Teresa: The most difficult time of the year is Christmas. It’s my busiest and it’s my best but it is very difficult. Because I have lots of families, there are lots of children that need toys, lots of families that need food. Trying to do all that as well as run the drop in on a day-to-day basis is a challenge.
Laura: Do you find that to be rewarding?
Teresa: Absolutely, yeah.
Laura: What advice would you offer to someone considering a role similar to your own?
Teresa: Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be anything that you’re not – especially working with our guests because they’ll see right through it. So just be yourself – and I always think if you put some humour into it, you know, people respond well to that. So sometimes I’m quite cheeky with them but I think they enjoy that actually.
Laura: What would you say to someone who is currently considering using your service but is a little unsure?
Teresa: Erm I get a lot of phone calls, and speak to a lot of people that hear about Maundy Relief and they think of it as it was 20 years ago. So, when it first opened, we didn’t have the facilities and it was literally run on a shoestring. Today it’s a professional, well-run organisation that makes a real difference to the lives of about 2,500 people a year. So I would say to them, come along, try it. If you’re not happy ring up, come back, speak to me or speak to somebody else.
Laura: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Teresa: No!
