New soup van hub open for business

On Friday 21 November 2025, the South Eastern Soup Van Hub in Hallam was officially opened by Belinda Wilson, MP for Narre Warren North; Michael Quinn, Victorian State President, St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria and the Mayor of Casey Stefan Koomen.

This dedicated facility is a merger of the Berwick and South Eastern soup vans, both of which had been operating in a temporary capacity out of kitchens at local schools. 

By having a dedicated hub with a purpose-built kitchen and larger space, the South Eastern Soup Van Hub increases St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria’s ability to meet the growing demand for food relief across Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs in the cites of Casey and Greater Dandenong. 

The South Eastern Soup Van Hub is the second major food distribution centre in metropolitan Melbourne, following the Inner City Soup Van Hub in Kensington which opened in 2022. The first Vinnies Soup Van started in Fitzroy in 1975, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the service. 

Beyond the Vinnies Soup Van service, the South Eastern Soup Van Hub will provide for a mobile pantry service with non-perishable items and fresh fruit and vegetables, warehouse space for donated goods and other support offerings such as a No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS). There will be opportunities for corporate volunteering and student volunteering. 

The South Eastern Soup Van Hub has been made possible with the generous support of the Victorian Government, who provided a $100,000 grant towards the commercial kitchen and the generous support of the CEOs and senior leaders who participated in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout and their fundraising efforts. 

If you would like to volunteer at the South Eastern Soup Van Hub: REGISTER HERE

Did you know...

• The new South Eastern Soup Van Hub is a new line of defence for the fight against hunger across metropolitan Melbourne; our south eastern suburbs are the frontline, with families and children suffering the most.
• It’s the second major Vinnies food distribution centre in metropolitan Melbourne, representing a major strategic upgrade in our 50-year history of Vinnies Soup Vans fighting against hunger in the state. 
• The new hub merges the previous Berwick and South Eastern Soup Van services. It is a purpose-built facility replacing limited access to local school kitchens, it dramatically increases our capacity, reach, efficiency and sustainability and ensures we can operate year-round, rain, hail or shine.
• We are super sizing our kitchen, our reach and our ability to meet a super-sized demand in the communities where the deepening cost-of-living crisis is being felt most acutely.
• Demand is catastrophic: Last financial year, there were more calls to our Welfare Assistance Line for emergency assistance from Dandenong North than any other suburb in Victoria. We also saw a 41% increase in meals served by the former South Eastern Soup Van and a 50% increase by the Berwick service. These aren’t just statistics; it is a human crisis of dignity and survival. It is single parents, students, and working people who are sacrificing meals to keep a roof over their head.
• The City of Greater Dandenong is experiencing the highest level of homelessness in Victoria and local poverty rates are alarming: up to one in five people and one in four children live in poverty in the municipality. This new Hub is our response to the emergency.
• The new hub will also allow us to expand our ‘mobile pantry’ service, which provides companions with the dignity of choice and variety, while relieving critical pressure from the Inner City Soup Van Hub in Kensington. 
• The hub will create a ripple effect for good. It will become a community resource, easing the burden on local volunteer conferences and providing space for essential community programs like cooking lessons, volunteer engagement and more school groups following on from the success of the St Francis Xavier students attending the Berwick Soup Van.
• The hub was made possible by the incredible generosity of the community, including $185,000 from the 2024 Vinnies CEO Sleepout and a $100,000 Victorian Government grant.
• Your Help is the Fuel: The need has never been greater, and your support is the only way we can keep this new hub running at full capacity and deliver on its promise.