THERE might be little on their payslips, but a look at the time sheets of volunteers show putting in the hours to help others is worth a million bucks.
After last year's successful inaugural event, the Hunter Volunteer Centre is putting on a second expo in an effort to rebuild the region's volunteer base after it was decimated by the pandemic.
Events with a Purpose organiser Julia Busquets said volunteers are vital to keeping community organisations and charities going - and the roles available are as interesting and varied as the people who do them.
"I started as a volunteer and I didn't think I'd be organising a second expo that's bigger than last year," she said.
"I was an ex-registered nurse, so go-figure that I'm doing events, volunteering can lead you that way and the great thing is that if you don't like it you can go in another direction.
"Volunteering is good for mental stimulation, social connection, learning new skills and it feels good to give your time back, there's a sense of pride and achievement that comes with helping others."
Already more than 25 organisations have signed up, including Ronald McDonald House, Lifeline, Hunter Wetlands, Hunter Melanoma Foundation and Rotary District 9660.
Organisations are looking for volunteer gardeners, drivers, crisis supporters, ambassadors, graphic designers and more.
It's also a great opportunity for people who haven't worked to gain skills they can take into a paid role, Ms Busquets said.
"With administration roles, you can start off as a volunteer, get your skills up and a reference and go into a paid role," she said.
"You can choose roles without the exact skills needed and learn on the spot as a volunteer."
The event is a one-stop-shop where locals can talk directly to organisations about their needs and opportunities.
A lot of them are still struggling to return to pre-COVID volunteer numbers, Ms Busquets said.
"The numbers have dropped unfortunately since COVID," she said.
"It shortened a lot of people's volunteering life, especially those who were getting too old to do it anymore, but we haven't seen that increase in numbers post-COVID again.
"We're trying to showcase what these organisations do and how important they are to the community, volunteers are vital to keeping these organisations going and without them they wouldn't be able to survive."
Steve McLauchlan volunteers with Hunter Volunteer Centre creating videos and films for organisations looking for new recruits.
He said that when he retired, the volunteer role offered him an opportunity to do something he enjoyed while making new friendships with like-minded people.
"Quite often when you leave work you don't realise you leave a lot of contacts behind, so this enables you to create friendships as well as giving back," he said.
"Not only do you get to meet new people and do things, you become part of the bigger structure beyond yourself.
"You don't realise how many places there are that want volunteers, when you see them all together it gives you an idea of how vast the need is."
He said the expo is a great opportunity for locals to find out what's available directly from the organisations that need help.
The Volunteer Expo is on November 1 at Carrington Bowling Club between 10am and 3pm.
It's free to attend and dogs on leashes are welcome.
