Volunteers do a tremendous job in the community, providing their time, effort and personal commitment to help others. If you are interested in volunteering with Rotary Melbourne, please click button below:
The difference between a Service Club any other type of voluntary membership-based club is the aim to promote community welfare and goodwill. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including direct hands-on efforts, raising money, and leveraging partnerships. Rotary Melbourne is at its best when we are strategic, partner with others, and utilise our extensive networks.
Rotary Melbourne has a number of volunteering opportunities where we make a difference. At our recent successful tree planting day at Norton’s Park in Wantirna for National Tree Day, our group helped plant 3,000 seedlings. Thank you to everyone who took part!
We are also now returning to Prahran Market each week to collect excess food from stallholders for SecondBite to prepare nourishing meals for our city’s vulnerable communities.
The Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network (RIMERN) collects household goods to donate to people in need, assisting people coming out of homelessness, domestic violence, refugee displacement, jail, or loss of homes due to disaster or crisis. Volunteers help with collections of good or helping in the East Brunswick warehouse.
The Melbourne Marathon is an annual run held in October. Our volunteers man a drinks and hydration station for the runners as they approach the MCG. Around the Bay is an annual charity bike ride. A Rotary Melbourne team is sponsored to complete the ride, and volunteers have assisted as marshalls around the course. Funds raised are given to the Smith Family for their Learning for Life program which helps children from disadvantaged families complete their schooling.
Rotary Donations in Kind (DIK), with its West Footscray Store, enables us to use donated goods to help people both locally and internationally. A great example of our Circular Economy in action, DIK has shipped 650 containers of equipment supplies containing goods worth nearly $80 million to 33 countries, with an emphasis on items that improve education, medical and maternal care. Volunteers help collect the goods, including hospital beds or school desks and chairs, and pack them into containers when ready to ship overseas.
When we promote our volunteering opportunities, of course we see this is a positive for club members to be involved with our club. Volunteering is a great social outlet too, and you enjoy the time spent with fellow club members.
Importantly, our volunteering opportunities provide a wonderful vehicle to engage others to be involved with Rotary Melbourne. This year, we are approaching local government and non-government schools, staff and colleagues from our corporate members, Rotaract Clubs, and others who are interested in Rotary or in the individual cause.
Invite someone or some group you know to come along and join in one of our volunteering opportunities. You may not be in a position to assist, but that is when we use our best attributes – be strategic, partner with others and utilise your networks. Who do you know who may be interested in the cause or maybe just want to understand what Rotary does? Do you have children or grandchildren at school or university who would like to do some good in the world? Work colleagues? Another community group who you are part of? All you need to do is ask them. They will quickly learn that it feels good to do good.
This Sunday’s SecondBite collection at Prahran Market was another special experience. Robert Fisher and Trevor Nink providing hands on assistance collecting surplus food from the Market’s generous vendors for delivery to the Salvation Army at 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
On Sunday 22 March 26 we loaded Reg & Sue Smith's cars to the gunnels at Prahran Market! Reg & Sue, along with Tony Battaini volunteered with Victoria, a student from Melbourne Girls College. We’re always after additional help, so anyone willing to give a couple of hours on an occasional Sunday afternoon please contact Robert Fisher by email.
For 95 years, the spirit of giving has illuminated Melbourne through the extraordinary tradition of the Good Friday Appeal—a moment where a city unites, not just in generosity, but in purpose. At the heart of this enduring legacy stands Rotary Melbourne, a community bound by action and defined by its unwavering commitment to Service Above Self.
We are looking for volunteers to join the Club roster to assist in the RIMERN Warehouse as the club takes on a monthly Monday slot.
Duties can include meeting with clients, sorting, admin, deliveries, cleaning of donated items, folding etc. It is all dependent on you.
Contact John Peberdy to find out more and click READ MORE for the current RIMERN newsletter.
We need you! - Signup and Make a Real Difference
At Donations in Kind in West Footscray – One day only
The following information has been received from District 9800.
Hi, my name is Ross. I am retired and living in Melbourne. I recently decided to volunteer for BlazeAid, after seeing the news and discovering the enormity of the task, facing the farming & community of this region, after the recent Longwood/Euroa fires.
Parents and carers often spend extended periods at RCH and need somewhere to relax, make a cup of tea, feed the baby, catch up on emails, seek information, find activities for the other kids, or just read a book. The Hub https://www.rch.org.au/frc/ is a home away from home for families and visitors to the hospital. Amanda Battaini has volunteered at the Hub since its inception 23 years ago.
On Sunday 8 March 26 we loaded founder Simone Carson’s Tesla to the gunnels at Prahran Market! Her she is with volunteer Victoria, a student from Melbourne Girls College. We’re always after additional help, so anyone willing to give a couple of hours on an occasional Sunday afternoon please contact Robert on robertwfisher1@outlook.com
Lesley McCarthy, Donations in Kind, is asking for Rotary Melbourne's assistance with a couple of different projects, including an Indigenous Op Shop Project and collecting tools to assist with the recent bushfires in Victoria.
Rotary Melbourne is holding an Evening of rewarding volunteer effort, creating food packs for FORaMEAL together on Thursday 23 April 26, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm at RMIT Melbourne. MARK YOUR DIARIES NOW!!! ALL ARE WELCOME! Rotary Melbourne has partnered with the Rotary Club of Canterbury to host a relief-meal packing event. RMIT staff, students, and Rotarians will convene for 90 minutes to pack roughly 12,000 meals that are air dropped by the ADF to people living in temporary housing in war zones, disaster zones, and refugee camps.
The East African Women’s Foundation invited Peter Berg, Amanda and Tony Battaini to Harmony Through Eid 2026 on Sunday 22 March, at the North Cyprus Turkish Community Centre in Albion.
Rotary Melbourne has been supporting the five Black Rhinos basketball teams in various ways over the past four years. They were founded in 2007 by Afri-Aus Care and have been coached by Ryan Rooney.
This Sunday’s SecondBite collection at Prahran Market was another special experience. Reg & Sue Smith, Gertrude Matshe and Trevor Nink providing hands on assistance collecting surplus food from the Market’s generous vendors for delivery to the Salvation Army at 69 Bourke Street, Melbourne.
From Club Partnership to Personal Purpose
Reflection on FORaMEAL with a Personal Journey of Service by Yidan Xi.
Rotary Melbourne volunteers Deb Yin Foo and Trevor Nick drove the SAG Wagon in support of the Around the Bay bike event on Sunday 26 October 25.
Sunday morning (12 October 25), 60,000 runners filled Melbourne’s streets for the 2025 Nike Melbourne Marathon, and Rotary Melbourne was proud to be part of the action.
Rotary Melbourne has proudly supported The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program for nearly 20 years — and now it’s your chance to be part of something special! Join us for a fun, social, and feel-good morning at the 2025 Melbourne Marathon on Sunday 12 October 25, as we staff a drink station in vibrant Elwood (corner of Point Ormond Rd and Marine Parade).
Over 100 corporate volunteers joined Lighthouse Foundation’s Care Packing Day, assembling essential packs for vulnerable babies, children and young people on RUOK Day. Rotary Melbourne proudly supported the event, with Philip Endersbee donating a generous supply of new socks and beanies and partners including the Sofitel Melbourne adding toiletries.
For over 10 years, Rotary Melbourne have assisted collecting food from stallholders at markets across Melbourne, more recently at Prahran Market. The food, which would otherwise go to waste, is collected for Second Bite and then turned it nutritious meals for those in need, including those experiencing homelessness across Melbourne.
17 Rotary Melbourne members and friends volunteered at RIMERN on Wednesday 21 January 26. It was the annual RIMERN Volunteering Day. There were also the regular volunteers from other Clubs, so, many hands.
See all our Rotary Melbourne volunteers in action at the 2025 Melbourne Marathon in this photo gallery. Many thanks to photographer Michael Waller for the images.
Despite the wintery rainy night 50 Melbourne Rotarians, Melbourne University Rotaract and guests volunteered for meal packing, on behalf of FORaMEAL, at Melbourne University last Tuesday, 12 August 25, led by President Philip. Over 9,000 meals were packed in 1.5 hours.
Cheers for Charity! Rotary Melbourne volunteers gear up to quench the thirst of runners at the Melbourne Marathon! As they approach the MCG, our dedicated team provides water and refreshments, ensuring hydration and motivation. All proceeds from this event supports The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program. You too can join us for a fun-filled day of community spirit!
RIMERN (Rotary Inner Melbourne Emergency Relief Network) is a multi club Rotary project operating Inner Melbourne, providing furniture, appliances & homewares to welfare agency clients who have experienced homelessness, domestic violence, incarceration, refugee displacement and other crises.
Volunteer Rotarian and friends take calls from donors, collect, clean and sort items into household lots.
