Volunteer on Food Rescue in Portugal with IVHQ

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.