A cold night, a warm soup and over $1.35m raised

A cold night, a warm soup and over $1.35m raised so far – the 15th Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Victoria  

152 CEOs and senior leaders braved a cold night at the South Melbourne Market rooftop carpark for the 15th annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday 19 June 2025, with the temperature dropping to 6.8 degrees and the wind making that feel even colder.  

New this year, participants were taken through an immersive experience where they journeyed through 50 years of Vinnies Soup Vans in 50 minutes. Back to 1975 when a handful of students in a Bedford van delivered soup and sandwiches on the streets of Fitzroy. Through to the Covid years where the need for food doubled almost overnight, and ‘rough sleeper packs’ were introduced for volunteers to deliver to people where they were when congregating in one place was banned. Lastly, the leaders learnt about the current service, where 810,000 meals are delivered every year by hundreds of volunteers operating out of 15 vans.

Before bedding down for the night, the CEOs and senior leaders heard from two people with lived experience of receiving support from St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria – MC Mary Nguyen, who arrived in Australia as a newborn when her parents fled Vietnam, and Harry Sanders, Founder and Director of StudioHawk who was homeless at 17 and was encouraged by a VincentCare Victoria social worker, Carla, to continue his business.  

Victorian State President Michael Quinn presented two awards on the night, one to Barry Vienet, who has participated in almost every Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Melbourne plus one in Geelong, and to Chris Christofi, who on 6 June 2025 became the highest fundraiser nationally for the CEO Sleepout. As of 23 June, Chris is just shy of raising an incredible $400,000 for the Sleepout this year alone.

At the Sleepout, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Group CEO Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald AM launched a bold and ambitious $5 million campaign to expand the Vinnies Soup Van services across Victoria over the next three years. 

With the support of previous Vinnies CEO Sleepout participants and donors, a new South Eastern Soup Van Hub is just about to open in Hallam, merging two services to better meet the community needs in Greater Dandenong and Berwick.

This hub goes beyond serving a meal. It will provide wrap-around supports like the No Interest Loan Scheme, dedicated services for women escaping family violence, space to assemble rough sleeper packs and improved storage for donated goods. 

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Group CEO Dr Jennifer Fitzgerald AM, who participated in the Sleepout for the second time, thanked all the participants, donors and everyone who contributed to the event. 

“The commitment of each leader who participated turns a cold night into meaningful change, that will make a difference to the thousands of people who access our Vinnies Soup Van services.” 

“It is through your ongoing support we are just about to open the South Eastern Soup Van Hub”, she said. 

“But there's still more to do. We need more vans, more volunteers, and more champions willing to stand up and to act.”

“The leaders who participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout can see that a different future is possible, one where no one is left behind, where every person has the opportunity to live in safety, dignity, and connection with their community. That future starts now.”

As of 23 June, an incredible $1,352,272 has been raised, with a target of $1,750,000, with all funds going to expand the Vinnies Soup Vans service across Melbourne and regionally.  

There’s still time to donate to a specific CEO or senior leader who participated in the event or make a general donation to support the cause up until 31 July: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/donation  . 

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ABOUT THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY:

The St Vincent de Paul Society and its wide network of members and volunteers provide practical frontline support, advocacy and friendship for the most vulnerable members of our community. Key services include home visitation; Vinnies Shops; youth programs; soup vans; assistance for asylum seekers and refugees; education and tutoring; and professional accommodation and health services through VincentCare. The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria has more than 10,000+ members and volunteers, and more than 60,000 across Australia. Internationally, the Society operates in 149 countries and has more than 950,000 members. To find out more visit www.vinnies.org.au/vic.