In Melbourne, there’s a chance you have seen a St Vincent de Paul Society soup van rolling through the city streets.
From the Vinnies soup vans, volunteers serve meals to those experiencing homelessness, offering not just food but a moment to connect with others.
These vans are a lifeline to many people doing it tough, and eight of these vans wouldn’t be doing what they do without the Woodards Foundation.
One of the Vinnies soup vans donated by the Woodards Foundation. Picture: supplied
The foundation is a charity supported by the Woodards real estate group and is focused on supporting those experiencing homelessness and helping them find a safe place to call home.
For Woodards Foundation director and Woodards executive chairman John Piccolo, buying the soups vans for Vinnies was just one example of how the foundation was making a tangible difference in the community.
"We recognise the importance of community involvement and assisting those less fortunate," Mr Piccolo told realestate.com.au.
"The communities we serve are responsible for our success. Without their support, our company would not be what it is today."
Since its inception, the foundation has supported various community organisations and donated more than $1.7 million.
Mr Piccolo was also proud of the foundation’s support of the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout, which he and other directors and staff have participated in since 2017.
Their participation in the significant event has gone from strength to strength over the years, raising about $492,000 across the 2023 and 2024 sleepouts together.
The sleepout isn’t just about fundraising – it’s about raising awareness and understanding what it's like to do it tough in the cold overnight.
In addition to the soup vans, CEO sleepouts, fundraising and volunteering, the foundation has donated more than 1,000 care packs filled with essential items.
One of the foundation’s most groundbreaking initiatives has been the Safe Places project, a pioneering public-private partnership with the Victorian government.
Mr Piccolo said the foundation became the first private entity to enter such an arrangement in 2019, donating a block of land in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs to the department of housing and human services.
Six homes were constructed on the site, which were managed by the Salvation Army, to provide homes for vulnerable women and their children. The homes have housed 29 women and several children in need so far.
He said the housing had a significant impact, with almost two thirds of the residents subsequently securing long-term housing, and more than a third gaining employment.
Buoyed by the success of the initial Safe Places project, the foundation expanded its efforts in 2023 by purchasing a 12-bedroom property in Melbourne's southeast.
The Woodards Foundation has been sending its people to the St Vincent de Paul Society CEO Sleepout since 2017. Picture: supplied
Mr Piccolo said the new property would focus on providing shelter for women escaping domestic violence or social isolation, furthering the foundation’s mission to create safe havens.
"We’ll align ourselves with community organisations, whether it’s Vinnies or others, to create shared arrangements," he said.
"We provide the property, they provide the support services, and a third party brings the constituents."
Mr Piccolo said the model was successfully bringing together private, government and charitable resources to help address homelessness.
In a world where homelessness and domestic violence remain pressing issues, organisations such as the Woodards Foundation are standing up to help those most in need.
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