Taz Traill is a small boy with a big heart that beats for the Gold Coast community.

Wearing his weekend sport uniform and football boots, he appears the epitome of an eight-year-old child.

Come Monday evening though, Taz will be preparing and serving food at a Gold Coast soup kitchen and rallying his friends to spend their pocket money on gifts for nursing home residents.

"We give out chocolates, my friends come with me and we pay for them with our own pocket money," Taz said.

"The residents at Sandbrook [Aged Care] give us hugs and kisses."

Taz's generosity beyond his years has been recognised at the Gold Coast Volunteer Awards, where he was named Youth Volunteer of the Year.

Taz Traill regularly volunteers to help feed the homeless with the charity Walk With Us. ( Supplied: Melissa Traill )

He is a shy boy, and admits he sometimes finds it hard to approach the strangers he volunteers to help.

"It can be scary because you don't know what is going to happen," he said.

"They are always nice and I like to see them smile."

Taz's mum, Melissa Traill, said she encouraged him to volunteer so he could see how lucky he was.

"He's been visiting the nursing home since he was about two years old and after a little while it became about spending his own money to give out to others," Mrs Traill said.

"He's a very fussy eater and then I thought he needed to go and see people who don't have any food and see how the other half live because he is so lucky.

"So we contacted Walk With Us and brought him in to help at the soup kitchen when he was four.

"He goes there once a week to help the soup kitchen and also organises his school to collect and wrap presents for the annual Christmas lunch."

Taz Traill helps organise Christmas presents for the homeless. ( Supplied: Mel Traill )

Generous, creative Gold Coast volunteers

Taz was the youngest of six winners at the inaugural Gold Coast Volunteer Awards, run by Volunteering Services Australia.

The Volunteer of the Year was Greg Wright, who designs and builds boats to enable disabled people to spend time on the water, and the Volunteer Coordinator of the Year was Wendy Green from United Hands of Hope.

"We have been humbled by some incredible entries," said Volunteering Services Australia CEO Simon Nugus.

"The talented, generous, creative volunteers on the Gold Coast deserve to be acknowledged, recognised and praised, which is why we have this spectacular event."

The changing face of volunteers

Taz has been named the Gold Coast's Youth Volunteer of the Year. ( ABC Gold Coast: Jennifer Huxley )

For Taz, the recognition was a buzz, but even then he wanted to use the limelight to help the homeless.

"I just want to ask anyone who has warm blankets or food or drinks, please can you donate to Walk With Us," he said.

Taz's unwavering dedication to the charity has helped changed the make-up of its volunteers, said Walk With Us co-founder Nikki Sega.

"He was the first child we had come along to help and now we have more kids than adults," she said.

"It is great for the kids and for our guests.

"Taz has been coming for so long. We have grown so much and he has grown with us.

"He's a little champion, he will go and talk to guests and is always looking for something to do to help out.

"We were all screaming and yelling and clapping when he got the award, it is so well deserved."