Vinnies begin annual Christmas appeal

This comes as Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals a 5.2 per cent unemployment rate - and an estimated one in eight Australians living in poverty.

Vinnies North West Central Conference president Christopher Pye said the Wimmera was not immune from the nation-wide trend, with a high rate of calls for assistance across 2021.

"There has been a steady flow of people coming through. Calls for food have come in from a wide area, from Hopetoun to Dimboola, Rainbow, Jeparit and Warracknabeal," he said.

"A lot of people are struggling. A lot of shops in Horsham have closed, and local businesses are only just picking up again.

"There has been some rain so hopefully it will be a good year for farmers, which will hopefully have a flow-on effect in the economy."

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Mr Pye said Vinnies had to change the way it provided assistance due to pandemic restrictions.

In particular, the society has moved to remote conferencing to keep in touch with its clients.

"The last two years people have not been able to attend mass, so the appeals have been short in that regard," he said.

"At the present time the conference is conducting interviews over the phone and leaving vouchers at the Horsham Vinnies shop for people to collect.

"It is a different way of conducting an interview and quite stressful for a lot of members, who in the past visited people in their homes. This is a whole new way of assisting people, which is quite foreign to a lot of members."

Mr Pye said Christmas was often an added stress on low income families - with the society receiving its highest volume of requests across the year.

"We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for people on limited incomes, due to the additional financial stresses that come with the seasons. We want to see everyone provided for as they should be," he said.

"Especially children. No one should miss out on having a little joy at Christmas, which is why many of our conferences have organised toy runs, packed food hampers and provided gifts for the adults."

To support the Vinnies Christmas Appeal go to donate.vinnies.org.au/christmas-appeal or call 13 18 12.

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