Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn

28/10/2026

🎄 Could your school, workplace or community group host a Vinnies Christmas Giving Tree?
We need more organisations across our community to come on board and help us collect Christmas gifts and non-perishable pantry items for local people doing it tough.
Hosting a Giving Tree is simple. Rally your school, workplace or organisation to collect Christmas gifts and non-perishable pantry items, and your donations will support people seeking assistance from Vinnies in your local community.
🎄 Can you host a Giving Tree? Register your school or organisation here: https://cg.vinnies.org.au/host-a-giving-tree
🎁 Want to donate? Find a Giving Tree near you or give online: https://cg.vinnies.org.au/giving-tree-donate
Every gift, every food item and every Giving Tree can make a meaningful difference. Together, we can share hope, dignity and joy with families who need it most this Christmas 💙

28/10/2026

The rising cost of housing, food, energy and transport is putting more pressure on households across regional NSW. For many people, the difficult choice isn't whether to save money. It's which essential bill can wait.

That's why our Regional Social Justice Statement calls for stronger action to reduce poverty and ease cost of living pressures in regional communities.

We're urging the NSW Government to improve energy rebates, invest in more energy-efficient social housing, strengthen food relief systems and provide greater support for families facing financial hardship.

Everyone deserves the dignity of being able to afford life's essentials 💙

📖 Read our full Regional Social Justice Statement here https://www.vinnies.org.au/act-surrounds/advocacy

📷 Pictured is our Vinnies Home Energy Efficiency Program. They assist the community with reducing energy costs. Due to the increasing cost of living across our region, services like these are more vital than ever.

27/10/2026

💙 Today was all about connection, conversation and community.

Our annual Vinnies Town Hall brought Members, Volunteers and Employees from across St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn together to share ideas, hear different perspectives and consider an important question: how can we continue to grow and better support our community?

We heard thoughtful insights from Dr Kim Huynh about enabling people to flourish, explored housing and homelessness through an in-depth panel discussion, and heard how our Retail Operations team is engaging with communities through our shops while raising funds to support Vinnies programs and services.

We wrapped up the day by turning the conversation back on ourselves, discussing what we can do to keep learning and improving as a Society.

There was plenty to think about, plenty to celebrate and, most importantly, a strong sense of shared purpose 💙

Thank you to everyone who joined the conversation and contributed to a fantastic Town Hall.

22/10/2026

Across regional NSW, many people face long wait times, workforce shortages and limited local services when seeking mental health support. Through our new Regional Social Justice Statement 2026-2028, we're highlighting why timely, community-based care is essential for individual wellbeing and stronger, more resilient communities.

Our statement calls for greater investment in regional mental health services, including community hubs, mobile support services and additional case workers for people with complex needs. Because where you live shouldn't determine whether you can access the care and support you need.

Everyone deserves access to mental health support close to home, before challenges reach crisis point.

📖 Read our full Regional Social Justice Statement here https://www.vinnies.org.au/act-surrounds/advocacy

📷 Pictured is a garden at Vinnies Samaritan House. Through gardening, our residents improved their wellbeing, connections and confidence. By having a service like this in our regions, it can support support our wider community.

20/10/2026

The magic of Christmas is made possible by a community that cares. ✨

Through the Vinnies Christmas Giving Tree, schools, businesses, community groups and individuals come together to support local families facing hardship.

Last Christmas, gifts were provided to 45 young people supported by Vinnies Youth Programs. And that's just one of the many Vinnies programs that provides gifts and food hampers made possible by generous Giving Tree donations. 🎁

As Trish from Vinnies Youth Programs explains, "These gifts help to ease financial pressure on families and ensure every child can experience the magic of Christmas."

There's still time to help make Christmas brighter for local families doing it tough.
🎄 Register your school, business or community group to host a Giving Tree:
https://cg.vinnies.org.au/host-a-giving-tree

🎁 Find a Giving Tree near you or make a donation online:
https://cg.vinnies.org.au/giving-tree-donate

Together, we can share hope, dignity and joy with families who need it most this Christmas. 💙

16/10/2026

Poverty can’t be addressed properly if we don’t measure it.

In collaboration with ACTCOSS - ACT Council of Social Service Inc., Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn has produced new research exploring poverty in the ACT, how it affects our community, and why measuring it properly matters.

The research shows that 1 in 7 Canberrans, including 1 in 6 children, live in poverty. It also highlights the pressures behind these figures, from housing and food costs to inadequate income support and growing demand for community services.

But without an official measure of poverty, it is difficult to fully understand its extent, address its causes and track our progress in reducing it.

That’s why Vinnies and ACTCOSS are calling for standard measures of adult and child poverty, clear targets to reduce poverty, and evidence-based action that ensures everyone can live with dignity and participate fully in their community.

📖 Read our Anti-Poverty Week research papers below to learn more:

🔗 Measuring poverty:https://cms.vinnies.org.au/media/s4rl4qbn/apw_measuring-poverty_vf.pdf

🔗 Poverty in the ACT Factsheet:https://cms.vinnies.org.au/media/yy0ffcku/apw_factsheet-on-poverty-in-the-act_vf.pdf

15/10/2026

Don't forget to register your school, workplace or community group to host a Vinnies Christmas Giving Tree 🎄

By collecting gifts and non-perishable pantry items, you can help bring hope, dignity and joy to local families who may be struggling this Christmas.

It’s simple to take part. Set up a Giving Tree, invite your community to donate, and Vinnies will help make sure those donations reach people who need them most.

🎁 Register your Giving Tree today: https://cg.vinnies.org.au/host-a-giving-tree

Together, we can make Christmas a little brighter for families across our community 💙

15/10/2026

This Anti-Poverty Week, we're shining a light on a reality that exists in every community, including right here in Canberra and across our region.

At Vinnies, we're seeing a growing number of people seeking support for the first time. Many are working, raising families, and paying rent or a mortgage, yet still struggling to afford everyday essentials.

Poverty doesn't always look the way people expect. Behind every statistic is a person doing their best to keep food on the table, pay the bills, and build a better future for their children.

That's why Vinnies supports calls from ACTCOSS for an official measure of poverty in the ACT. A clear, consistent measure would help us better understand the scale of financial hardship in our community and ensure responses are informed by evidence and lived experience.

🔗 Read more here:

This Anti-Poverty Week, the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) is calling for an official definition and measure of poverty in the ACT