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.
