Friends of the Poor

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Friends of the Poor Grant Awards Announced for Mideast and Midwest Regions
Friends of the Poor Grant Awards Announced for Mideast and Midwest Regions 500 500 SVDP USA

We received 52 grant applications totaling $260,000.00. Grant awards for this round total $75,000.

Through a simple application process, SVdP Conferences and District Councils can apply for up to $5,000 from the National Council’s Friends of the Poor® Fund. The Friends of the Poor® funds available to grant is normally limited to the amount raised and/or approved by the National Council budget process. Individual grant award amounts may vary from the application amount but will not exceed $5,000.

Grants are targeted to specific areas of need, above and beyond available Conference resources: assistance for rent/housing, utilities, food, clothing, medical, transportation, and baby/children needs. No systemic change projects.

The next round of FOP Grants will open on August 15 for the West and South Central Regions. 

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Thank You for Being a Friend to Those in Need
Thank You for Being a Friend to Those in Need 1152 659 SVDP USA

In 2019, Peggy Veltri joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at her St. Catherine of Siena parish Conference in West Dundee, Illinois. She and fellow volunteers struggled through the pandemic as requests for help came from more neighbors in need.

The National Council awarded two Friends of the Poor® Grants to Peggy’s Conference over the past two years. That funding helped them provide critical, even life-changing, aid to dozens of area neighbors struggling in the wake of lost wages and rising prices.

Here are two stories of lives that were changed by those Friends of the Poor Grants.

Mary is a mother of two grown sons who both cope with mental health issues that limit their ability to support themselves. The family was evicted after Mary’s work hours were cut. The Society’s local Conference was able to move the family from an extended stay hotel to a permanent home in a less expensive town nearby. The new residence was also able to accommodative their grandmother. The grateful family of four is now thriving in a financially sustainable living arrangement.

Every call for assistance is different. Peggy’s Conference also recently helped a retired couple who became the guardians of their grandkids after their parents, like many Americans, fell into addiction. This husband and wife wanted to provide a better life for their grandkids, but soon after they moved in the grandfather lost his job.

With school about to start and no money for clothes and school supplies they called the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Thanks to you, they got the kids everything they needed to start the school year. When people find themselves at the end of their rope and have nowhere else to go, they often call the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for help.

“These grants are important in more ways than just helping with their current crisis,” Peggy says. “Of equal or greater importance, they provide us a stepping off point for discussions and planning that will have a more lasting impact. It shows the people we serve that SVdP is invested in their progress and success.”

Problems don’t go away overnight, but thanks to your support, Peggy and 90,000 Vincentians across the country are there to serve their communities.

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Friends of the Poor Grant Awardees — April 2023
Friends of the Poor Grant Awardees — April 2023 150 150 SVDP USA

We received 57 grant applications totaling $285,000. Grant awards for this round total $75,000.

Through simple application process, SVdP Conferences and District Councils can apply for up to $5,000 from the National Council’s Friends of the Poor® Fund. The Friends of the Poor® funds available to grant is normally limited to the amount raised and/or approved by the National Council budget process. Individual grant award amounts may vary from the application amount but will not exceed $5,000.

Grants are targeted to specific areas of need, above and beyond available Conference resources: assistance for rent/housing, utilities, food, clothing, medical, transportation, and baby/children needs. No systemic change projects.

 

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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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Winter 2023 Serving in Hope Newsletter Now Out
Winter 2023 Serving in Hope Newsletter Now Out 2141 2827 SVDP USA

The latest edition of our Serving in Hope Newsletter is now available!

Serving in Hope shares stories of how the Society of St. Vincent de Paul changes lives across the country. This issue’s cover story features Kelly, a survivor of Hurricane Ian, who was helped by Disaster Services Corporation, thanks to donations to our Annual Disaster Appeal. We also bring you the story of an SVdP Conference in Illinois who used two Friends of the Poor Grants from the National Council to bring life-changing aid to neighbors in need in their community. And you’ll meet a donor who wanted to support a Catholic nonprofit, and found the right blend of faith and service in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Serving in Hope is published quarterly and sent to all donors of the National Council. If you haven’t received your copy yet, click here to read Serving in Hope

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SVdP USA Releases Impact Report
SVdP USA Releases Impact Report 870 1125 SVDP USA

The National Council of the U.S., Society of St. Vincent de Paul has released its 2022 Impact Report to donors.

Donors make possible the work done by Vincentians across the country. Through their generosity to the National Council, they are supporting our vast network of volunteers as they share the love of Christ with neighbors in need.

Titled “Seeing and Being the Face of Christ,” this year’s report features stories of how SVdP’s national network of Vincentian volunteers provides urban, rural, and even suburban communities with resources and compassion. So neighbors living in the foothills of Appalachia or in Florida’s Everglades can receive the same level of assistance and care as those living in bigger cities.

The National Council serves nearly 90,000 Vincentian volunteers representing almost 4,500 parish-based Conferences. Recently, the Do Good Institute and Independent Sector reported that the value of one volunteer hour is estimated to be $29.95. In 2021, Vincentians around the country contributed a total of more than 7.3 million volunteer hours. Last year, Vincentians served more than 3.3 million neighbors in need across the country. That puts the total annual value of the Society’s in-kind labor at over $218 million last year alone!

Click here to read this year’s Impact Report.

Friends of the Poor Walk
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Friends of the Poor Walk/Run: A Step Towards Eliminating Poverty
Friends of the Poor Walk/Run: A Step Towards Eliminating Poverty 800 533 SVDP USA

Now in its 14th year, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run is an annual event that provides local Vincentian Conferences and Councils with an opportunity to raise funds and awareness to support neighbors in need. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021.

The nationwide event raises awareness of the challenges faced by neighbors in need. At over 200 Walk locations across the country, more than 20,000 Vincentians, parishioners, families, and friends join together to support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Annually, over $3.4 million is raised each year.

Benefits of Hosting a Walk

While many Conferences and Councils are avid supporters of the Walk, others may be new to the program. Here are some of the benefits of hosting a Friends of the Poor Walk/Run:

  • Generating funds for direct service to people living in poverty in your community.
  • Increasing awareness regarding the challenges faced by neighbors in need.
  • Enhancing visibility and reputation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
  • Involving your parish, neighbors, and friends, family, and community in helping men, women and children in need in your area.
  • Cultivating new and existing members and donors.

Says Nathan Martin, who manages the program nationally, “The National Friends of the Poor Walk is an excellent way to raise awareness of the issues surrounding poverty, while at the same time raising money to help neighbors in need.”

To learn more about the Friends of the Poor® Walk Program, please contact National Director of Fundraising Programs Nathan Martin by emailing him at the link above, or by calling (314) 576-3993 ext. 218. Or visit the Walk website: www.fopwalk.org/

help the needy
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Will You Help the Friends of the Poor?
Will You Help the Friends of the Poor? 2560 1707 SVDP USA

At the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, many of our nearly 4,500 Conferences and Councils across the United States have felt the financial effects of COVID-19. Some are seeing up to a 300% increase in need for food alone! And with 10 million Americans currently behind in rent payments, we expect a similar increase in demand for rent assistance in coming months, regardless of eviction moratoriums and government help.

By making a gift to the Friends of the Poor Grant Fund, you will provide emergency funding for local St. Vincent de Paul Conferences and Councils, to help Vincentian volunteers meet the growing demand for food and other basic emergency needs.

Will you donate today to the Friends of the Poor program? Your financial support is crucial and will allow Vincentian volunteers to bring the hope of the Gospel, answering Christ’s call to his disciples in Mathew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”

Your Donation Makes a Difference 

Please donate today at www.svdpusa.org/friendsofthepoor. You will be helping those most impacted by COVID-19.
Thank you, and may Christ’s presence fill your hearts this most sacred time of year.
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Friends of the Poor Grant Program Opening Soon!
Friends of the Poor Grant Program Opening Soon! 1804 2100 SVDP USA

Friends of the Poor® Grant Program
North Central and Southeast Regional Cycle Opens February 12

The National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul invites Conferences and District Councils to apply for grants of up to $5,000.

Deadline February 28!

$240,000 is being awarded this fiscal year.Grants are targeted to specific, current emergency assistance needs of the poor, above and beyond available resources. Preferred interest areas are: rental/housing assistance, utility assistance, food, clothing, transportation, baby/children needs, and medical. No systemic change projects.

Applying is simple. Download the application from the National Council Development Toolbox FOP Grant tab.

Grant Award Requirements:

  •  A Conference must be Aggregated and the District Council must be Instituted.
  • If you have received a grant within the last 3 years, you are not eligible to apply.
  • Grant funds are expected to be exhausted within 6 months.
  • A Grant report is due within 6 months outlining in detail how the funds were used.

Please note: Your Friends of the Poor® Grant Application will not be considered unless all the application requirements are completed using the most recent version of the application and emailed to Gerri Sample at the National Council by February 28.

The National Development Department coordinates the Friends of the Poor® Grant Program. The total annual funding varies and is based on funds raised. Grant applications are awarded by an independent peer review committee.

For More Information, Contact

Gerri Sample
(314) 576-3993, ext. 211

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