Saint Vincent de Paul
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
St Vincent de Paul Hamilton (Vinnies) is a Waikato based non-for-profit organisation that’s overarching goal is to protect and care for the most vulnerable in the community.
With over 100 volunteers all working together to assist those who are less fortunate, Vinnies Waikato’s foundation for results is “people helping people”. Through the offerings of food assistance, financial help, and support, the non for profit is able to restore people’s fundamental human rights, in turn improving the lives of thousands of vulnerable people in our Waikato community.
As a charity, we live by the saying, “with my food basket and your food basket together; we can help the people,” as we know that the work, we do would not be possible without the support and generosity of others. Through funding and donations, we are able to utilise these resources to help those who may not be in the position to help themselves.
Here at Vinnies Hamilton, we understand that our community need support from time to time. Life isn’t always smooth sailing. Sometimes, we can be faced with unsettling and uncomfortable challenges. We provide a range of services and support that are beneficial, non-judgemental and respectful.
Our work is funded by six shops & an online store (coming soon) that operate in Hamilton, selling donated clothes & other goods. We work alongside MSD, Police, DHB, Kaute Pasifika, Family Start, Salvation Army, Department of Corrections and other agencies around the Hamilton city to ensure that our community is protected and cared for.
The History of Vinnies Hamilton
Vinnies Hamilton has been in operation for over 60 years. In the early 1960s, the store was used as a night shelter on High Street, providing a place for the homeless to sleep and eat, and the downstairs space was used as a clothing retail store during the day. After the Waikato Mental Hospital closure, most patients in the community used Vinnie’s as a night shelter. Due to the influx in numbers at the shelter, the violence increased. After volunteers attained injuries, the night shelter closed in the 1970s, leaving only the clothing shop to continue operating. Another shop was bought on Commerce Street, and the High Street clothing shop was closed.
In 1996, a bottle store was bought and renovated by John Smulders, which is now known as the Vinnie’s Centre. The centre became the drop-in space, a place to store donated goods and furniture. As the centre expanded, so did the services. Vinnies began offering a night van running its loaves and fishers project and other services offered such as budgeting and community meals. Around the year 2000, Vinnies Hamilton was offered the opportunity to expand when Kaute Pasifika relocated, leaving behind a vacant building which is now called Vinnies Furniture Shop. Under the new management of Mike Rolton, new services were built, Chartwell shop was opened in 2013, Glenview shop opened in 2015, and the Linen shop was opened in Frankton in 2018. To date, Vinnie’s Waikato continues to be one of the leading charities in the Waikato area, providing support and guidance to the vulnerable and needy.
Vinnies Hamilton Vision and Goals
Here at Vinnie’s, our goal is to help people in genuine need in our community. We offer a range of services guided by our vision to deliver aroha, support, and guidance to our Waikato Whanau.
Our Core Values
We pride ourselves on upholding and integrating values into every aspect of our business. These values form the foundation of our non-for-profit organisation and are embedded into our daily practices.
- Generosity – Giving of oneself and one’s time.
- Integrity – Promoting, maintaining and adhering to our Vision, Mission and Values.
- Compassion – Welcoming and serving all in need with understanding and without judgement.
- Empathy – Establishing relationships with those in need based on respect, trust, friendship, and perception arising from actively listening to them.
- Responsiveness – Identifying and responding to unmet needs of the poor, the lonely, the marginalised, and the dispossessed.
- Advocacy – Helping those in need to navigate bureaucracy to secure their rightful entitlements to welfare and to actively work in conjunction with other like-minded organisations to transform the causes of poverty, and challenge injustice.
- Commitment – Fidelity and passion in service of our Vision, Mission and Values.
- Respect – Serving all in need regardless of creed, ethnic or social background, health, gender or political persuasion.
- Courage – To ask for forgiveness and to forgive, to be merciful, and to pray courageously for the grace to serve, to love our neighbour and to be close to those who are lonely and in difficulty.
Vinnies Hamilton Vision and Goals
Here at Vinnie’s, our goal is to help people in genuine need in our community. We offer a range of services guided by our vision to deliver aroha, support, and guidance to our Waikato Whanau.
Our Core Values
Here at St Vincent de Paul, we pride ourselves on upholding and integrating values into every aspect of our business. These values form the foundation of our non-for-profit organisation and are embedded into our daily practices.
- Generosity – Giving of oneself and one’s time.
- Integrity – Promoting, maintaining and adhering to our Vision, Mission and Values.
- Compassion – Welcoming and serving all in need with understanding and without judgement.
- Empathy – Establishing relationships with those in need based on respect, trust, friendship, and perception arising from actively listening to them.
- Responsiveness – Identifying and responding to unmet needs of the poor, the lonely, the marginalised, and the dispossessed.
- Advocacy – Helping those in need to navigate bureaucracy to secure their rightful entitlements to welfare and to actively work in conjunction with other like-minded organisations to transform the causes of poverty, and challenge injustice.
- Commitment – Fidelity and passion in service of our Vision, Mission and Values.
- Respect – Serving all in need regardless of creed, ethnic or social background, health, gender or political persuasion.
- Courage – To ask for forgiveness and to forgive, to be merciful, and to pray courageously for the grace to serve, to love our neighbour and to be close to those who are lonely and in difficulty.
Our Vision
To live the gospel message by serving Christ and those in need with love, respect, justice, hope, and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
Our Mission
Vincentians work to provide person to person, practical and effective help to those in need, sharing their burdens and joys, sowing seeds of hope, and promoting human dignity, justice, and self-sufficiency.
