Should I leave my job over this?

I agree with other posters in feeling you should have eaten before starting your shift
Sunnysusie but this does not excuse other staff being rude.
Perhaps you could clear the air with co-workers and start again.
Don't give up over this one incident but do look at your motivation. If its purely to help you make friends and you are not particularly interested in the Organisation then perhaps look elsewhere.

Thank you for your replies which mostly seem to lay the blame on me and have made me look at things from another point of view. I am going to sleep on it as I am working an early shift tomorrow starting 8.30am and see how I feel in the morning, then make a decision before I go to work. I might get some more replies by then to help me decide. At the moment I can see both points of view, but I am not sure I am getting anything at all out of the cafe job, whereas my other volunteering role is an absolute delight. I dont really go into these jobs expecting much, but the RVS at the local hospital support and encourage us which means we always go the extra mile willingly and happily, and working on the NHS wards is amazing. In contrast the cafe is fraught, tense and staff are often given a dressing down if we stand for three or four minutes doing nothing when there are no customers. We wash down the tables repeatedly for fear of being accused of malingering and are never allowed to talk to each other. I do question why I am doing it, particularly as I have never been in the church and no one has ever explained what the money is used for they are saving by having volunteers. The customers simply assume its a commercial cafe and we are paid.

blimey, you don't need to be " told off".

I've been told off before on Gransnet about my strange attitude to volunteering, so I may not be the best person to ask but to be honest I don't think a baked spud is too much to ask for giving up 4 hours of your time. A busy cafe should be able to manage that especially if it is saving wages by using volunteers. My advice would be to drop the cafe (like a hot potato, sorry!) and keep your energy for the job you do enjoy.

I don't think I would be staying there, having read your last comments, Susie.
Sod that!

Life is too shortly spend any time doing sometime that you find upsetting in this way. There are many organisations that would welcome volunteers with open arms.
If you have no personal connection to the church then I would suggest you give notice and leave.
You might wish to speak to a supervisor about your reason for going but do not feel you have to explain yourself or justify your feelings.
Local CABs often have lists of groups or organisations locally that are seeking volunteers.
Good luck, the right place is out there waiting for you.

I’d quit if I were you. Despite what another poster says I think many volunteers do voluntary work to meet like minded people. You don’t need this rudeness when you simply asked that someone save you a baked potato....which presumably means you’d eat it later.

Stick with the work you enjoy, with people who have an open and friendly attitude.

Sunnysusie You didn't mention in your original post about being told off. I'm afraid I would most definitely not have taken that. Volunteers should be appreciated. I wouldn't stay there. But I would let the charity know why.

I have done all kinds of volunteer jobs over the years but as soon as the enjoyment goes out of it or I experience unpleasantness I’m gone. For reasons I have never been able to fathom, pettiness seems to abound in a lot of organisations which depend on volunteer labour and life’s too short to have to tolerate it. There is no shortage of volunteer opportunities. Whatever the rights and wrongs of what happened here, it has made the poster unhappy. Time to move on.

What sort of a Church is this? They don't seem to have a very Christian attitude towards the volunteers. You ought to be able to chat and have a bit of fun alongside the work. It must be a miserable sort of p!ace. Where is the joy in helping people.
I would leave and find somewhere else, where volunteers are appreciated.

Not sure what a ‘Christian attitude’ is MiniMoon - my experience of ‘Christians’ leaves a lot to be desired.

You aren’t allowed to talk to each other? What church is this?

sunnysusie this Church definitely isn’t the place to go to meet people, if you can’t even speak to the others.

once you stop enjoying something, particularly a voluntary job, then it’s time to leave

Could you do more with the RVS susie? Setting aside the recent incident it doesn’t sound as if you enjoy working in the cafe. I’ve moved away from voluntary work that for whatever reason hasn’t felt comfortable and never regretted it. There has always been something that has suited me better and where I’ve felt I can truly contribute to an organisation I believe in. I think you answered your own question in your second post. Go with your instinct, life’s too short for miserable volunteering.

Gosh Susie that sounds a thoroughly miserable place to work . As it’s a voluntary role I would call it a day there if I were your. Do it today !

Yes not sure I would stay there in these circumstances. Having worked in a kitchen and seen the stress of meal prep especially in the heat I can perhaps understand the kitchen staff getting a bit fraught but that's no excuse for rudeness especially to a volunteer. Your subsequent post makes it sound a thoroughly unpleasant place to work and I would have been long gone by now.

Isn’t it funny how things change along the way with a second or third post from the original poster This is obviously nothing to do with the jacket potato debacle let’s face it you don’t like the place or the work and are looking for validity to leave
Well, if you re not happy there , leave, you don’t need Gransnet to back you up not everywhere suits everyone and being a volunteer gives you more ease than paid employment, as you can just walk out and look for something else

Gosh SunnySusie I am really surprised by the replies that you have recieved! You are a volunteer - just leave. That is no way to treat you. Lots of places will value you, be friendly and give you a decent break. Try the National Trust - I do a 6 hour shift and get 2 breaks, an hour and a quarter in total, spent with other friendly volunteers. If they tell you off remind them that you are a volunteer - are not getting paid and don't have to be there!! Be assertive - don't put up with it!

BlueBelle, you sound rude.

have you never felt fragile? uncertain? reached out , in desperation to an internet forum? possibly not.

In my opinion this is a typical 'church' scenario. The people I know who are regular church goers are the least Christian people I know. That is why I avoid it like the plague.
Life is too short to spend it doing stuff you hate if you don't have to - leave and find more pleasant things to do with your time.

I wonder if "the management" are not particularly good at this church establishment. Maybe the paid staff are treated badly and unfortunately this then rubs off onto the volunteers.

Personally, I would leave, but also explain why to whoever is in overall management charge. Life is too short to stay anywhere you are uhappy.

Why not eat before you arrive or on the way to the church cafe?
You can't, in all fairness, expect to sit and have a lunch break before starting work.
Perhaps you need to decide whether the job is worth your effort but as you've only been there 3 months, not 3 years, no wonder they got a bit shirty with you.
They make the rules.

It sounds a nightmare & far too much stress for a voluntary role. It would be the final straw for me. Not sure why you’ve got so much grief on here. I work for money and in voluntary roles. I am prepared to put up with more rudeness and hassle on my paid roles than my voluntary ones. Leave and do something more pleasant with your time.

GabriellaG You can't, in all fairness, expect to sit and have a lunch break before starting work.

The OP wasn't asking for that! She requested that a potato be saved for her to eat later.