Vinnies Community Support Volunteer – Coffs Harbour

Make a real difference in your local community.

The St Augustine's Conference at the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) is looking for people in the Coffs Harbour area who are interested in joining the Society as a volunteer in our Support Centre.

All around the state, members of the Society respond to the needs of their local communities in groups known as 'Conferences'. Conferences grow organically from within our communities, from parishes, schools, universities and workplaces.

The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW (Vinnies) is a lay Catholic organisation working to shape a more just and compassionate society by offering “a hand up” to people in need. We do this by respecting every person's human dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging people to take control of their own destiny.

As a member, you have the opportunity to make a difference by:

• Providing Immediate Assistance: Short term help for the individual person or family could be in the form of food vouchers, assistance with unexpected bills, and referrals to other agencies.
• Giving a Hand Up: Our members build relationships with the people we assist, uncovering the longer-term help that may be required.
• Raising Our Voices for Social Justice: Actions speak louder than words. The Society is a network of charity and social justice encircling the world.

Time Commitment:

• The Coffs Harbour Conference is looking for those who could assist as part of a monthly roster. This is flexible and takes into account member's other commitments.
• We provide assistance on Monday and Wednesday each week from 9.00am to 12.30pm. We also meet together on Tuesdays from 4.00pm to 5.30pm as we debrief with each other at our Conference meetings.

What we ask of you:

• To bring with you compassion, a non-judgmental attitude and most of all a good and kind heart. These important personal attributes underpin this opportunity to provide care and support for some of the most vulnerable in our community.
• We also ask for an ability to maintain confidences and respect for the privacy of those we assist, ability to listen and respond without judgment and a willingness to join with others to support those in need.

How we will support you:

• You will be trained and mentored at every stage. You will enjoy the support and camaraderie that is part of the Conference. You will gain a greater understanding of poverty and disadvantage and how it impacts people’s lives and you will experience what it means to put one’s faith into action.
• You will meet some wonderful people and you will feel a great sense of achievement when you have given a hand up to someone and not just a hand out. We are a very friendly group in Coffs Harbour  with an emphasis on sharing, supporting, and caring for each other. We also have a lot of fun and laughs.

If this opportunity excites you, we are only a phone call away. We look forward to welcoming you to the Society.