Winter in Melbourne is a test for the hardiest souls. In late May the days have drawn in by 6.00 pm and the air gets that distinct chill which will linger and lower overnight. We begin to wrap up with jumpers and scarves and mittens and put on coats. We are armed with brollies for those short sharp downpours. We hurry home to the warmth of a good meal, the family chatting, perhaps some conversation and BritBox. We will sleep safely with, perchance, a dream or two seeing us through to the morning. The Bard may have written of our winter of discontent but for most of us that is simply our footy team losing at the MCG on the weekend.
This happy picture is but a dream for so many of our fellow Victorians.
These are people in our parish, on the tram, at the shopping centre, people working, students and pensioners, young families, people struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living bites and their income no longer stretches to cover bills or enough to eat.
Their hearts beat just as ours do. They have a favourite footy team. They have dreams and aspirations. But right now, they are doing it tough. Many of these people would never have dreamed that they would need a hand-out or a free meal or help to pay the electricity bill. And then there are those who are sleeping rough, victims of domestic violence, those pushed to the edge through mental illness, children who need the basics for school.
This is where you can help.
Do you have time on your hands? Could you volunteer in a Vinnies team? Spare half a day a week?
Could you visit someone in their home to have a chat, provide company, some nourishing food and check that they can afford to have the heating on?
Imagine if the shoe was on the other foot.
Or are you in a position to donate to the 2025 Winter Appeal?
For the sum of $81.00 you could provide a food hamper for a struggling family. That’s less than a Saturday breakfast out in Whitehorse Road.
What you do could turn someone’s life around and give them hope that things will get better.
Many of us have grown up with Vinnies and know what good this charitable organisation and its many volunteers do. Our Catholic school students fill hampers for Christmas. Mini-Vinnies are marvellous and they are learning that part of what we do is to give out of our abundance of time, goods or money … whatever we can reasonably manage. I have bought and dropped off clothing items at the Mont Albert store for more years than I care to remember. I have picked up the odd book or scarf or trinket. My mother would do a regular rostered stint at the Mornington shop whilst my father did the odd shift at Ozanam House.
For many, Vinnies is a password for looking after others.
Over this last year the demand for assistance in all its forms has risen dramatically. The working poor may be those who are between homes, living in cars or tents or garages or couch-surfing, trying to secure some residential stability so things do not go completely off the rails. According to the Australian Council of Social Services (2022) 3.3 million Australians live below the poverty line and 22% of retirees live in poverty. Post-Covid and with a range of social issues impacting on all of us, this number has surely grown. Included in that dire statistic could be your neighbour across the street, missing meals so the children are fed, not buying essential medicines, worrying that the electricity will be cut off, unable to visit their partner in a nursing home.
Vinnies helps out with food vouchers, MYKI cards, and will help pay the rent if a family is at risk. But they need more people on the ground to help deliver these services to the community.
The call centre fields 300 calls a day. 800,000 meals were made last year across the nation. The Soup Vans are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year as they give out 300 rough sleeper bags a week. These vans are located near central transport hubs such as Elizabeth Street and Spencer Street, often the places where those most at risk gather. The volunteers provide hot soup, a smile and a listening ear on a winter’s bitter evening. Behind the compassion of this essential service is the abiding belief that every single person has their story and their dignity.
Vinnies volunteers show up and keep showing up.
The Deepdene/Balwyn Conference of St. Vincent de Paul is the largest in Victoria. It has many committed and longstanding volunteers whose service and charity have helped our neighbours close to home and also in areas such as Collingwood, Richmond and North Melbourne where clusters of need are most visible.
Our local Vinnies needs more volunteers as the cost of living escalates and the need for purposeful intervention grows.
Vinnies puts lives back on track.
Young people are especially invited to put in some hours where they can. They will be well mentored by the more experienced volunteers and will gain the satisfaction of meeting a need where it is most acute.
Jesus’ words provide the imperative for action.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25: 35-40)
Again in 2025, the St Vincent de Paul Society will run its annual Winter Appeal.
What can you do to help our brothers and sisters in dire need?
This weekend, 21-22 June, our parish’s St Vincent de Paul Society will hold its annual Winter Appeal. A special collection will be taken at each Mass over that weekend and proceeds will help fund the Society’s work for the year ahead. Those works are wide ranging and targeted to assist those in need both financially and socially, as explained by the Society’s State President, Michael Quinn, in this short video prepared earlier this year as part of National Volunteer Week.
Our Conferences are always looking for new members to assist in our work. If you are interested in joining or finding out more about the work, please contact the Conference President(s) – details can be obtained from the Parish Office.
Donations may be made direct to your applicable Parish Conference by visiting their donation page using the link or QR code below.
Surrey Hills Wattle Park Conference
Image: St Vincent de Paul Society Australia
19 Brenbeal Street, Balwyn VIC 3103
Telephone: 03 9816 9291
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours:
Tue - Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm