THIS festive period, the St Vincent de Paul Society will need to provide more food and financial support than ever before, which is why, this Saturday (December 12), it will host a live auction in Yass to raise money for families doing it tough, says the president of the Canberra/Goulburn region, John Feint. 

Because of covid, Vinnies, like other charities, has faced challenges due to restrictions, which has affected its ability to get donations and fundraise, he says.

Nonetheless, the charity will aim to deliver about 3000 Christmas hampers to families across the Canberra region, including Goulburn and Yass. And to meet that aim, events such as the “Found it at Vinnies” auction on Saturday will be held to raise funds. 

Many “interesting” items will be on the block, Mr Feint says, including vintage Star Wars Lego and Aboriginal art, with proceeds helping the charity to provide food and financial assistance to families. 

Christmas already puts pressure on families that are experiencing difficulties, says Mr Feint. 

“Besides the normal stressors of bills, food, rent payments and more, there are the added difficulties of paying for a Christmas meal and presents to celebrate with some normalcy,” he says. 

“We’re also coming up to the anniversary of the bushfire. Much of the region was affected. So for a lot of people the trauma is revisited during hot and windy days.

“We are still helping those people with their recovery. We contacted all of the families where we could to see how they were travelling and provide them with any extra assistance if they need it.”

While there was a drop in demand for services during the the beginning of the pandemic when many people on benefits were buoyed by JobSeeker payments, Mr Feint says numbers are starting to rise again as cuts to payments are introduced.

Donations are being accepted at their 26 store locations in the region which will contribute to Vinnie’s overall Christmas appeal which Mr Feint says they hope will still raise $300,000 this year. 

As well as helping families throughout Christmas, donations will also help run programs, including those targeting children at risk, mental health, as well as the Vinnie’s Night Patrol which runs every day of the year except Christmas Day. 

“Found it at Vinnies” auction, Mt Carmel School quadrangle, 24 Dutton Street, Yass, preview of items at 9.20am, with bids starting at 10.30am. Donations can still be made to Vinnies shop fronts with financial donations via vinnies.org.au