When helping others becomes part of the family

For Maria Brennan and her son Liam, volunteering has become a family tradition. Maria was volunteering with the Vinnies Soup Van in Collingwood when Liam, then a teenager, asked if he could come along. Now 32, Liam is still part of the Collingwood team, alongside his younger brother, Danny who started in January this year. 

For Liam, the decision to volunteer began after a big night out with friends, when he spent the long winter’s night in a park rather than heading home. He remembers thinking about people experiencing homelessness night after night. The next day, he decided he wanted to do something useful. 

Years later, volunteering has given Liam more than he bargained for. He’s made lifelong friends through the Vinnies Soup Van, and when a new volunteer joined the team, one of those friendships became something more. After a few runs together, he asked her on a date. One thing led to another which led to them getting engaged in 2024 and then welcoming baby Flynn in December 2025. 

Seeing people differently 

For Liam, volunteering has a way of changing how we see people. We can carry assumptions about homelessness, public housing and hardship without even realising it. But when you meet someone face to face, those ideas can quickly shift. It’s an understanding he credits to Maria and the values she taught him from an early age. 

Maria continues to live those values through her work with the St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s Welfare Assistance Line . After a career as a case worker, it’s a meaningful way to keep contributing in retirement. 

Through the call centre, she hears from people under real pressure: young people sleeping in cars, families stretched thin and people who never expected to ask for help. It reminds her that the only thing separating any of us from hardship is circumstance. 

A role that gives back in unexpected ways 

That’s why she wants people to know there are many ways to volunteer with Vinnies. Not every role is in a shop or with a Soup Van. You don’t need a special set of skills either. Sometimes, Maria says, the most important thing you can offer is an empathetic ear. 

Research links volunteering with wellbeing and a sense of purpose – benefits that can be especially meaningful in retirement. When we show up for others, we often find something for ourselves too. 

This National Volunteer Week, we thank every Vinnies volunteer who gives their time, heart and care to the people we serve. And for anyone thinking about getting involved, maybe this really is your year to volunteer.