| St. Vincent de Paul Society
St. Denis/St. Columba/Blessed Kateri Conference Knowing, loving and serving God... by knowing, loving and serving your neighbor
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History & Mission
WE HELP PEOPLE..... These three words sum up the work of The Society. We do not ask about the family's race, religion, nationality, etc. The only requirements to receive help is to have a genuine need and to live within the geographic boundaries of St. Denis/St. Columba/Blessed Kateri parishes. We are neighbors going out to help our
fellow
neighbors. When a family is in need, we pair them with a St. Vincent de
Paul
member. The first contact will be with food. In St. Denis/St. Columba
School,
we have a food pantry with a cooler and four freezers. Non-perishable
food is donated by the parish community and we purchase meat, dairy and
other essentials
as funds are available. We are members of the Regional Food Bank where
we
can buy donated and co-operative foods. We also are eligible for United
States Department of Agriculture
products. |
| Problems-Solutions
Once we have visited the family with food, we try to help in other ways. It could be to help them apply for federal/state benefits or to drive them to appointments or just to be a comforting friend. The commitment in time for the member is variable and flexible. We also coordinate the holiday food baskets and gifts at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Through the generosity of the parishioners we are able to provide approximately 140 baskets at each holiday. Generally we collect school supplies in September for needy children. Please leave items at St. Columba in the room on the left side of the vestibule; St. Denis in the back of the church and at Blessed Kateri under the table in the vestibule. To contact the Society to help in our work or to receive temporary help yourself, please call our hot line at 227-7863. In an average month, we help approximately 106 families. To learn more about the Society, please
come
to a meeting, We meet on the second Wednesday of the month (except July
and
August) at 7 PM in the St. Columba Convent Meeting Room. Food donations
are
always welcome and needed. |
The Society was originally formed in Paris, France, by Blessed Ozanam in 1833. The Society took as their model the Saint Vincent de Paul who lived in the 16th century. We are guided by his inspiration as expressed in these lines: "Be kind and love, for love is your
first
gift to the poor. Ways you can help the Society: -Food Distribution -Budget Counseling -Transportation -Employment Assistance -Food Donations -Friendship and support of the poor -Computer Services -Mailings |