Vinnies Winter Appeal 2022

The St. Vincent de Paul Society’s annual Winter Appeal provides financial and material support for those in need, the jobless and the disadvantaged in Melbourne and throughout the State. Our support for the jobless and the needy continues unabated this year on the back of wind downs in Government Covid related support and inflationary pressures on everyday costs.

Our parishes’ 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. Face to face visitations are now back in full swing and we have seen increased demand for Vinnies support. In addition, some members volunteer at Vinnies Stores in Hawthorn, East Kew and Mont Albert as well as providing support to soup vans. These stores were closed for many months during the last year and fortunately are now reopened to the public. 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 Winter period and beyond.

Our Conferences have provided much needed assistance to individuals and families over the last 12 months:

Deepdene/Balwyn Conference
	Number of home visits/calls:		423	(up 26% on previous 12 months)
	Number of People assisted:	Adults:	583
		Children:	306
	Value of assistance provided:		$32,454	(up 34% on previous 12 months)
Camberwell Conference
	Number of home visits/calls:		120	(up 11% on previous 12 months)
	Number of People assisted:	Adults:	140
		Children:	63
	Value of assistance provided:		$13,228	(up 51% on previous 12 months)
Surrey Hills Wattle Park Conference (assistance provided over the last six months)
	Number of home visits/calls:		96
	Number of people assisted:	Adults:	109
		Children:	60
	Value of assistance provided		$10,100

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.

Over the past twelve months, our parishes’ Conferences have also provided over $10,000 in assistance to 13 twin conferences in India, Myanmar and the Philippines. These areas have been badly affected by the effects of the Covid pandemic and other intrusions.

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.”

The RULE of the Society states that no form of assistance or good works is foreign to the Society.

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 works please contact the Conference President(s) via the Parish Office.

All donations to our Winter Appeal are gratefully appreciated. To donate to the St Vincent de Paul Winter Appeal, please download the Appeal Donation Form, complete and follow the lodgement instructions or to learn more about the works of St Vincent de Paul visit Vinnies.

Donations can also be made direct to one of the parish’s Conferences using the following QR code:

Camberwell Conference