Volunteers

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Making a difference: heading towards Christmas
Making a difference: heading towards Christmas 1280 853 SVDP USA

Making a difference: heading towards Christmas

Published in the Catholic Herald December 15, 2024 – Story by Michael Acaldo, CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

December is a special month for the Society of St Vincent de Paul. Helping those in need is a year-round mission for Vincentians, but there’s a bit more excitement in the air when you’re handing out gifts to grateful, smiling children.

Before becoming the CEO of the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVdP) USA this year, I spent thirty-four Decembers leading SVdP in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Each Saturday, we would distribute presents to thousands of children – many wearing worn and tattered clothing that I suspected they had slept in the night before. For some of these kids, this was the only gift they would receive all year, and that reality never failed to leave a lasting impression.

But it wasn’t just the children who received some care. Adults did, as well. Few things are more humbling than standing before a big, worn-down man with his Christmas gift in his hands and tears in his eyes – for that’s when you see the face of Christ staring back at you.

I’ve been reflecting on these memories this Advent. In recent weeks, I’ve gone coast to coast to meet with many of our 90,000 Vincentians in the US. In doing so, I’ve seen firsthand the commitment, sacrifice and love that they show day in and day out.

It has led me to ask some simple, but important, questions. Why do so many people give of their time and treasure to help their neighbors? Why do they enter homes that are often in areas of town most people would avoid? Why do they make the journeys of the poor and outcast part of their own personal journeys?

The answers are found in the stories of Vincentians like Rosie Martina. Rosie is 101 years old and, with the help of his daughter and son, he continues to make food pickups each week. When Rosie’s wife died a few years ago, he asked me to say a few words at the Saturday morning funeral. That very evening, I found him serving a meal to men experiencing homelessness at one of our shelters. I asked him what he was doing there.

“This is where Laura would want me,” he said. “I’m doing her job – and mine.”

In effect, he was meeting Christ in the people he served in that food line, and in turn, Christ was showering him with the grace that abounds to those who follow His command to love our neighbor.

There are Rosie Martinas all across our country – from Phoenix, Arizona, to Dayton, Ohio, to Baltimore, Maryland. They come in all ages and all demographics. They bring different talents and treasures. And they understand that by helping others, they receive more than they can ever give.

This is the heart of the Vincentian difference.

While Vincentians run thrift stores, shelters, and even pharmacies across the country, the true joy and impact of our work comes through our Home Visit encounters, where we meet people where they are – literally – to gain a better understanding of who they are, what they need, and how we can help.

While these Home Visits are rooted in the Gospels, they’re also part of a practical strategy – one aimed at providing people with the often-small amounts of help they need that is the difference between staying housed or not.

Research by the US National Alliance to End Homelessness reveals that it costs an average of $35,578 per year to support a person who is chronically homeless, including costs for emergency shelters, healthcare, and law enforcement. In contrast, preventing homelessness through early intervention costs, on average, $2,000 per household.

Sometimes it’s a simple act that makes a difference. In one Home Visit, a Vincentian I know noticed that a woman’s mobile home needed insulation. The simple act of installing the insulation lowered her electric bill enough to keep her housed.

These are the fruits of accompaniment, and they ripple through the nation every day, affecting countless people – not the least the Vincentians themselves, who are uplifted by the act of uplifting others.

I’m especially blessed this year. I have the honor of being a part of an organization that will celebrate its 180th anniversary in the US in 2025. And earlier this month, I welcomed my first granddaughter into the world. She is already surrounded by the comfort that comes with a close group of family and friends. Yet, when I gaze at her, all bundled up in swaddling clothes, I’m mindful of those who don’t have others to lean on in the way that she will.

It can be discouraging. But then I remember the words of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, who founded the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Paris in 1833: “The problems in front of us are infinite, and we need to be up to those challenges.”

The men and women of St Vincent de Paul are, indeed, up to the challenge, and our work goes on. Merry Christmas from all of us, when it comes.

Michael Acaldo became CEO of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul USA on October 1. Prior to that he was the CEO of the SVdP Council of Baton Rouge. He joined the Vincentians in 1990.

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CEO Michael Acaldo featured on Yes Catholic podcast
CEO Michael Acaldo featured on Yes Catholic podcast 1440 1440 SVDP USA

Embracing Faith and Service: Michael Acaldo’s Journey with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA’s CEO Michael Acaldo was recently featured on the weekly podcast Yes Catholic.

“During my 34 years of being a Vincentian in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, I have met so many good people and had the opportunity to witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things…I have been surrounded by people that have put their faith into action by sharing Christ’s love to the most vulnerable. This has shaped me in a remarkable way…”

Listen to the full episode as he shares about his inspiring journey of faith and service:

Yes Catholic S2, E46: Michael Acaldo on Apple Podcast

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I Am a Vincentian (Spanish version) -Video-
I Am a Vincentian (Spanish version) -Video- 1080 1080 SVDP USA

¡Gracias vicentinos!

During this Hispanic Heritage Month, we give a special shout to our Hispanic and Latino American Vincentians, celebrating the special contributions and talents that they bring to SVdP Conferences across the country. Our Spanish-speaking and bilingual Vincentians are indispensable in serving our neighbors in need. ¡GRACIAS for all that you do!

 

Translation: Our Vincentians are saying “I Am _(name)_, and I Am a Vincentian.”

 

 

Erika Aldana, SVdP Long Island NY

Javier Lerch, PhD, National Homelessness Committee

Lalo Rodela, Formation Renewal and Delivery Committee

Claudia Ramirez, CEO of SVdP Contra Costa CA

Julie Bennett, CEO of SVdP Madison WI

Luis Gonzalez, CEO of SVdP North Texas / Dallas

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Encountering Our Neighbor -Video-
Encountering Our Neighbor -Video- 1080 1080 SVDP USA

Encountering Our Neighbor

Hear what three Vincentians – John, Dr. Ken, and Marge – have to say about their heartfelt experience serving a neighbor, and how that has shaped their time with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

John Berry, National President:  

We had opened up a brand new food pantry in Atlanta where I’m from and we had a woman that was coming through and it was a client choice food pantry, so we were walking with her and helping her choose. And we had a refrigerator cabinet that we had cakes and those kind of things in because the local supermarket had donated them to us and we always made those available to people. And this woman came up to the refrigerator cabinet and she started crying. And we were like “Oh You know what happened. What did we do?” And she started sobbing and she said “Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday and I never thought I would be able to afford to have a cake for her birthday.” So we got her the cake and then we went to the warehouse and we got a bicycle for her to give her daughter for her birthday and it was just something that, you know, when she left, we all looked at each other and said this is what it’s all about. This is what it’s all about.

Dr. Ken Snider:

Well, one little girl, she came up when she was 10 years old and she had a cleft lip and a cleft palate. And I wish I could say if I have the before and after pictures. So when I examined her, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by bringing notice to the cleft. So when I I finished examining her, I said “Honey, have you ever heard of braces?” You know, she shook her head. And I said “Well, we can do that. I said we can’t, you know, take everyone. But if you’re interested, I might be able to get you in.” Well I’m the dental director I can get them in, but if the kids aren’t interested, even if the parents want it, they’re not going to maintain it and everything. You know, there’s limited resources. And so she started to cry. And I thought I hurt her feelings. And the staff person said no, she said those are tears of joy. She thought this would never be possible for her. Then her mother came in, and her mother started to cry. We were all crying.

Marge McGinley:

So I met this beautiful person who was in need and when we got to her home we could tell she was conserving every penny, because each room had a curtain to conserve the air conditioning in that room. And we visited with her and she said “You know everybody that I’ve dealt with from Saint Vincent de Paul has been so kind. Like the people that answer your phones, everybody is so kind.” And I said, “Well, of course we are. Because for us, you are the face of Christ. We’re meeting Jesus when we meet you.”  And she started to cry. And she said “No one has ever talked to me so kindly.” As we were leaving, she said “I just have one more question.” And I said OK, and she said, “Can I join you? Can I can I help other people? I know I need help but can I help somebody else because I want to be able to see Jesus.”

Dr. Ken Snider:

Yeah, I mean it’s priceless. When you put your head on the pillow at night and you think, wow, you know. How did I? How did God grant me the blessing to be part of this, you know. And it truly is a blessing.

John Berry, National President:  

I mean the encounters run the gauntlet from the Home Visits that we do, the thrift stores that we operate, the food pantries that we operate. Each one of those is an opportunity for us to touch humanity and for humanity to touch us, because our growth through that service is really the ultimate most important thing that we do is grow spiritually.

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The Home Visit: An Encounter with our Neighbor -Video-
The Home Visit: An Encounter with our Neighbor -Video- 1080 1080 SVDP USA

The Home Visit: An Encounter with our Neighbor

Hear what three Vincentians – Kat, Ray, and Tim – have to say about their experiences during a Home Visit with a neighbor, and how that has shaped their time with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Kat Brisette, SVDP Rhode Island:

Home visits are one of my favorite parts of the Society of Saint Vincent DePaul. Just being able to, you know, put yourself in an uncomfortable position, just like our neighbors are in an uncomfortable position and being able to just listen to them and talk with them. My favorite home visits are when there’s kids. Maybe it’s just because I like to fool around, and so it’s fun to interact with them. So a lot of times we’ll bring like a coloring book or things for them to play with while we’re meeting. So a lot of my favorite interactions have been, you know, when you bring the coloring book in and two siblings on the floor and they’re coloring it in while you’re talking with mom. And before they go, they put a big heart on it and give it to you. And so I have plenty of coloring pages that I have framed and I keep with me because it just reminds us of what we do and why we do it.

 

Raymond Sickingar, SVDP Rhode Island:

Years ago, my wife and I went on a Home Visit together. There’s a trailer park where we live – we deal with rural poverty where we live and sometimes that can be even more insidious than urban poverty because it’s less visible and there are less resources – but this one woman was in a trailer park, so we went and visited her and she was out of gas or propane. She also needed to rent the land that the trailer was on. So there were a few needs that she had so we were going over to talk to her. And it was a rainy night, I remember, it was raining pretty bad and we got to the door and she invited us in and we sat down. And I don’t know what made us do it that night, I’m not sure we had done it a great deal before, but we just said “What’s going on? What’s your story?” 45 minutes to an hour later, the woman stopped and took a breath.  And she said. “Oh, I feel so light,” she says. “I have not been able to tell that story to anybody.” And we helped her. We actually got her into a sustainable position, but really what she needed most was somebody to listen. And what my wife and I learned that night, was to first stop and take the time to listen. The stories are powerful, and people need to feel like they’re human.

 

Timothy Williams, SVDP USA:

One is one of the first visits my wife and I went on and it was a man who rode his bike to work every day and back 7 miles. Because he didn’t have a car but he had ten kids. There’s always more mouths than money, even with food stamps, and so he called us for help with food, it’s the end of the month. And so we come with the groceries and all these kids come tumbling out the house to help with carrying them. This one little girl grabs a gallon of milk. She turns around towards that house, and she danced back to the house – this gallon of milk. Gandhi once said there are some people so poor they can only see God in a piece of bread. But I was looking at her and the only thing I could think was “the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

 

Kat Brisette, SVDP Rhode Island:

The Society is such an awesome way that we’re able to live out our faith and be that example of what it truly means to be a Catholic and a Christian in today’s world.

 

Timothy Williams, SVDP USA:

When we go to visit the neighbors in need in their homes, we see Christ, and you really receive this Grace from God.

 

Raymond Sickingar, SVDP Rhode Island:

I found it very easy to see the face of Christ and those we serve over the years that I’ve served. But we also have to reflect that loving face back to Christ. That’s the part of that Vincentian charism, that an incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, that speaks to me most.

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SVdP Pharmacies Help Patients Afford Urgently Needed Medications
SVdP Pharmacies Help Patients Afford Urgently Needed Medications 2560 1707 SVDP USA

“Seeing their renewed hope makes every day worth it.”

Low-income neighbors face difficult choices daily. Some have to decide between necessities like paying rent and feeding their families. Others forego important medications so they can afford that month’s transportation costs or utilities.

Raul, a married father of four, supports his family by working at a pizza restaurant. Unfortunately, his salary isn’t enough for the family to afford health insurance. When his doctor prescribed a new medication that would cost over $20,000 a year, Raul turned to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s North Texas pharmacy for assistance.

Thanks to gifts to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, this charitable pharmacy is one of six across the U.S. providing free and deeply discounted medications so that vulnerable patients can live their healthiest life.

At the Dallas location, Vincentian volunteers and pharmacist Carlos Irula worked to help Raul with documents and other resources he needed to access coverage for his expensive prescriptions. “I was having trouble, but they showed me options and helped me along the way,” Raul said. “They were very patient, and we were able to get qualified.”

Irula says this SVdP pharmacy is busier than ever. “Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been filling over 400 prescriptions per week. There is definitely a greater need for assistance and medication during these unprecedented times.”

The volunteers, staff, and pharmacists dispense much more than just medicine. They offer peace of mind and a generous dose of hope as each neighbor feels welcomed and cared for.

“Hearing from patients how we’ve made a difference in their lives and their family’s lives — and seeing their renewed hope — makes every day worth it,” adds Irula.

“I cannot imagine what I would have done without the pharmacy’s help,” said Raul. “I can now worry about paying my bills on time and providing more groceries to my family. Everyone working there [is] a blessing and I cannot thank them enough.”

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Your Generosity Funds Friends of the Poor Grants
Your Generosity Funds Friends of the Poor Grants 640 480 SVDP USA

Right now, in every corner of the country, a vast army of Good Samaritans is at work caring for the poor in their communities. These “troops” — known as lay Vincentians — are volunteer members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Organized into local Conferences, they number nearly 90,000 and annually provide material and spiritual assistance to millions of individuals and families facing hardships of all sorts.

Those crises include joblessness, natural disasters, social isolation, the threat of eviction or homelessness, or the inability to afford meeting their basic needs for food, utilities, or medications.

Through gifts from friends like you, the National Council trains, sustains, and strengthens these Good Samaritans along their journey of serving God’s people in need.

In the small Tucson suburb of Vail, Arizona, Maury and Susan Bois are among the Vincentians serving at St. Rita in the Desert Catholic Church. More than 650 Vail residents live below the poverty line. “Helping everyone requesting assistance to get back on their feet wasn’t easy when our own coffers were low,” Maury recalls. “We were down to $40 when we applied to the National Council for a Friends of the Poor grant. We prayed and waited.”

The National Council was able to award a $5,000 grant to the St. Rita Vincentians.

“It was an incredible morale booster for us,” Maury says. “It showed in a very big way that we are one Society … that we were seen, that National was with us.”

Gifts to the National Council strengthen the army of volunteers more than just financially. They also help deepen the faith and spiritual growth of every Vincentian, as was the primary mission of the Society’s founder, Frédéric Ozanam. Maury points to the difference that makes.

“Being a Vincentian has changed my life. I’ve become closer to God, and certainly more aware of and sympathetic to the suffering of people requesting our assistance. We’ve relied a great deal on the National Council, and I’m especially grateful for the donors who support them. Their generosity makes possible the Friends of the Poor grants and other resources that are helping us support Vincentians and reach more people in need.”

Gifts to the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul help provide Friends of the Poor grants that empower local Vincentian volunteers to serve needs that go beyond what their usual resources can meet.

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1-10-2022 to 1-15-2022 News Roundup
1-10-2022 to 1-15-2022 News Roundup 1200 1200 SVDP USA

With 100,000 Vincentians across the United States and nearly 800,000 around the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering. Read some of their stories here:

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

Help us share the good news of the good work being done in your local Conference or Council! Email us at info@svdpusa.org with the subject line Good News.

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January is Poverty Awareness Month
January is Poverty Awareness Month 940 788 SVDP USA

According to Poverty USA, more than 38 million people in the United States currently live in poverty.

The month of January is dedicated to bringing awareness to this crucial issue that is at the forefront of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s mission. January is Poverty Awareness Month.

Who Lives in Poverty?

Individuals and families that earn less than the Federal Government’s poverty threshold are considered to be living in poverty. There are two main classifications of poverty:

  • Absolute Poverty: When a household income is below the poverty threshold making it impossible for the individual or family to meet their basic needs including food, housing, safe drinking water, education, healthcare, etc. For those living in absolute poverty, their situation remains unchanged no matter the economic state of where they live.
  • Relative Poverty: The condition in which people are deprived of the minimum amount of income needed in order to maintain the average of standard living in their community. Those that fall in this category have money, but not enough to “keep up with the Joneses.” This type of poverty can change with economic growth in the country. This category, while it may not seem as extreme as absolute poverty, can still be permanent.

Poverty can also be broken into two groups called “Generational Poverty” and “Situational Poverty.”

  • Generational Poverty: A family that has lived in poverty for at least two generations. Those experiencing generational poverty often deal with hopelessness, tend to focus on survival over planning, have different values and patterns than those who have not grown up in poverty.
  • Situational Poverty: A individual or family’s income and support is decreased due to a specific change – job loss, divorce, death, etc. Those coping with situational poverty tend to remain hopeful, considering it a temporary setback.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Poverty in the U.S.

In the years leading up to 2020, poverty had gradually been declining in the United States. In 2019, the poverty rate was at 10.5%, the lowest since 1959. Then, COVID hit.

According to Human Rights Watch, since the start of the pandemic, 74.7 million people have lost work, forcing them to dip into savings, depleting individual reserves.

Census Bureau data shows how households with different incomes are coping with the pandemic and that low-income households are disproportionally struggling for their social and economic needs to be met. Among households with incomes below $35,000, 47% of adults report being behind on housing payments, and 25% say they struggle to put food on the table.

While stimulus checks, and tax credits have offered a little help over the past two years, the problem persists.

SVdP Is Here to Help

Our mission is: “A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”

Vincentians around the world have dedicated themselves to offering our suffering brothers and sisters a hand up in their time of need. Through a combination of spiritual and material aid, we seek to help those suffering from poverty. While we do assist with food and rental assistance – the things you picture those living in poverty to be most desperate for – SVdP’s goal is to help make a “systemic change.”

Systemic Change is a key facet of the Society’s work to end poverty. It goes beyond addressing immediate needs and instead, partners with the poor to identify the root causes of their poverty and remove the barriers that keep people impoverished.

“The money or assistance in-kind that we give to those who are poor will not last long. We must aspire to a more complete and longer lasting benefit: study their abilities … and help them get work to help them out of their difficulties.” – Blessed Rosalie Rendu

To learn more about how SVdP helps those living in poverty, click to visit our website.

Resources for Poverty Awareness Month

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Contemplation – To Give and Receive with Joy
Contemplation – To Give and Receive with Joy 940 788 SVDP USA

There is an old saying about gift-giving, that “it is the thought that counts.” In a similar way, the assistance, or gifts, that we offer to the neighbor must be more than “appeals from below,” but instead gifts of true love, of putting the needs of another before our own.

As so often is the case, Blessed Frédéric offers us a wonderful example. On New Year’s Day of 1852, Frédéric was unable to relax and enjoy the day with his family, unable even to eat the candies his beloved daughter Marie offered him. He couldn’t stop thinking of the young family that had sold their chest of drawers, the young mother’s treasured family heirloom, so that they could pay other bills.

When he told his wife Amélie of his desire to bring them the chest as a gift, she reminded him that the husband, suffering some health issues, might not be able to work in coming weeks, and it would be more practical to give them the money that would have purchased the chest in smaller amount in coming weeks.

Although he first agreed that this was indeed practical, he remained unconsoled, explaining to Amélie that even a fraction of what they’d spent on their own amusement and gifts could have brought true joy to that poor family. She agreed, and urged him to go.

Frédéric left his home, purchased the family’s chest, and along with a porter he’d brought with him, delivered it to them. When he returned home, all sadness had left him; his face was glowing with his own joy.

When we make our home visits, we often help the neighbor to prioritize needs, so that we can care for the most urgent of them first. Like Frédéric, sometimes we need to remind ourselves that the most urgent needs are not always material; that when we are refreshed by joy and by love, our burdens become lighter.

We are called to form relationships based on trust and friendship with the neighbors we serve; not coldly assess the books, but to seek their good, even before our own. In doing so, we will receive in joy exactly what we give.

It is truly better to give than to receive, and better still to be a cheerful giver. With joy we will drink the waters of salvation!

Contemplate

How can I bring not just assistance, but joy to the neighbor?

Recommended Reading

The Gospel of Luke

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