Youth
What Vinnies do
Vinnies are young people who help less fortunate people in their local parish area!
Just like any member in the SVdP Vinnies help people who are less fortunate in their parish area and sometimes beyond. Working together within their community they decide what they want to do and go out and do it! The needs are endless and the help Vinnies give are endless. This page is here to showcase what many of those activities, projects, work and help are.
How do you know who the less fortunate are?
Less fortunate people are anyone who needs something. If it is companionship due to loneliness or a food parcel due to hunger. All you need to do is identify who they are so that you can help them effectively. People who can help you with this could be anyone in your community. Below is a list of people who can start you off.
Your Youth Coordinator
Parish Priest
Local Community Worker
Parish Vincentians
School teachers
Youth Worker
Rest home Activity Officer
IHC/Ideaz Coordinator
Ideas of how to help
Need of Warmth: Many people all over New Zealand are effected by the cold.
Pinecones and wood - Collect and bag pinecones from pine belts, for distribution through the SVdP to people who can not afford heating in winter. In the same way bag wood. Pine belts can be found on farms (ask around for a friendly farmer), on council land (parks, along roads etc)
Blanket Drive - Organise and advertise for people in your school/parish/community to bring blankets. Distribution through SVdP Centres or work with your parish conference for people they are visiting who needs blankets. Don’t forget those working on street vans, homeless people are always asking for blankets.
Hungry people:One of the key words of SVdP in New Zealand is giving out food parcels and food vouchers.
Food drive - Collect Non-perishable food by having a mufti day, a movie night, run a competition etc where entrance or fee is a can or packet of food
Toot for Tucker - This is an activity that comes from Ashburton. Members of SVdP (and other organisations) go around the town on a set night in their cars, tooting their horns. People then head out with food and young people go along with the cars running and collecting the food.
Foodwise classes - An outreach the comes from Auckland. Vinnies put together a nutritious menu on a budget for people who are in refuges, emergency housing etc. The Vinnies run classes teaching people in groups of six how to do it. For more info click the Auckland website link.
Hug Rugs: A polar fleece project that gives warmth in so many ways (for more information and access to all the material and equipment contact your local youth coordinator)
Blankets - decorate a square of polar fleece and take them round to people in the rest home you visit or people who are visited by your parish Vincentians.
Scarves - in one lunch time you can cut the square of polar fleece into 5 scarves and then tassel them. Give them to children, adults or elderly who don’t have a scarf through school, community or SVdP centres.
Community Outreach: Many people work, live, exist on the streets of our communities. Many people who live in our communities with no contact or access to help. SVdP outreaches through many ways.
Project 24/7 - An outreach in Auckland that runs three times a week to serve the community in a practical hands on way. It supports all existing SVdP ministries around the clock and involves working bees, delivering food, visiting lonely people, delivering food and gear at night. For more info click the Auckland website link.
DrugARM - An outreach in Christchurch that runs twice a week. SVdP Young Adults join with other volunteers in the city and go out on a van and provide conversation to those who come to the van. For info contact the Christchurch Youth Coordinator.
If there is something that you are doing or an idea you have to help less fortunate people in your area, contact your local youth coordinator and he/she will organise for it to be put on this list.