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Celebrating 50 years of Vinnies Soup Vans
The Vinnies Soup Van service was established on 26 June 1975. This year we celebrate a service that has brought food and friendship to thousands living on the streets and in boarding houses across Victoria.
We thank the 5,000+ volunteers (known affectionately as Vannies) who have been part of the Vinnies Soup Vans' 50 year journey and touched the lives of so many, giving them hope.
With the rising living cost of living, demand for our services have increased. As a result we will be launching a new Vinnies Soup Van Hub in Hallam, which will allow us to strengthen our services in the south eastern areas.
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Fitzroy Soup Van
26 June 1975
Following the closure of the Missionaries of Charity night shelter for homeless men in Gore Street, Fitzroy, the Matthew Talbot Conference was established and the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria provided funds to enable the purchase of the first soup van.
On 26 June 1975, the Matthew Talbot (Fitzroy) Soup Van headed out on its first run providing food and friendship and the van has not missed a night since then.
Our soup van service has expanded but its essence continues and our Vannies are greatly loved by all who are assisted. You can learn more about how it all began from founding Vannie, Greg Munt.
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Celebrating 50 years
of Vinnies Soup Vans
On 22 May 2025, the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria celebrated 50 years of the Vinnies Soup Vans.
The celebration was held at the Melbourne Town Hall with honoured guests including Premier of Victoria, The Hon. Jacinta Allan MP, Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, Nicholas Reece and our beloved Vannies past and present, including original founders Greg Munt and Chris Knight.
More than 200 Vinnies Soup Van volunteers, supporters, members and friends gathered for this special thank-you event honouring the 5,000+ soup van volunteers who have served over the last 50 years.
VANTALES NEWS EXTRA...EXTRA WHAT'S ON ROUGH SLEEPER FLYER HOMELESSNESS: THE FACTS
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South Eastern Soup Van Hub (Hallam)
The rising cost of living is now pushing more and more people, families, workers and especially our most vulnerable into crisis.
To meet the growing demand, the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria will be launching a new Vinnies Soup Van Hub in Hallam. This hub will be the new home for our locat soup van serices and will better serve the local areas of Dandenong, Berwick and beyond, while also strengthening our links in regional areas.
"We are now at the new South Eastern Soup Van Hub. We're going to be based out of here permanently and it's our new home. We are all very excited to be moving in," said volunteer leader, Erin Harper. "It'll be good just to have space to pack what we're doing and put stuff into the van instead of operating out of the container in the middle of a car park."
More news on this exciting project to come later in the year.
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A Day in the life of Soup Vans
Welcome to just a glimpse of what A Day in the life of Soup Vans. Our Inner City Soup Van Hub in Kensington is a hive of activity from 7.00am to 10.00pm as our amazing volunteers prep for the day to come, organise deliveries, pack donations and then do the soup van run.
"Once you put on the vest, not only are you serving food but you're also becoming a friend to them and listening to their issues, trying to help them out to better themselves in life," said Soup Van Coordinator, Aldo DeCunto.
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A conversation with Greg Munt
Founding Vannie, Greg Munt, gives an insight into the need and how the Vinnies Soup Van service began in 1975 through today's service 50 years later.
"I remember the first van like it was yesterday. Extremely inexpensive, mechanically unsound, extremely unsafe and we loved it," says Greg Munt.
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