Vincentians

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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.

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More Photos from the 2021 National Assembly
More Photos from the 2021 National Assembly 2550 1700 SVDP USA

You asked for them, and here they are! Another round of photos from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s 2021 National Assembly in Houston, Texas.

If you missed the first round of photos, they can be found here.

To watch a recording of any of the available sessions, click here.

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When the World Shut Down, We Never Stopped Serving Neighbors in Need
When the World Shut Down, We Never Stopped Serving Neighbors in Need 1733 902 SVDP USA

When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, it felt like the world shut down overnight. Churches, schools, and businesses closed their doors. No one knew when those doors would reopen — or if they would reopen at all.

But for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and those we serve, shutdowns were never an option. Our 100,000 volunteers from across the country quickly pivoted our service models so that we could safely continue to support our neighbors in need, who were adversely affected by the pandemic.

EWTN Global Catholic Network recently aired a special called Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul, illustrating how Vincentian volunteers in Albuquerque, Houston, and Tampa made innovations in how they serve neighbors in need. They’re the stories of just three out of the nearly 4,500 communities we serve nationwide adapted operations to support our neighbors in new and creative ways. Social distancing was essential, but it never changed the Society’s unique person-to-person ministry.

If you missed EWTN’s special, fear not! Watch it here now:

Share it with your Conference, Council, and parish communities!

 

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/

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03-25-2021 News Roundup
03-25-2021 News Roundup 1200 1200 SVDP USA

Through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Vincentians across the United States and around the world are finding spiritual growth by providing 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.

SVdPUSA Texting
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SVdPUSA Announces New Texting Program
SVdPUSA Announces New Texting Program 2560 1707 SVDP USA

These days, our phones are bombarded with calls we’d rather not answer, and our inboxes are flooded with emails from online stores and political campaigns. It can be hard to reach through the noise and connect with the people and ideas that really matter.

The National Council is pleased to announce that it’s now easier than ever to stay in touch with us! You’re invited to opt-in to text communications from the National Council. All you have to do is text JOIN to (844) 464-2992.

When you sign up, you’ll receive a Vincentian contemplation and reflection from National Director of Formation Tim Williams sent straight to your phone every Monday morning. We may also send you periodic news updates or occasional opportunities to support the work being done by the National Council.

Says National Director of Fundraising Programs Nathan Martin, who helped spearhead the program, “Vincentians are called to journey towards holiness. My hope is that every time we email out a Monday Contemplation, we are helping Vincentians on that journey.”

The National Council is partnering with SmartConnect to share the benefits of this program with local Conferences and Councils. If you’re interested in learning more, contact Nathan Martin, National Director of Fundraising Programs, or John Hosack from SmartConnect at (727) 463-9987. Or visit their website to learn more.

St. Anthony Messenger cover story
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul featured in St. Anthony Messenger Magazine
Society of St. Vincent de Paul featured in St. Anthony Messenger Magazine 360 480 SVDP USA

St. Anthony Messenger magazine, an American Catholic family magazine published by the Franciscans of St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, has selected the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as its March cover story.

The wide-ranging, multipage article touches upon several key aspects of the Society’s work in serving neighbors in need, including our food pantries, thrift stores, emergency financial assistance, and the Getting Ahead program. The print copy also includes many photos of Vincentian volunteers serving their communities, including several images of the Society’s international efforts.

While the article tells the Society’s story through the lens of the Bloomington, Indiana and Dayton, Ohio Conferences, programs from other Conferences across the country are also highlighted, including Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, North Texas, Chicago, and Cincinnati.

With a monthly circulation of more than 50,000, St. Anthony Messenger’s story provides the Society with a unique opportunity to reach new volunteers and donors. We hope you’ll read it and share it with your parish and community.

To read the article online, visit the St. Anthony Messenger website. To inquire about a hard copy of the issue, you can visit their subscription page.

Disaster Services Corporation
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Winter Storm Update From Disaster Services Corporation
Winter Storm Update From Disaster Services Corporation 2000 1600 SVDP USA

The Disaster Services Corporation, St Vincent de Paul USA (DSC, SVdP-USA) is providing support to Councils and Conferences in the areas impacted by Winter Storms Uri and Viola. DSC is working closely with the State of Texas and Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Additionally, we are working in coordination with the National SVdP Office to provide Rapid Response Grants to cover the costs of rent, food, pipe repairs, hotel stays, etc. Lastly, DSC, SVdP-USA is also monitoring and supporting Vincentians in Oklahoma and Louisiana. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families without water and power.

To help support the work of DSC in this winter storm season, visit Disaster Services Corp., St Vincent de Paul-USA  and choose “Where It Is Needed Most.”

Here’s What You Need to Know

  • As power begins to return, many Texans are now without drinking water.
  • Most power is back, but 500,000 Texas homes and businesses are still in the dark.
  • The latest storm is knocking out power in Mississippi, Kentucky, and elsewhere.
  • Several inches of snow are expected in the New York area, as vaccine shipments are delayed.
  • 31 people have died across the country due to the winter storms.

Recap From the News

The winter storms and colder weather may persist in the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley through midweek, and a new winter storm is expected to sweep across the South and East over the next two days. More than 100 million Americans are under some type of winter weather warning.

As Texas struggles to restore power to millions of residents affected by the brutal winter weather, officials are now scrambling to provide clean water as well. Cities and counties across the state, including Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, have issued boil water notices stemming from concerns about contamination and low water pressure as frigid temperatures freeze pipes, leaving some households with little to no running water.

As of Wednesday, nearly seven million Texans were under a boil water advisory, and about 263,000 people were affected by nonfunctioning water providers, Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said at a news conference. During a news conference on Wednesday, W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said facilities were reporting broken water mains, lack of running water, oxygen shortages and other problems.

Texas wasn’t the only state contending with power issues. Other states where outages numbered in the tens of thousands included Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Oregon, according to poweroutage.us, a utility tracking site.

While some facilities can provide heat during the blackouts, others are relying completely on generators and cannot provide any heat. With another storm on its way to Texas, temperatures are expected to remain below freezing until Saturday.

Winter’s brutal assault continued Wednesday night as another snowstorm roared its way across the nation through the end of the week, hitting areas where millions were already without electricity in record-breaking cold.

More than 100 million Americans are in the path of the storm as it tracks from the southern Plains to the East Coast over the next few days, the National Weather Service said. But the nation’s heartland will get some relief over the weekend, the weather service reported, as the frigid air will begin to moderate over the next couple days.

But first, much of Texas and the Southeast will have to endure heavy snowfall and “ice accumulations of a light glaze to a few hundredths of an inch” through Thursday. Heavy snow is forecast to move work its way as far north as southern New England on Thursday.

The next winter storm will bring more snow and ice and “just a real mess” to many areas of the country, including the South, Midwest and Northeast, AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. As the storm advances to the northeast through Friday, snow is forecast to fall along a 2,000-mile-long swath from northwestern and north-central Texas to northern Maine, AccuWeather said. Freezing rain and sleet will occur to the south and east of the snow zone, extending from central Texas to southeastern New York state.

Ice accumulations of a quarter to as much as three-quarters of an inch are forecast in some areas. “In the areas that contend with these devastating ice accumulations, residents can expect dangerous travel conditions, numerous power outages and extensive tree damage,” the weather service said.

FEMA Update Region VI – TX

  • 15 non-American Red Cross shelters open with 1,068 occupants
  • 34 congregate shelters open with 1,140 occupants
  • 10 non-congregate; 134 warming shelters open
  • Total of 200 warming shelters throughout the state: www.tedem.texas.gov/warm/
  • Boil Water Notices in effect for 40 counties; boil water notices are not for the entire county, only certain public water systems within these counties
  • 729k liters of water, 10.9k wool blankets, 50k cotton blankets, 225k meals staged at DC Fort Worth (TX Consolidated Staging Area)
  • 1 million (-2 million) customers (9%) without power
  • Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) energy conservation plan continues with rotating outages due to high demand exceeding available generation capacity generation resources are strained due to cold weather tripping units, natural gas supply curtailments, and wind power generation outage
  • I-35W in Fort Worth remains closed causing detours and traffic delays
  • TX EOC at Partial Activation (COVID), working 24/7 operations this week for winter weather; Governor declared a state of emergency and requested an Emergency Declaration; approved Feb 14

Who to Follow

What to Download

Stay informed: Download the FEMA App to receive real-time weather alerts, safety tips, and sheltering information.

How to Help

Donate to support Disaster Services Corp., St Vincent de Paul-USA  and choose “Where It Is Needed Most.”

 

good morning america
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From Homelessness to Housing: Sarah’s Hope Family Shelter at St. Vincent de Paul in Baltimore
From Homelessness to Housing: Sarah’s Hope Family Shelter at St. Vincent de Paul in Baltimore 1100 621 SVDP USA

It’s a story that’s all too familiar in the ongoing pandemic: struggling to pay their bills, a family loses access to affordable housing.

Good Morning America recently profiled Alisha Carter, a Baltimore-area postal worker who lost her home during the pandemic. She and her five daughters lived together in their car for a time — until they were connected with Sarah’s Hope Family Shelter, a comprehensive 145-bed shelter in Baltimore City serving families who are experiencing homelessness.

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore provided the family with a safe place to live, as well as the supportive services that could help them move from homelessness to housing.

Now, the family has a new home, and more importantly, they have hope.

To watch the story, click here:

To learn more about how you can support the work of St. Vincent de Paul Baltimore, visit their website.

Since its founding in Paris in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has grown to 800,000 members in over 150 countries with 1,500,000 volunteers, including nearly 100,000 Vincentian volunteers across the U.S.

Vincentians understand that service to a neighbor in need is an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, and are aware that poverty, suffering, and loneliness are present for millions in our communities. Our work is unique in that Vincentians offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis, including intervention, consultation, or direct financial or in-kind service.

To find the St. Vincent de Paul Council or Conference nearest you, and learn how you can help them serve neighbors in need in your community, visit our Assistance and Services page.

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02-04-21 News Roundup
02-04-21 News Roundup 1200 1200 SVDP USA

Through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Vincentians across the United States and around the world are finding spiritual growth by providing 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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