00:00Thanks guys.
00:03Poverty doesn't take a break over Christmas, nor does this community centre.
00:08I've got food insecurity or other issues, Christmas magnifies that.
00:13St Benedict's gets a flurry of people wanting to volunteer at its free Christmas Day meal.
00:19There we go.
00:20Christmas draws out when people want to do good things, but it's hard, that's only one day out of a whole year.
00:26A lot of the issues that people face doesn't get a break, doesn't go away.
00:31Christmas aside, volunteerism is in decline across Australia.
00:36A lot of organisations who historically have had really strong volunteering bases and indeed waiting lists are no longer experiencing that.
00:44It's a challenge for charities like Vinnie's, whose Canberra Night Patrol vehicles have seen an almost 20% increase in demand this year.
00:53When everybody goes on holidays and you have leave from work so you've got the time, you want to feel good so you offer to volunteer and that's great.
01:00But definitely look into what it would mean to sustain it.
01:04That good feeling doesn't have to go away when Christmas does. You can keep doing it and feel good all year round.
01:09Mike Brennan will spend this Christmas night on the road. He's been volunteering with Vinnie's for a decade and a half.
01:16Don't think about doing it for 10 years, think about doing it next month and then next month and just let it build on its own.
01:24A gift that keeps on giving, even when the Christmas decorations are packed away.
01:29after that, the holidays are packed away....
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