--- title: Volunteer Story - Renata description: Renata volunteers six shifts a week at Felix but felt too ashamed to claim her expenses. Why claiming volunteer expenses is your right, not a favour. image: https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hubfs/Renata1.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog/volunteer-story-renata#main-content) [![vHelp Logo](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/VHELP_LOGO_Green-1.png?width=107&height=40&name=VHELP_LOGO_Green-1.png)Homepage](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/) - Solutions - [Clinical Trial](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/clinical-trials) - [Volunteering](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/volunteering) - [Market Research](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/market-research-incentives) - Resources - [Reports](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/reports) - [Blog](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog) - [Pricing](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/pricing) - [Login](https://vhelp.co.uk/login/) - [Register](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/create-vhelp-account) - Solutions - [Clinical Trial](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/clinical-trials) - [Volunteering](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/volunteering) - [Market Research](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/market-research-incentives) - Resources - [Reports](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/reports) - [Blog](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog) - [Pricing](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/pricing) - [Login](https://vhelp.co.uk/login/) - [Register](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/create-vhelp-account) ![](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Renata1.jpg?width=1079&height=932&name=Renata1.jpg) Volunteering Volunteer Reimbursement # Volunteer Story - Renata ![Randa Bennett](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/avatar-randa-Oct-08-2025-06-35-45-1005-AM.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-randa-Oct-08-2025-06-35-45-1005-AM.jpg) Randa Bennett November 10, 2026 Renata volunteers at [Felix](https://felix.org), the London charity that rescues surplus food, six times a week. She sorts deliveries, picks orders and carries trays of food bound for charities across the city. For a long time, she paid her own travel to do it. *"I took some food home, so I was ashamed to claim. I didn't want to take money from them."* [Feeling guilty](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog/06-2022/30/the-stigma-around-volunteers-claiming-expenses) about claiming volunteer expenses is more common than most charities realise. Renata's story shows why it should not be. ## How did Renata start volunteering at Felix? **Through free food at her children's nursery, then a Felix stall at a local produce show.** Renata met Felix before she knew its name. She was volunteering at the children's centre at Rowland Hill Nursery when staff handed her a cooking kit: potatoes, onions, carrots, chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices. She asked where it came from. The answer was Felix. Later, at an autumn produce show, she found the Felix stall. The team gave her apples and breakfast bars and explained that this was surplus food that would otherwise go in the bin. *"I always used to pay for food. I wondered why they were giving it away for free."* There was a sign-up sheet. She filled in the form, turned up for her first shift and met Jacob, now her manager, who trained her himself. *"I thought, wow, this is so great. So much food that we can save and give to people."* ## What does a volunteer do at Felix? **Felix volunteers sort, check and pack surplus food so it reaches charities before it goes to waste.** Food arrives from businesses in cages, chilled or ambient, and volunteers sort it by hand. Dates matter. Anything due to expire today or tomorrow goes to a partner charity that collects before the end of the day, so nothing good is wasted. Food that cannot be delivered, such as an opened bag of pasta, is shared among volunteers rather than thrown away. In nearly two years, Renata has worked across Felix's operation: the Enfield depot, the Acton bakery, the Poplar kitchen, supermarket collections, a marathon cheering station and fundraising events. One shift she might be sorting a tonne of carrots. The next, she is picking orders. *"It is not boring. It keeps you busy, and I carry heavy trays, so it is good exercise."* What keeps her coming back is the people. *"I found a lot of friends there. The staff are very nice and very helpful. Even without the food, I would go there to socialise."* ## Can volunteers claim expenses? **Yes. Volunteers can claim reasonable out-of-pocket costs, such as travel to and from their shift.** Renata's turning point came when money got tighter and she started volunteering more often. A trip to the Felix orchard cost her over £30. A day at Acton costs £10.50 in travel. Her volunteer travel expenses reached around £60 a month. Jacob told her she had every right to claim, and that she would be surprised how many volunteers do. *"So I decided: I have the right. I can claim my expenses."* ## How quickly are Felix volunteers paid? **Within 24 hours of approval. Renata submitted her last claim on a Thursday and was paid on Friday.** Felix uses vHelp, a UK payment platform that reimburses volunteer expenses direct to bank within 24 hours. Renata logs several trips in one claim and uploads screenshots from her Oyster app. Jacob approves it, Felix's finance team signs it off, and the money lands in her account. *"I am not very computer literate. I am old school. But the website is very, very easy."* *"It is really very quick. I am very happy with Felix, and I am very happy with vHelp."* *If your charity wants to pay volunteers like Renata within 24 hours, see how* [*volunteer expense reimbursement*](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/volunteering)*works with vHelp, or* [*request a demo*](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/request-vhelp-demo)*.* ## Keep reading ### [![](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/george-hiles-sIStm4lm1Co-unsplash.jpg?width=3420&height=2280&name=george-hiles-sIStm4lm1Co-unsplash.jpg) volunteer expenses Volunteer Reimbursement Volunteer Mileage Rate Volunteer mileage rate over 10,000 miles rises to 35p from April 2027](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog/volunteer-mileage-rate-over-10000-miles-rises-to-35p-from-april-2027) ### [![Older man getting into car to be driven to the doctors](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/centre-for-ageing-better-aang4D4VMEI-unsplash.jpg?width=5472&height=3648&name=centre-for-ageing-better-aang4D4VMEI-unsplash.jpg) volunteer expenses Volunteer Mileage Rate Volunteer Mileage Rate 55p: Who Pays the Extra 10p?](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/blog/volunteer-mileage-rate-55p-who-pays-the-extra-10p) [![VHELP\_LOGO\_White-1](https://www.vhelp.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/VHELP_LOGO_White-1.png?width=117&height=44&name=VHELP_LOGO_White-1.png "VHELP_LOGO_White-1")](https://www.vhelp.co.uk) Fast, Compliant payments for volunteers, clinical trial participants and market research teams. 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