Operations Manager and Charity Volunteer... a week in the life of Janina

By day I’m Operations Manager and a Director at The Developer Society, and outside of that I volunteer as Project Coordinator for The Hygiene Bank in the Tunbridge Wells area. The two roles might sound very different, but they actually overlap more than you’d expect. At The Developer Society, I’m all about solving problems, keeping things moving, and making sure projects run smoothly — and those same skills come in handy when I’m organising collections and supporting community partners. I’m also mum to two boys, so life is definitely full-on — but it’s the good kind of busy, where everything you do adds up to something that matters.

Here’s a peek at what a week looks like when all those pieces come together.

Friday

I work a nine-day fortnight at The Developer Society, which means I get every other Friday off — and I try to use those days to get as much as I can done for The Hygiene Bank.

This week was especially inspiring because I finally met Steph Barclay from Head Office in person after months of emails. Her energy and commitment were inspiring and sparked the idea for this piece. On the collection run, I picked up full bins of products from Gymboree and from Nationwide, a long-term partner I work closely with through Debbie at the local branch. Later, I dropped off nit treatment solution and conditioner to a school, supporting a family in financial crisis — a stark example of hygiene poverty’s unseen consequences.

Saturday

Not all about Hygiene Bank today — it started with puppy class (chaos, but the good kind). I also had some ideas for Dev work buzzing around my head, so I grabbed an hour to get them down on paper before I forgot. Then I wrapped the day up with something a bit more fun — a cinema trip with my son to see Jurassic Park. Awesome.

Sunday

A big shop at ALDI — trolley piled high with essentials, all heading straight to our local community partners. This is something I tend to do every couple of months, or monthly if we get a donation boost. We’re using hard-won funding for these purchases, and it’s so essential, but it does hurt to see the funds going down. The Equals card makes everything so much easier — it’s brilliant for managing these sorts of purchases. It always feels good knowing these products will make a real difference.

Monday

A busy start to the week at The Developer Society with lots of people on leave, but the evenings were all about Hygiene Bank. Monday I caught up with Carolyn at Tunbridge Wells Baptist Church, handing over 56kg of products for their community larder—some donated by the community, others bought with precious grant funding.

Tuesday

Another delivery, this time to Jan at St Matt's, one of four local partners we support. What started as a temporary Covid response five years ago now serves over 100 families every week, despite recently losing their annual council funding. The need keeps growing, but resources are getting tighter.

I also caught up with our social media star, Alana, who's been brilliant at showcasing our impact and encouraging local businesses to get involved. With product donations heading downwards, her work connecting us with supporters is more crucial than ever. Every bin, every grant, every social media share helps take one less worry away from families who are struggling.

Wrapping up the week

This is a typical rundown of what I do in a week, but what it doesn’t show is just as important: the hours spent on unsuccessful funding applications, the endless stream of emails and messages as I try to line up my limited spare time with the local businesses that support us, and the behind- the-scenes effort of organising collections and deliveries. It can feel relentless at times — but then I hear from partners like Carolyn at TWBC or Jan at St Matt’s about how many families they’re supporting, and I’m reminded why it’s worth it. Every product passed on means one less thing for someone to worry about, and if we can take away even a small piece of that stress, then it matters. That’s what keeps me going.