Kindness flows through donated drink containers: The Springvale community using CDS Vic to turn litter into a lifeline.
Springvale’s Neighbourhood House is using donations of empty drink containers to boost its Student Support Fund. The fund is a program started by a former teacher to help those experiencing financial hardship as a barrier to learning.
Kim Chi guides her trolley full of empty drink containers through the front doors of the Springvale Neighbourhood House, stepping into the community centre for the year’s first English class. “Happy new year Ann,” she says. “I have more containers for you — we had some big celebrations over the break!”
Kim is a frequent visitor to the community centre and its biggest donator of drink containers gathered from her housemates and family members. “People at Springvale Neighbourhood House are very nice — the staff, my teachers, my classmates, I will do anything I can to help them,” she adds.
Since mid-2025, Kim has been bringing empty containers to donate to the centre every time she attends English classes, knowing her small acts are adding up to something meaningful. “I know they use the money to help other students in need,” Kim says.
Kim is not alone in her generosity. Many other members of the centre also donate their eligible drink containers, and the money raised from the refunds goes towards tuition for students in need.
“Sometimes, people just need a little support to get back on their feet,” says Ann Pathmasiri, who has been a community worker at Springvale Neighbourhood House for the past seven years. Ann has become the driving force behind this fundraising initiative, encouraging teachers and students to bring in their empty containers to the centre. Once a month, Ann organises a trip to the CDS Vic Depot Springvale refund point to return the containers and claim their 10-cent refund.
Ann explains, “Through the Student Support Fund, we’ve been able to help many who are experiencing financial hardship, including those trying to escape financial abuse.
“Someone we recently helped is a housewife who is ready to invest in her own future. She came to us wanting to learn English as a pathway to gain independence, hopefully find a job. I still remember when she first joined us; she did not speak any English and her confidence was completely shaken. She said she felt ‘too stupid to learn English’.
“But now, after four months, she has made remarkable progress in both her English and her confidence. She can now have basic conversations with her teachers, and we are hopeful that she will be able to go to the bank by herself or take interviews one day soon,” Ann says.
Since 2025, Springvale Neighbourhood House has collected and returned around 2,000 containers, raising enough to cover a year of English tuition for four students in need. Through these collective efforts and local fundraising, the Springvale community is coming together to support one another, one small act at a time.
“This year, we’ll be encouraging even more students and neighbours to bring their eligible containers to the centre,” says Ann. “Hopefully, we can help more people in need, so no one is left behind.”
To find your nearest refund point, visit cdsvic.org.au/Vietnamese
