Our Conference was formally established on September 16, 2014. From the beginning we knew our mission was to serve the poor in our community.  We have always been inspired by the Society’s founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam. From the Society’s beginning in 1833, members went two by two to the homes of the poor to respond to their needs. After our small Conference discussed how we could best serve the poor in our area, we decided to respond to requests for assistance by also making home visits two by two. Some SVdP Conferences around the world run soup kitchens and food pantries, or have stores to aid those in need. In our community this would be a duplication of services already in existence, and impractical for our small group.

 

The requests for help that we get are referred from a variety of places.  Most originate from calls to Corpus Christi Parish. They are primarily from non-parishioners. We also get referrals from the people we have helped (we call them our friends). Now that we have established a track record in the community, we are getting referrals from other community organizations as well.

Requests are most often for help paying bills. We try to concentrate on fulfilling the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to visit the sick, to visit the imprisoned, and to bury the dead. Most often we are helping with a bill for electricity, rent, or fuel. We have taken countless bags of groceries to folks in the area, given grocery and gas cards, given rides to doctor appointments and church. We have visited with people who are lonely. Quite a few times our friends needed help with bills after using their funds to pay for funeral expenses. We buy and donate clothing to our friends in addition to referring them to area thrift stores. We have helped them with washing their clothes too. We have paid for the washers and dryers at the laundromat, and on several occasions washed clothing in our homes.

 

The VCCF grant that we have received has been a tremendous blessing in helping to prevent homelessness these past few months. We have used it to help individuals and families by paying for needed motel nights, paying part of their rent, and helping to pay for apartment deposits. Recently we aided a family of five who had been homeless since June when their apartment building burned. They had finally found an apartment for a reasonable price that they could afford, but were unable to make the deposit without our help.

 

We have many needs for our Conference that we are praying the Lord will fulfill! We are constantly looking for others to join us as Vincentians, because we need their help and we want to share this amazing opportunity to do the Lord’s work. Right now we have nine active members. Two of the nine will be gone to southern states for the winter. One Vincentian is preparing for a knee replacement. With more requests for help coming in, we need help to complete these visits.  Any future grants or donations to our Conference will allow us to continue our attempts to do what Jesus would do! – Ann Lovett