You Think You’re Helping. Then a Stranger Teaches You Something You’ll Never Forget.

Image of 'Rosies - Friends on the Street' Team at Signal Flare Event

It’s easy to believe certain things about volunteering.

That it’s just about giving.

That those who are doing it tough only need essentials.

And that kindness flows one way...

But Jo challenged that. In one conversation, she shifted something I hadn’t even realised was rigid.

“People just want to feel seen.”

Jo’s been with Rosies – Friends on the Street for less than a year. But when she talks, it’s like she’s been doing it forever.

We spoke during our latest Signal Flare event, as Rosies handed out their usual blend of comfort, warm drinks, real conversations, and a steady presence.

“Our mission is friendship,” Jo told me.

“We spend time with people who are sleeping rough or doing it tough — people who often get overlooked or left out, and we just spend time with them. No pressure. Just presence.”

They call themselves Friends on the Street, and it’s not just a name. It’s their entire philosophy.

No one’s trying to fix anyone. They just show up, the way you would for a mate who’s been through more than most.

But here’s the part that floored me:

I asked Jo what kind of person makes a good volunteer.

She didn’t say “compassionate”, “hardworking”, or “dedicated.”

She looked at me and said:

“A lot of people who volunteer with us are actually in need of a friend too.”

Let that land.

She’s not talking about some saviour complex. She’s talking about people, like you and me, who come to Rosies carrying their own stuff.

Grief. Loneliness. Burnout. A need to feel useful again.

And what they find — on the streets, at the vans, with strangers — is a kind of connection they didn’t know they were missing.

A conversation, not a cause

Rosies doesn’t hand out housing. They don’t run therapy sessions. What they do is much harder to measure, and way more powerful.

“It’s just like if you invited someone into your home,” Jo said.

“You’d offer them a drink. You’d talk. That’s it.”

What it actually looks like

Rosies has over 16,000 volunteers across Queensland. Whether you’re volunteering or dropping by for a cuppa and a chat, you’ll rarely have to wait more than 24 hours to catch up with Rosies.

A standard shift starts at the hub, where volunteers pack up the van with drinks and snacks, then head to the day’s outreach location. Sometimes it’s one shift. Sometimes it’s three in a day.

Each team is small. Tight-knit. Real.

Some volunteers do one shift a month. But according to Jo, many volunteers love it so much that they end up doing a lot more.

Not because they have to. But because you don’t walk away from something like this unchanged.

So, what do you need to volunteer?

Jo says it best:

“You just need a good heart. That’s all.”

Final word

If you’re feeling burned out…

If you’re feeling alone, or disconnected, or like the world’s spinning a bit too fast…

If you want to give something real, and maybe receive something real in return…

Come meet Jo or someone like her.

Come sit down. Come pour a drink. Come listen.

Because the truth is, sometimes the ones we think we’re helping are the ones helping us.

Want to volunteer with Rosies? Learn more here: https://rosies.org.au

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