A NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY IN VICTORIA MAY 2009

SocietySince Black Saturday, Vinnies conference members have worked tirelessly to support families and individuals throughout fi re-affected regions. Requests for assistance have been received through a variety of sources, including: representatives based at Relief Centres; Vinnies Welfare Line (1300 305 330); Vinnies Centres; community hubs; DHS case workers; local parishes and schools as well as material aid and emergency relief agencies.

Confronted with stories of loss and grief, many members were also experiencing their own suffering due to this disaster. Vinnies conference members should be praised for the compassion and support they have shown to bushfi re survivors during these diffi cult times.

This is just one aspect of the Society’s immense bushfi re relief efforts, of which we can be very proud. Please see the Special Edition Bushfi re Report for more information. ■

Heartfelt thanks to all those who supported our Christmas and Secret Santa Appeals

for 2008. As part of our fundraising strategy for Christmas 2008, we added a new donation drive in the form of our “Secret Santa Appeal”. This appeal targeted a younger market and offered the opportunity of purchasing a more meaningful gift for secret santa / kris kringle this year, rather than purchasing what may be an unwanted gift from the local bargain store.

Through these Appeals we have received in excess of $500,000, which was

up approximately $130,000 from 2007. The support the Society has received will enable us to provide valuable aid to the increasing numbers of people in need who ask for our help. ■

Please note: We need to provide toys appropriate for

boys aged 10-15y, as well as items for mums and dads

for our Christmas Toy Drive 2009. Please email us at

donation@svdp-vic.org.au if you are able to help.

Christmas and Secret Santa Appeals 2008

A story of hope this Christmas

Vinnies conference members help bushfi re survivors

So often our donors are not aware of the impact their donation has on those in need.

Louise is a single-mum battling to do her best for her daughter, Tessa. Living on a government pension and Centrelink payments, fi nances are tight for the family.

A few years ago Louise used to donate to and volunteer for Vinnies, but circumstances have changed and Louise has occasionally had to rely on Vinnies. Recently Louise was surprised by her local Vinnies group, who had come to offer a

Christmas gift for Tessa and a hamper of food and household necessities for the family. Tessa loves her handbag and her mini-mobile phone gifts and Louise is deeply grateful for the generosity and love shown to them throughout the year, and especially over Christmas.

It is so gratifying to know that our work and support – with the help of our donors – has such a profound effect on those we help. Thank you for the support given to our Christmas Toy Drive. ■

Vinnies Winter AppealThe Vinnies Winter Appeal was recently launched to raise much-needed funds for the Society’s ongoing good works. Following our 2008 Winter Appeal, in which we featured photographs which represent the lives of people experiencing homelessness, our latest campaign aims to further build public understanding of what disadvantaged

Victorians experience. Utilising real images submitted by our clients across Australia, our latest campaign offers a voice to those who are so often forgotten. To donate, call 13 18 12 or visit www.vinnies.org.au ■

President’s message

SocietyDear Members and Friends of the SocietyIt is with great pleasure that I record, for a wider audience, our joy at the appointment of Monsignor Les Tomlinson as a Bishop in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. For the past fi ve years Monsignor Les has acted as the Spiritual Advisor to the Victorian State Council. The role of Spiritual Advisor is a crucial role at every level of the Society.

The Society takes its spirituality very seriously. Every facet of the work the Society does is imbued with this spirituality. Members of the Society are called to follow Christ by serving those in need, and so bear witness to Him through his compassionate and liberating love. The Society seeks to alleviate suffering and to promote human dignity in all

its dimensions. It does this without any regard for people’s race, religion, colour or gender.

It is the Society’s spirituality which distinguishes it from being a mere welfare organisation. The ideal of our spirituality is a lofty one, and sometimes as humans we don’t reach what we strive for. This is why we seek to renew ourselves and our commitment to the ethos of the society from time to time. Recently we started to develop a refounding program which will achieve this, and we hope to commence rolling it out during the course of this year.

With every good wish

Jim GrealishState President ■

Victorian State President Jim Grealish

Bequests invested in perpetuityThe St Vincent de Paul Endowment Fund received a most welcome boost on Christmas Eve with the receipt of a generous bequest. Over $360,000 was deposited direct into the Fund at the express instructions of the Trustees of the estate. The benefactor had passed away ten years ago, her Trustees had been managing the estate as she had instructed and now it was time to wind up the estate and distribute the funds to charities whose work best fi tted the charitable interests of the deceased. The St Vincent de Paul Society was an obvious choice for a share of the funds with the heart of our mission statement being “serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society”. The other benefi ciary was a charity caring for children.

The Society established the St Vincent de Paul Endowment Fund in June

2007 with a fi ve year accumulation plan. In setting up a capital fund, largely using bequests to the Society, a means by which a gift through a will could be a truly long lasting legacy was formalised. Funds will be held in perpetuity and distribution of the interest will be used for special works and

initiatives. Over time, signifi cant funds will build, ensuring an income source that can be relied upon.

The St Vincent de Paul Society has produced three booklets on the topics of wills and bequests and the related areas of powers of attorney and guardianship. Also available is a booklet which explains what is involved in being the Executor of a will. If you would like a free copy of the booklets or are interested in discussing ways in which you could make a bequest to the St Vincent de Paul Society, phone Sue Pitt on (03) 9895 5821 or email suep@svdp-vic.org.au. ■

Thanks to the support of our volunteers and supporters, the clients of our Community Services facilities enjoyed a cheerful Christmas lunch with live entertainment from the man in red himself! Gift packs, including toiletries, clothing and phone cards were also donated to our clients. The gifts were sorted and wrapped by staff from NAB, Ford Credit, and a tireless bunch of dedicated volunteers. We were also able to provide clients with gifts for their families, most of whom would not have been in the position to give something to their loved ones without the support of our donors. Sincere thanks for the generous support which enabled us to make this Christmas a happy one for our clients. ■

Christmas at Community Services

Society

Spurred into action after a rival school’s successful “Tinnies for Vinnies” drive, the student representative council at St Joseph’s College, Ferntree Gully, decided to challenge Mater Christi College’s (Belgrave) efforts with a drive of their own. Not only would the light-hearted contest attract interest for students to collect tins,

but more importantly, raise awareness of those in our local community who are in need of the basic necessities in life.

During 2008 several fundraisers for world-wide organisations and different nations had been held. “Tinnies 4 Vinnies” however, targets those struggling people “in our own backyard” who are not primarily homeless, but who also just need support in providing items such as food, blankets, clothing etc, for themselves as well as their families.

Each homeroom was given the challenge to bring in donations and also on an individual level, a prize was offered as incentive for the individual student’s largest donation. Over the term students

and staff kept bringing in donations and the results were fantastic.

Although the competition with Mater Christi did not have the desired outcome for St Joseph’s, the legacy that has been established for future years is more important. St Joseph’s managed an impressive 6,000 tins of non-perishable food items, which were donated to Vinnies for people needing assistance.

Thanks to all the students, their families and staff at St Joseph’s College for their donations. It is fantastic to see our youth caring about others experiencing need. Congratulations and thanks to Mater Christi students, who made a mammoth effort in their Tinnies for Vinnies drive. ■

For over 15 years, Tasty Trucks has been an integral part of Vinnies’ Soup Van services.Known as Victoria’s premier lunch van service, Tasty Trucks sells a range of hot and cold food to Melbourne’s building site, factory and offi ce workers.

With each of the fi fty Tasty Truck vans visiting up to 60 sites, it is essential that workers at the last stop receive the same variety of food as workers at the fi rst stop. This means that at the end of each day, Tasty Trucks is left with a lot of pre-packaged food.

Every weekday, this leftover food is packed onto the Vinnies Fitzroy and Footscray Soup Vans from where it is distributed to the homeless and marginalised in inner city Melbourne.

Greg, a soup van coordinator, is impressed with the quality and variety of the Tasty Trucks food provided on the soup vans: “The people on the streets just go mad for the ‘wing dings’ – they’re like gold. Similarly no one ever goes past the roast beef focaccias or the Mediterranean vegetable paninis. The soup van food is better than what I get at home!”

As well as supplying nearly all the food for the weekday Fitzroy and Footscray Soup Vans, Tasty Trucks has offered to assist with the design and fi t out of the soup vans used by the Society. Although similar to the Tasty Trucks fl eet, all soup vans have been specially designed to fi t their unique purpose.

Colin Lear, Managing Director of

Tasty Trucks is pleased with the close relationship between Vinnies and his business: “Before we started donating our leftover food to Vinnies Soup Vans, there was so much wastage which we felt really bad about. Now it’s wonderful knowing that as well as providing a lunch van service for Melbourne’s workers, we’re also helping some of the most disadvantaged in our community. It’s something that also sets us apart from our competitors. People are always interested to hear of the Vinnies connection.”

For more information on Tasty Trucks, please see www.tastytrucks.com.au. Alternatively if you would like to donate to the soup vans, please go to www.vinnies.org.au/vic. ■

Tinnies for Vinnies Article by Aaron King, Co-College Captain 2008

Tasty Trucks and Vinnies Soup Vans: Feeding Melbourne’s homeless for over 15 years

With many residents moving into the new apartments in the Docklands area, there is a fantastic new area for the St Vincent de Paul Society to draw upon for donations of household goods, furniture and clothing.

Through a partnership with the City of Melbourne, we set up an arrangement with the building management services in the area, enabling us to communicate with the residents of the apartments. “With people moving in to the apartments for the fi rst time, many move their furniture into the apartments only to fi nd that their furniture isn’t suitable, or they feel that they want to do a good clear out of their goods and clothing as part of the move” said Carol Taylor, General Manager Fundraising, Marketing and Development.

Accordingly, we have created a program encouraging the residents of the Docklands apartments to donate recyclable items to Vinnies. We have supplied materials to educate residents about our services both in removing unwanted but good quality

furniture and other goods, and also about how our services go to help people in need. Residents have also been supplied with fridge magnets to ensure that Vinnies is remembered at each clear out, and plastic bags to further facilitate donations to Vinnies. “We hope that this initiative with the City of Melbourne will enable Vinnies Centres to acquire high quality goods which can either be sold to create funding for the Society to provide for those in need, or to provide goods which can themselves be given to clients asking for our assistance”, said Tony Thornton, State Manager, Vinnies Centres. ■

Society

Vinnies Centres are the retail arm of the St Vincent de Paul Society and are the major source of income for the Society’s good works. Vinnies centres provide furniture, clothing and household goods to families in need. The remainder of donated goods are sold and the funds from sales are used to help fund the work of the Society. There are currently 103 Vinnies Centres in Victoria. ■

This arm of the Society was established in 2003 to provide professional services in the complex areas of: aged care, homelessness, outreach services, domestic violence support, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, health services and supported-employment options. The majority of programs receive some government funding, however donations are always needed to provide services over and above the government funded level. ■

Much of the Society’s work is carried out through its voluntary members who visit people in their own homes and provide material assistance, support and friendship to people in need. The Society relies on the generosity of the public and the dedication of its volunteers to carry out its good works. St Vincent de Paul Society is the parent company of St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services and has representation on their board of directors. ■

Contact: 43 Prospect St, Box Hill, Victoria, 3128. Phone: (03) 9895 5800 Fax: (03) 9895 5850 E-mail: info@svdp-vic.org.au

For credit card donations visit www.vinnies.org.au/vic or call 131812

Docklands City of Melbourne project

Please fi nd your Vinnies Centre magnet enclosed in this newsletter.

Art with Heart boosts Soup Vans’ income

Every year, Storm Design and Brand DNA hold an annual art auction to raise money for charity. Household names in

the entertainment industry, like Tottie Goldsmith and Dylan Lewis, wear their hearts on their canvas, so to speak, for the sake of those in need. This year, these artists and the works of others were auctioned to raise funds for Vinnies’ Soup Vans. “We were thrilled to receive a fantastic donation of $26,745”, stated Carol Taylor, General Manager Fundraising, Marketing and Development. “This is a welcome boost to our Soup Van project

which feeds and provides friendship and referral services to approximately 500 people a night on Melbourne’s streets”. ■

Tottie Goldsmith and Dylan Lewis’s “Art with Heart” donations for auctionStorm Design and Brand DNA hand over

$26,745 to Vinnies Soup Vans

Ivan Smith, Building Manager; Steve Buckley, Vinnies; and Maree Marshall, City of Melbourne; outside a Docklands apartment.