The St. Vincent de Paul Society’s annual Winter Appeal provides financial and material support for those in need, the jobless, the homeless and the disadvantaged in Melbourne and throughout the State. Whilst the world has moved to a new Covid normal existence, we are seeing many long-lasting effects emerging. Our support for the jobless, homeless and the needy remains an ongoing challenge. The broader theme of this winter’s Vinnies Appeal is ‘Older Women Experiencing Homelessness’.
The Deepdene & Balwyn, Camberwell and Surrey Hills Wattle Park Surrey Hills Conferences are involved in a range of outreach work, including home visits in the local parish areas and the suburbs of South and North Melbourne. In addition, some members volunteer at Vinnies Stores in Hawthorn, East Kew and Mont Albert and provide support to the Vinnies soup vans. We are seeing many people coming to SVDP for assistance. For many, it is the first time they have sought help. We predict that demand for our services will continue to increase over the balance of this year and beyond, particularly in the current environment of rising inflation and increasing daily costs. It is clear from the statistics set out below that the need for ongoing assistance is as strong as ever.
In the past 12 months our Conferences have provided assistance to individuals and families as follows:
| Deepdene / Balwyn Conference | |||
| Number of home visits/ calls: | 368 | (down 9% on previous 12 months) | |
| Number of People assisted: | Adults: | 482 | |
| Children: | 242 | ||
| Value of assistance provided: | $41,110 | (up 27% on previous 12 months) | |
| Camberwell Conference | |||
| Number of home visits / calls: | 95 | (down 25% on previous 12 months) | |
| Number of People assisted: | Adults: | 112 | |
| Children: | 31 | ||
| Value of assistance provided: | $10,076 | (down 15% on previous 12 months) | |
| Wattle Park / Surrey Hills Conference | |||
| Number of home visits / calls: | 174 | (up 15% on previous 12 months) | |
| Number of People assisted: | Adults: | 206 | |
| Children: | 98 | ||
| Value of assistance provided: | $26,000 | (up 14% on previous 12 months) | |
This assistance has included supermarket gift vouchers, Vinnies store vouchers, paying pharmacy bills, utility bills, and providing essential whitegoods and furniture. Most importantly, a key part of our work, which is often little recognised, is to lend a listening ear.
The Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Blessed Frederick Ozanam said “Yours must be the work of love, of kindness, you must give your time, your talents, yourselves. The poor person is a unique person of God’s fashioning with an inalienable right to respect.”
All donations to our Winter Appeal are gratefully appreciated. Please download the donation form for options available for making a donation and in particular the need to specifically make reference to your local Conference Number in the comments box (Deepdene/Balwyn – 404; Camberwell – 401; Wattle Park/Surrey Hills – 393).
It’s your compassion and support that makes our work possible. Financial donations play a critical role in sustaining the Society. The annual Vinnies Winter and Christmas Appeals are the primary local fundraising activity of our Conferences.
Our Conferences are always looking for new members to assist in our work. If you are interested in joining or finding out more about our work, please contact the Conference President(s) (details can be obtained from the Parish team).
Donations can 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
19 Brenbeal Street, Balwyn VIC 3103
Telephone: 03 9816 9291
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours:
Tue - Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm