CHANGING LIVES: ONE CUP OF SOUP AT A TIME

A NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY VICTORIA

SOCIETY MARCH2016

CHANGING LIVES: ONE CUP OF SOUP AT A TIME

SOCIETY | MARCH 2016 ► 3

PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO VINNIES AT VINNIES.ORG.AUDONATE

DEAR FRIENDS,I hope you have enjoyed a safe and happy start to 2016!

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria would like to sincerely thank you for your support in 2015, which has allowed us to change the lives of poor, disadvantaged and homeless members of our community who regularly turn to us for assistance.

The Society’s 2015 Christmas Appeal raised more than $570,000, which is a testament to the generosity of you, our supporters. We’ve included a few colourful flashbacks to the Christmas Appeal in this issue, which we hope you enjoy.

We have also taken a closer look at one of our most treasured programs, the Soup Van Operation, which recently marked 40-years of service in Victoria. Through the eyes of our volunteers and the people we assist in their homes and on the street, I do hope you will gain a greater sense of why this service is so important for our community.

As the new year hits full stride, the Society is now developing other innovative and practical ways to respond to the needs of people right across Victoria.

We have just launched a new educational tutoring program for students in Noble Park at St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School, Noble Park Primary School, and other schools nearby. This initiative is assisting students who have recently arrived from overseas, predominantly from non-English speaking backgrounds. We have engaged volunteer tutors and a paid part-time coordinator to provide literacy and numeracy assistance for students one afternoon per week.

The Society and VincentCare Victoria are also collaborating on a new project, HomeDirect, which aims to create stable, safe and appropriate housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

Planning for our annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout is already underway, so keep an eye out for announcements in the coming months and remember to nominate a business or community leader that may be interested to participate. The event will be held on 23rd June 2016.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing, generous support. We are aiming to make 2016 a highly productive and rewarding year, and I look forward to sharing our progress with you in the next issue of Society.

With thanks,

Michael LiddyState President, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria

2 ◄ SOCIETY | MARCH 2016

Our 2015 Christmas Appeal attracted a significant level of support from people right across Victoria. The Appeal shared the story of one of our volunteers, Jennifer, who is helping to restore hope in the life of a single mum, Sophie, and her five beautiful children. Sophie has been doing it tough for over two years and during that time the St Vincent de Paul Society has only been a phone call away, providing unconditional support and friendship. Generous donations to our Christmas Appeal help to support people just like Sophie, all year round, so thank you for your support.

A TRAFFIC-STOPPING CHRISTMAS DELIVERY

Members of HMAS Cerberus and the Navy Steam Club fired up a 1923 Foden steam wagon to deliver over 500 gifts worth over $7,500 to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal. The gifts were loaded onto the wagon at the Victoria Barracks before a jolly journey across town to our Altona warehouse.

Long standing member of the Navy Steam Club, Warrant Officer Ian Waller, is a strong advocate for supporting people in need and said Christmas is an important time to reach out.

“Every child deserves to wake up on Christmas morning and feel the rush of tearing open a gift or two. Our members take great pride in rallying together every year and reaching into our pockets, to bring together a collection of toys that will brighten their day,” said WO Waller.

A big thanks to HMAS Cerberus and the Navy Steam Club for their ongoing support to our appeal.

CHRISTMAS APPEAL HELPS RESTORE HOPE

Students from St Therese’s School in Essendon busily worked through their lunch breaks to create over 20 Christmas hampers and around 200 gifts for local people in need, as part of the Vinnies Christmas Appeal.

Member of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Essendon, Mr Mitchell Roggenkamp, said every donation given to Vinnies in Essendon is invested in building support networks and frontline services for local people doing it tough.

“We are overwhelmingly appreciative of the support we’ve received from the St Therese’s School community and their generous donation of time and gifts for people in need in the Essendon region this Christmas,” said Mr Roggenkamp.

“Learning the importance of social justice in action and

the power of giving at such a young age is so humbling to see in our local community.”

St Therese’s Religious Education Leader, Mrs Amanda Foster, said the students are heavily invested in learning about the value of supporting their community all year round and the festive season is a special time for them to show their gratitude for charities like the St Vincent de Paul Society.

“Creating hampers and gifts was a special way for our students to show their compassion and to ensure everyone has a chance to celebrate during the festive season,” said Mrs Foster.

We would like to extend our thanks to the students, families, and teachers from the St Therese’s school community as well as the members of the St Therese’s Parish for their support during Christmas.

ST THERESE'S STUDENTS HELP SPREAD CHRISTMAS CHEER

St Therese's School Social Justice Students

SOCIETY | MARCH 2016 ► 54 ◄ SOCIETY | MARCH 2016


HOW VINNIES HELPED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

Our educational programs assisted over 140 students per week from a diverse range of backgrounds to meet their academic potential

Provided 254,390 meals through our Soup Van service

Assisted 170,615 adults and 131,531 children

Provided $10,682,230 worth of financial assistance to people in need

Made 131,623 home visits to provide assistance

Provided children's activities such as Roadshow, Kids' Camps, Kids' Days Out and Teen Days Out to over 600 children and teens

KIDS FIRST, ALWAYSThis is Gill’s* story. She receives assistance from the Vinnies Soup Van and wanted to share her story in the hope that people will understand why she is caught in the poverty cycle.

It’s Monday morning. Gill is tearing around the front yard winding up the hose.

“So sorry, I’ll just be a minute!”

This is her world – a world where every single minute counts. Gill is a single mother of six kids aged nine to 21 years and an expert at coping in varying waves of chaos.

“I’ve spent some time in a refuge, which provided one bedroom for five children and no cot for my baby. I’d never do it again - I was really desperate,” she says.

These days she lives in a three-bedroom home with her five boys and one girl, which she was lucky to secure through public housing 13 years ago. She’s been on the waiting list for a larger home for over ten years, with limited options.

“Private renters don’t like people like me, with lots of kids. I’ve never had my own room - I still share with my daughter. I don’t know what it’s like to have my own space.”

But she says a lack of space is a small price to pay for keeping her kids.

“I’ve never put my children in government care, I don’t believe in care, but it’s been very, very hard.”

She’s even opened her doors to others in need, her kids’ friends, often caught in the throes of the foster system or family conflict.

“I haven’t been a foster parent, but I’ve had a lot of children come and go over the years – they used to eat and sleep at my house. I refuse to throw a kid out on the street just because they’re having problems with their family. Some of these kids were very young, early high school,” she says.

During this time, the Vinnies Soup Van volunteers would often offer a hand up.

“I used to do it on my own, but then the Soup Van came. We got extra sandwiches, which is what these kids were eating for dinner.”

Kids are Gill’s life. She has very little contact with her own friends and family and often feels isolated within the community.

“I have medical issues – I suffer from anxiety and depression. I’ve been on medication and have been hospitalised,” she says.

It’s made the prospect of obtaining paid work problematic. She worked as an office administrator before she became a mother, but is now competing against people half her age who have greater flexibility with their time. “My skills mean nothing anymore - I don’t have any courses up my sleeve or qualifications. There’s not much out there for me,” she says.

Even so, Gill is always on call. She walks her children to school every day and often has to collect them from school at short notice. One of her children has type 1 diabetes, another is intellectually disabled and her youngest is dealing with painful memories of seeing Gill being abused.

Gill is proud to be feeling stronger now and determined to put her best foot forward.

“I don’t have anything brand new. Everything is second hand, from the side of the road or donated - but you wouldn’t even know. We don’t wear holy clothes or holy shoes, I just won’t allow that,” she says.

The Vinnies Soup Van still comes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to help her along too.

“If I didn’t have the van, I’d be worse off than I am now.”

Our Soup Van service helps many families and individuals just like Gill to source regular meals, which can go a long way to helping to make ends meet.

*The name and identity of the person featured in this story have been suppressed for privacy reasons.

My bills are more than my income is. I’ve had to take out an extra credit card to survive – that’s

banked up now, just with everyday needs. I just

can’t manage.

“

6 ◄ SOCIETY | MARCH 2016 SOCIETY | MARCH 2016 ► 7

FRANK'S STORYEvery Thursday, for the past 40 years, there has been one familiar and friendly face greeting people in need on the streets of inner-city Melbourne; our beloved Vinnies Soup Van volunteer, Frank Mullins.

At 77-years-young, Frank hasn’t skipped a beat. Volunteering, in his words, is “part of my life and a real privilege” and the spark in his eye when he arrives at the Soup Van kitchen in North Melbourne is proof.

“The first night out on the van was a bit of an eye opener, to see how people live. It’s been over 40 years now. It’s just flown,” said Frank.

Frank is the longest serving “Vannie”, as they’re affectionately known, and his dedication has never wavered. These days, he travels over 2-hours for his weekly shift, all the way from his seaside home in Angelsea. Onto the train, into the kitchen and off with the Soup Van – a ritual that he takes in his stride.

The reward at the other end is hard to spot if you’re not part of the Thursday night Soup Van clique; they have their own signature humour and decades of shared memories. A special bond that is theirs and theirs alone, shared generously with people in need on the street.

“I see a lot of good people, very good people. I do get emotional about it, because it is pretty close to my heart,” said Frank.

The Vannies’ helping hands arrive holding cups of hot soup and sandwiches too; but through shared meals and conversations, volunteers like Frank often change lives.

“Thinking back on my life, I started off pretty young appreciating what help can do for a family. We try to provide companionship – if you haven’t got support it’s very hard to survive,” he says.

As the years tick on, he’s now hopeful that others will make volunteering a staple part of their lives too.

“I’d just like to see it continue, with the same goals that we have now - that the people on the street always come first. We need new people and new minds, people who think differently to us.”

He said volunteering on the Soup Van is a chance to do something for other people, to do something real.

“A little bit of help, somewhere, can go a very long way.”

SUPPORT THE VINNIES SOUP VANSOur Soup Vans rely on the generosity of our donors and volunteers. If you would to offer your support, visit our website to find out more – vinnies.org.au

The first night out on the van was a bit of an eye opener, to see how

people live. It’s been over 40 years now. It’s

just flown.

“




DRESS UP & STYLE YOUR HOME WITH VINNIES

WINTER STYLING CHALLENGELeeyong the blogger behind Style Wilderness took on our Winter Coat Styling Challenge and boy did she deliver. Taking a black fur coat we sent her she put together a ’60s look, a weekend brunch date look, a dressy night out look and a fancy evening look. We never thought you could wear a black fur coat in so many different ways. Read more at: bit.ly/stylewilderness

SUSTAINABLE EVENTSWe challenged Cassie, event stylist from Firecracker Events, to help us create an Instagram-worthy dinner party spread from items from Vinnies. From champagne saucers to delicate tea sets and unique crockery Cassie found a great mix of items for our party spread. When hunting through her local op shops, Cassie always keeps a few things in mind. Here are a few of her secrets:

• Make a day of it and go op shopping with friends

• Be open and allow yourself to be surprised

• Take your time – only a patient eye will find the hidden gems

To read more about her tips and tricks visit: bit.ly/SustainableEvents

SPRING RACING CHALLENGEAfter receiving a fabulous donation of millinery items, we challenged My Poppet blogger Cintia to create a Spring Racing inspired headpiece fit for Fashions on the Field. With a handful of feathers, netting and ribbon, Cintia created a unique and feminine headpiece that matched her vintage inspired dress. Read more here: bit.ly/MyPoppet

CHANGE A LIFE THROUGH A GIFT IN YOUR WILL

A Guide to Wills and Bequests

Providing support and care across the generations

Including a gift (however large or small) in your Will, is a wonderful way that you can continue to offer a “hand up” to people in need for generations to come.

After providing for those you love, why not leave a little something for those most vulnerable in our community, and help to rebuild people’s lives.

For a FREE copy of our Guide to Wills and Bequests Booklet (as pictured), or for a confidential conversation, please contact Sharon Wangman on (03) 9895 5821 or email [email protected]

Your legacy today gives hope for a better tomorrow.

Our Vinnies shops are full of stylish clothes and homewares, which are on the radar of Victoria’s most recognised style icons. We regularly work with bloggers to set fun and innovative op-shop challenges. Here are their tips!

NEW VINNIES SHOPSWe love welcoming new additions to the Vinnies family and we’re proud to announce the opening of our new stores in Niddrie, Northcote and Chelsea Heights. To find your local Vinnies visit: vinnies.org.au/shops

Vinnies Niddrie

Vinnies Niddrie is the 105th store to join our Vinnies Shop network in Victoria. The store has a great range of clothing and homewares-galore. Be sure to take a look at the store's unique walk-in fridge display that was upcycled from the previous retailer into shelving units for bric-a-brac items.

Vinnies Northcote

The store has a strong focus on fashion and homewares, but it also boasts a great selection of books. There’s even space to sit and browse before you buy. Vinnies Northcote also features a graffiti wall and a unique layout which adds character to the store.

Vinnies Chelsea Heights

Chelsea Heights has an extensive range of women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. There’s clothing for men and children too, together with a fantastic homewares offer. The huge windows and fantastic donated fixtures have helped to create a unique shopping experience.


It’s times like this that make you feel like you

are making a difference...seeing them so happy…

it’s something I will never forget.

“

MEET JACOB

SAY HELLO TO OUR VOLUNTEERS & MEMBERS

Jacob first came into contact with the Soup Van program in year 10 through school where students were given the opportunity to experience what it felt like to be homeless. He then started regular volunteering with the Fitzroy Soup Van in December 2014 and has been volunteering every Tuesday night ever since. Jacob recalls one night “a lady came up to us and all she wanted was some food for her son to take to school and wanted to make sure her son never goes hungry. She was so grateful for the food and how we were willing to help her in any way possible. It’s times like this that make you feel like you are making a difference… just seeing them so happy…it’s something I will never forget.”

Over 12,000 people in Victoria generously volunteer their time to assist the St Vincent de Paul Society across a variety of activities. We would like to thank all our volunteers for supporting the most vulnerable members of our community. To find out more about volunteering for us visit: vinnies.org.au/volunteerVIC

MEET LEO & BRENDAAfter retiring, Leo and Brenda decided that they wanted to give something back to their local community and so they started volunteering at the local, Vinnies Mooroopna. That was 7 years ago for Leo and 3 years ago for Brenda. Both Brenda and Leo told us that “helping those less fortunate” and “enjoying the company of the other volunteers” were some of the benefits of working as retail volunteers. “One of my favourite things about volunteering is seeing a customer, who has been down on their luck, doing well” said Leo.

MEET GORDONGordon has been a member of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Ferntree Gully Conference for just over 11 years and he also volunteers at Vinnies Ferntree Gully. “I am still humbled by the opportunity, and privilege, to visit homes of our marginalised community and be able to offer them our donations that come from the Society and our Parish. The network of support from our schools and generous parishioners made me realise that the work of the St Vincent de Paul Society was a human web of care, love and generosity.” This generosity has been developed in the parish, with many volunteers and the conference, organising an annual Seniors Christmas lunch and donation of Christmas presents.

MEET MARGARETKnown for her cheerful demeanour, Margaret has been volunteering at our Box Hill call centre since 2006. Before Margaret started volunteering she knew Vinnies did a lot of good work but volunteering in the call centre has opened her eyes to the breadth and diversity of the work done by the Society. “I’ve learnt that they do so much.” It has encouraged Margaret to be an advocate for the Society too. Margaret’s favourite part about volunteering is that it is rewarding “being able to help people who are really, really in need”.

This April, we are excited to launch our social justice advocacy through art competition, Just Art. This year the competition aims to raise awareness about people seeking asylum. Just Art is open to primary and secondary students as well as the wider public. Artists are encouraged to respond in a range of art forms including media, visual art, performing arts and creative writing.

For more information email: [email protected] MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO VINNIES AT VINNIES.ORG.AUDONATE

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout will be held on Thursday 23 June. A key event for Vinnies, the event involves business and community leaders sleeping out on the cold concrete for a night to raise money and awareness to support our homeless services. This year the Victorian event will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. Last year 213 CEOs and community leaders took part in the event and raised over $1 million in Victoria and $6.3 million nationally.

For more information or to sign up visit: www.ceosleepout.org.au

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE 2016

St Vincent de Paul Society of Victoria43 Prospect StreetBox Hill Victoria 3128

Phone: (03) 9895 5800 Email: [email protected]

facebook.com/VinniesVictoria @VinniesVictoria @VinniesVictoriaCONNECT WITH US:

PLEASE MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY DONATING TO VINNIES AT

VINNIES.ORG.AU

DONATE

''Society' is produced by Marketing & Fundraising,

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria

ABN: 28 911 702 061

Supervising Editors: Shannon Anderson and Haley Price

Designer: Jenny Duong

Correspondence can be sent to: [email protected]

Cover image by: Meg De Young

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CHANGING LIVES: ONE CUP OF SOUP AT A TIME