St. Vincent de Paul

"Whatsoever you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me." ~ Matthew 26:45

Mission Statement: We are a Catholic lay organization helping the Poor, the Needy, and the Disabled in our area. Through personal contacts we provide guidance, spiritual, and monetary help in a humble, caring, and Christian way respecting the human dignity of each person we serve. This allows our Members and Benefactors to grow spiritually closer to Christ 

How We Help.....

• with rent, utilities, food, medicine and other essentials.
• coordinate with other agencies to assist our clients with these and additional needs such as clothing or furniture. 
• we respond to most requests for help by conducting a home visit by two of our volunteers. Discussions are always confidential, and include an overview of needs, current financial situation and sources of help.

Who We Help.....

• Typical people served in 2021 include families facing eviction or utility disconnection; homeless; a family living without heat and electricity for several months; parents who have lost their jobs; single mothers struggling to make ends meet; and victims of domestic violence.

 2021 Report.....
During our past fiscal year (October 2020 through September 2021), our SVdP volunteers fielded hundreds of calls for assistance. Calls range from 0 to 9 per day. Of these, we accepted 252 cases, which provided help to 632 people. Many calls were referred to other area agencies and ministries.

St. Gabriel parishioners contributed $58,000 to our conference. This was used to help the needy in our area.   Our operating expenses, paid by special fundraisers, totaled less than 1 % to cover postage, office supplies, and other items.

Our volunteers devoted about 2,900 hours of service and traveled more than 2,300 miles in service to our neighbors.

In addition to the above, our conference conducted a School Supply drive, a Blanket Sunday collection, and the annual Share–A–Christmas campaign. The School Supply drive, in cooperation with many other area churches and businesses, provided supplies to about 2000 needy Lake County children. The Blanket Sunday collection, in conjunction with St. Mary’s (Painesville), provided blankets and bedding to almost 150 people. Share-A-Christmas helped approximately 400 people in our area.

We can only help when we have the means to do so. Your contributions help us to help others. However, without a generous bequest, we would have run out of funds and had to turn away 65 families this year. Remember, as Jesus said, “what you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me”. Thank you for all your support.

 Who We Are.....
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic lay organization offering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering. Founded in France in 1833, the Society reached the U.S in 1845 and Cleveland in 1865.  In 2015 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of our presence in the Cleveland diocese. The St. Gabriel conference was organized in 1986.

Next Walk TBD

Being Christ • EveryDay • Everywhere.
May God bless YOU for your continued generosity. YOU help us to help others.
 
For anyone interested in learning more about our activities and considering becoming a Member of this outreach team please contact the Church Office.