Giving Back Together
Every week, this community shows up for each other in the comments, in our Facebook group, and in the emails you send me. So I started thinking about how Seniors in Melbourne could do something more, beyond just great days out.
We’re delighted to launch a quarterly Community Giveback. Each quarter, we’ll choose one Melbourne charity doing meaningful, boots-on-the-ground work and share their story with you. One thing I know about this community is that you’re brilliant at spreading the word — and that can have an incredible impact.
I’ll make a donation and share why I’ve chosen them, and for readers who are in a position to do so, there’ll be a simple way to make a small donation too.
This Quarter: St Mary’s House of Welcome
This quarter, Seniors in Melbourne is proud to partner with St Mary’s House of Welcome — a Fitzroy-based charity providing practical support, connection and pathways out of homelessness for people experiencing disadvantage in Melbourne.
Homelessness can feel like a distant issue until you notice the people behind it.
For me, it became personal through my mum. She’s never walked past someone without stopping — whether it’s buying a copy of The Big Issue or pausing for a chat with a woman sitting on the street. Her curiosity about people’s lives, and her quiet longing to help, is what inspired me to do this.
While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of homelessness in Melbourne, this city is home to dozens of organisations, volunteers and social enterprises working every day to ensure people are supported with dignity and hope. St Mary’s House of Welcome is one of them — and this quarter, I’d love our community to help shine a light on what they do.
Why I Chose St Mary’s House of Welcome
St Mary’s is based in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy — a street many of our community know well. Open six days a week, they support around 150 people every single day. Not occasionally. Not in a crisis. Every day.
What I love about their work is how practical it is. Meals, showers, clothing, emergency relief, case management, and a safe place to spend time — the kind of unglamorous, steady, essential support that doesn’t always make headlines but makes an enormous difference to the people who need it.
Their meals program costs around $500,000 a year to run. They receive a small contribution from local council, but it’s not guaranteed. The rest — around $380,000 — needs to be raised each year through fundraising. Every meal served to someone experiencing homelessness depends on the generosity of people like you.
What Your Donation Could Help Fund
- 47,684 meals were served last year — every one of them fundraised, not government funded
- 2,670 showers provided — a small thing that means everything to someone without a home
- 1,440 takeaway meals and food hampers distributed
- 1,200 sleeping items given to people sleeping rough
A donation of any size goes directly towards keeping these services running. St Mary’s House of Welcome is a registered charity, and all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Who Are St Mary’s House of Welcome?
St Mary’s House of Welcome has been a constant presence in Fitzroy for decades, offering practical support and human connection to people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage in Melbourne.
Their doors are open six days a week at 165–169 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. On any given day, people can access a hot meal, a shower, clean clothing, emergency relief, case management, referrals to housing and health services, and social inclusion programs. Beyond meeting immediate needs, the team works with people over time to help create pathways towards greater stability.
As their Senior Fundraising Manager, Fiona puts it, much of the real impact happens through the relationships built over time — not just the numbers on a page.
How You Can Help
Make a donation
Every dollar goes directly to meals, showers, emergency relief and the programs that help people find their way forward. All donations over $2 are tax deductible and you’ll receive a receipt by email.
Take the Minds for Meals Quiz
Love a quiz? Put your knowledge to the test with Minds for Meals, an online fundraising quiz supporting St Mary’s House of Welcome. Enjoy a little friendly competition with family and friends, or tackle the questions over a cuppa. It’s a fun way to support meals and connection for people experiencing homelessness in Melbourne.
Gifts in Kind
St Mary’s has an ongoing need for basic essentials — the everyday items most of us take for granted. If you’re heading to the supermarket or doing an online order, picking up one or two things from the list below makes a real difference to the hundreds of people who rely on St Mary’s each week.
Food
Instant coffee, long-life milk, cup noodles, cooking oil, long-life ready meals, coffee sachets, small tubs of fruit, tins of tuna (small and large), tins of chicken, large tins of Spam, crackers, muesli bars and breakfast bakes. Minced beef and beef sausages are also welcome but must be ordered and delivered directly from a supermarket.
Clothing
New men’s underwear (sizes S, M, L, XL), new socks (sizes 6–10 and 11–14), and socks and underwear for all sizes are urgently needed.
Other essentials
Brand new sleeping bags (no quilts or blankets please), sleeping mats/rolls, sanitary pads, washing powder, deodorant and razors.
Items can be dropped off at:
St Mary’s House of Welcome
165–169 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Monday to Friday, 8.30am–4pm
Saturday, 9am–11.45am
Volunteer
St Mary’s welcomes volunteers who want to give their time directly. If you’re interested in becoming a registered volunteer, you can apply via their website.
For corporate groups or community organisations, St Mary’s also runs a Community BBQ program — where your group prepares and serves a hot lunch for up to 150 people experiencing homelessness. Bookings are available on Fridays for groups of up to eight. Contact fundraising@smhow.org.au to find out more.
Other Ways to Help
There are a few other easy ways to support St Mary’s that cost you nothing extra — including the container deposit scheme and the Entertainment Book. Visit their Other Ways to Help page for details.
Share This Page
Know someone who cares about homelessness in Melbourne, or someone who might like to support St Mary’s work? Sharing this page is just as valuable as donating.
→ seniorsinmelbourne.com.au/community-giveback
