Stories of Hope
Dressing for Success
Mary Ellen Smith has been unemployed for about 4 months. After meeting with caseworkers at the St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support System, she received a list of upcoming job fairs in the Atlanta area. But, she needed clothing to wear to the job fair, and several more outfits to wear to interviews.
With a voucher in hand, she went to the Chamblee Thrift Store and was able to find three outfits she liked. All of the volunteers agreed–– the smile on her face when she left the store affirmed the value of the service SVdP provides to those in need.
A Place to Call Home
For six months Joanne and her children had been living in St. Michael’s House, transitional living facility sponsored by the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Michael’s parish in Woodstock which provides housing for homeless women and their children 12 years of age and younger. Also, they offer assistance with food, clothing and other basic living needs. They pair clients with mentors who have various backgrounds and will help participants learn life-skills, to help with their life-changing journey.
After working and saving, Joanne finally had enough money to move herself and her two children to their own apartment. But, she no extra funds to provide furnishings. Her caseworker obtained a new bed for her through the SVdP Sweet Dreams Bed Program, and other household furnishing through the Conference Support Center, SVdP Thrift Store and the generosity of some local members. Now Joanne and her family are living on-their- own, with renewed hope for better days to come.
Collaboration for the Children
St. Vincent de Paul Society partners with many other local agencies. This collaboration allows SVdP to provide help to other agencies if our resources meet their needs and helps us obtain services for clients we may not provide. Recently, two of our volunteers helped gather a box of children’s books and took them to The Elaine Clark Center for Exceptional Children. The center helps Special Needs children whose conditions, such as Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, among others, make traditional school settings impractical.
Our volunteers have become experts at finding resources; they feel the need to share with other agencies whose missions are similar to our own.
SVdP Graduates First 2010 GED Student
Milly, a single mother of a 10 year old boy, came to SVdP to work on her GED. Working a in a low paying job, she just couldn’t seem to get ahead.
She enrolled in the SVdP Learning Center GED courses and has completed the program. Recently she took the GED Exam and passed all parts of the test. She had now received her diploma.
Milly is the first SVdP student to complete the SVdP program and receive the diploma.
Excited about her future, she plans to attend college for nursing. Also, Milly received a $500 Hope Scholarship.
The SVdP Learning Center has truly given hope, as well as, help in Milly’s situation!
Every Little Bit Helps
Sammy first came to St. Vincent de Paul while recovering from an injury that made it impossible for him to perform his duties on his current job. He was healing nicely and could participate in light duty work, so Labor Force placed him with SVdP.
Sammy was a great worker and did an excellent job at the Conference Support Center. The staff at SVdP came to rely on his willingness to get things done. He seemed to have a special heart for the kind of work we do at SVdP.
Soon, Sammy was released by the company, but continued to have some nagging back problems. He has not returned to work. He is still receiving unemployment benefits. He promised to come back and volunteer in the food pantry. We knew we’d miss him, but we didn’t realize how much he would miss being here. After a few weeks, Sammy showed up at SVdP to volunteer. He just couldn’t walk away completely from the work he’d grown to love. Of course, we welcomed his service with open arms.
As much as we liked Sammy and knew his work ethic, we were very surprised when Sammy came to volunteer and said he wanted to make a donation. He gave out of his meager wages because he knew he could make a difference by donating to SVdP. I was a modest amount,$30, in cash and we were grateful.
The next month, Sammy came in again and this time he donated $100! Again, we were so grateful.
Even though making ends meet is sometimes a struggle for him, Sammy says he just couldn’t turn his back on the work we do to help the needy. Every little bit helps!
Kira, a mother of two children ages 16 and 15, worked as a welder for a local industry, building car parts, until she was laid off in March of 2009. She worked there for 13 years.
Kira was blessed to find a new job that began Monday, February 1, 2010. But, being unemployed for nearly a year really took a toll on her finances. She contacted St. Vincent de Paul for assistance. It was difficult for her to ask for help since she’d always been able to take care of her family, somehow. She doesn’t see herself as type of person to ask for help from anyone, including her own family. Although she still needs to get caught up on her mortgage, Kira is confident her new job will prove sustainable.
Kira reached out for help to a SVdP Conference. After speaking with a caseworker, a home visit was scheduled.
She repeatedly praised the way in which SVdP case workers assisted her. She pleasantly surprised that SVdP does not drag people, who are already discouraged and embarrassed, through the mud. She shared the many other experiences she’s had with organizations who, she feels, insisted on making people in need “jump through hoops” to get the help they need.
Finally, she mentioned that the case worker who assisted her was able to look at and assess her entire need, not just addressing the request she made. Kira only asked for assistance with her water bill, but during the home visit the case workers discovered she also needed help with her rent. They asked her why she didn’t ask for help with everything.
”Because other people need help too and if you can just help me with one thing, I’ll be grateful for that,” responded Kira.
]Kira is grateful to SVdP. She began her new job Monday with her hope for a brighter future still intact.
Shawna, a single mother with 2 children, was on probation but a job. When she fell behind on her bills, she reached out to St. Vincent de Paul for help. With her hard work, she was able to pay for her rent and utility bills, but she came up short on the $150 per month for her probation. After some prayerful reflection and discussion, the local Conference decided 
to pay for her probation.
One of the Vincentians spoke with a fellow parishioner who owned three different businesses. While maintaining confidentiality, the Vincentian inquired about the possibility of offering the Shawna a better job than she currently had. The parishioner agreed and has been pleased with her performance. With the increase in pay, Shawna has been able to meet her monthly payments on a regular basis without any further assistance from SVdP.
Sometimes it’s only a few dollars a week that stand between need and self sufficiency. By helping Shawna find a better paying job, SVdP had helped her to change her life.
A family’s home burned down in Calhoun and they escaped with just a suitcase and the clothes on their back. The SVdP Calhoun Conference contacted the Conference Support Center and we connected them with the Jasper Community Thrift Store for help. The thrift store put together, blankets, sheets, silverware, dishes, furniture, TV, beds, table and chairs, washer, dryer and food for the client. The client drove to Jasper from Calhoun with a U-haul and picked up the furniture. By working together and sharing the cost of the furniture the Jasper Conference and Calhoun serve as shining examples of how SVdP Conferences collaborate to help serve those in crisis situations.
In a similar crisis situation, the Ellijay Conference took a call from a local Church in Pickens County asking for assistance for a young man whose apartment in Ellijay had burned. A Vincentian interviewed him and discovered that although he had found a furnished trailer to live in, it had no washer and dryer. Again the Thrift Store came through with a washer but no dryer was available. The local church purchased a dryer for the young man and the Red Cross in collaboration with local church paid for one week’s rent at the local motel.
The SVdP Thrift stores honor vouchers, allowing screened clients to get free clothing, house wares, and furniture. Volunteers, who support the mission of helping those in need, staff the stores. Proceeds from store sales go to the sponsoring conferences, funding operating expenses, and buying food for clients who come to them for help. Each of the stores offers a low-cost, high quality shopping experience for bargain shoppers, as well as those with limited means. The stores are stocked with items donated to the Society by generous individuals as well as businesses. Items that cannot be used by our thrift stores are recycled. The Society takes pride in being good stewards of all that we receive in the name of helping others.
A single-mother of two, Cassie was homeless at one time in 2005. She found her way to a shelter. SVdP helped her find an apartment, where she still resides. Through some financial support from her ex, she has been living on her own.
Cassie had been working at a local fast-food restaurant and was poised to graduate from a local technical school. Although she suffers from a bi-polar disorder, she functioned well on medication. Cassie was ready to move forward in her career aspirations, but she had no transportation. She had come a long way to overcome many challenges.
The local SVdP conference contacted the SVdP Conference Support Center. Through our Wheel Appeal Program, SVdP was able to provide Cassie with a car. Now Cassie is driving toward complete independence. Through five years of hard work with a little help from SVdP, she is well on her way.
When a car is donated to SVdP, it means more than transportation. It’s transformation!
As one of only 700 organizations selected from the 2,900 non-profit organizations that applied to participate in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program. St. Vincent de Paul, Atlanta received 150 coupons that were distributed to 11 Conferences to give to children during the Christmas 2009 season. Here are just two of the 150 stories about how these shoes have made a difference.
Ms. Neese, a single-mom, cares for four grandchildren who live with her in a small two bedroom apartment. Neese temporarily cares for her four grandchildren because their father has to work and their mother is in rehab. She also has a four-year-old adopted daughter, Bianca. Although Bianca’s biological mother twice made appointments for an abortion, she was unable to go through with the procedure.
“If you are willing to give birth, I will care for the child,” Neese felt compelled to tell Bianca’s birth mother.
Consequently, when Bianca was born, Neese adopted her. It’s difficult to keep up with the clothing needs of five growing children. Thanks to the Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program all five children have new shoes for Christmas.
Mrs. Joyce Cruz, pictured in the green sweater, is a single, disabled-mom with two teen boys, a daughter in-law and a tiny grandson.
Currently, they all live in a small two bedroom apartment. Cruz uses a wheel chair to get around since childhood when she was diagnosed with polio at the age of two.
Her eldest son, 19-year-old Miguel, and his 19-year-old wife, Nancy, are unemployed and are currently job-seeking. Cruz’s 16-year-old son, Raphael, is still in school. Joyce cares for her grandson, Miguel and Nancy’s four-month-old son, Rodney, whose medical condition requires he be fed through a drip nasal tube. Like many families, they are struggling to make ends meet during these difficult times.
All three of the teens needed shoes so they would be dressed appropriately for job interviews. The Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program provided them the means to shop for shoes. Now, they can go to interviews feeling proud of their appearance. The confidence is sure to come across through the interviews and will enhance their chances of finding employment.
“This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Cruz.
A Vincentian at Christ the King called the Conference Support Center about Teddy, a man who depends on his electric wheelchair for all his mobility. The chair was broken and he didn’t have the means to repa
ir it. Did we have anyone who could help?
A member of our staff called a contact who posted it on the Business Association Network Boards. As a result, the community came forward with enough help to totally refurbish Teddy’s wheelchair.
This kind collaboration is part of the foundation of St. Vincent de Paul’s assistance model. SVdP is happy to work with other nonprofits and businesses to continue our mission to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support to those in need.
Sometimes the simple presence of the Vincentians, the connection to another human being, makes all the difference for a person in need. Recently, two of our Vincentians visited a woman. This client was very different. She was a woman with a wretched history – abused, hardened, suspicious, and almost hostile.
At the outset, conversation was nearly impossible. She answered, if at all, with monosyllables, or half sentences. But after several awkward minutes, with us helping with some answers, being agreeable, and asking some non-threatening questions, the lady seemed to become more comfortable, seemed to warm to our being there, even showed a little trust. She needed rent money. She and her husband, a handyman, were unemployed.
Suddenly without warning, the dam burst! There followed an unanticipated, uninterrupted, tearful outpouring of her life: one of failure and misery. It was a life of broken relationships with men; children, legitimate and illegitimate; lost jobs; debt; eviction; abuse, both given and received; drugs and jail.
When she finished, the tenor of the situation was different. We joined in a closing prayer. This woman, so reticent at our first meeting, now accompanied us to the door. She thanked us for our coming to visit, for our time, for our efforts to help. But there is more — this is not the end of the story.
We arranged to pay a month’s rent; the landlord agreed to make a contribution and offered handyman work at some of his properties to our client’s husband. When I called, she was not home. I left word that the rent was paid and asked her to call me back concerning the offer of employment.
When she called, she was bubbling with appreciation, excitement and expectation. She was very appreciative of the rent money. She had renewed her own efforts for employment with the School System as a bus monitor. Her husband’s possibilities for work leapt, not only as a result of the landlord’s promise, but also with the end of rain and the improving weather situation. She gushed for more than five minutes! She went from misery and defeat to hope in just twenty-four hours.
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much po
tential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent. 
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
Kira, a mother of two children ages 16 and 15, worked as a welder for a local industry, building car parts, until she was laid off in March of 2009. She worked there for 13 years.
Kira was blessed to find a new job that began Monday, February 1, 2010. But, being unemployed for nearly a year really took a toll on her finances. She contacted St. Vincent de Paul for assistance. It was difficult for her to ask for help since she’d always been able to take care of her family, somehow. She doesn’t see herself as type of person to ask for help from anyone, including her own family. Although she still needs to get caught up on her mortgage, Kira is confident her new job will prove sustainable.
Kira reached out for help to a SVdP Conference. After speaking with a caseworker, a home visit was scheduled.
She repeatedly praised the way in which SVdP case workers assisted her. She pleasantly surprised that SVdP does not drag people, who are already discouraged and embarrassed, through the mud. She shared the many other experiences she’s had with organizations who, she feels, insisted on making people in need “jump through hoops” to get the help they need.
Finally, she mentioned that the case worker who assisted her was able to look at and assess her entire need, not just addressing the request she made. Kira only asked for assistance with her water bill, but during the home visit the case workers discovered she also needed help with her rent. They asked her why she didn’t ask for help with everything.
”Because other people need help too and if you can just help me with one thing, I’ll be grateful for that,” responded Kira.
]Kira is grateful to SVdP. She began her new job Monday with her hope for a brighter future still intact.
Shawna, a single mother with 2 children, was on probation but a job. When she fell behind on her bills, she reached out to St. Vincent de Paul for help. With her hard work, she was able to pay for her rent and utility bills, but she came up short on the $150 per month for her probation. After some prayerful reflection and discussion, the local Conference decided to pay for her probation.
One of the Vincentians spoke with a fellow parishioner who owned three different businesses. While maintaining confidentiality, the Vincentian inquired about the possibility of offering the Shawna a better job than she currently had. The parishioner agreed and has been pleased with her performance. With the increase in pay, Shawna has been able to meet her monthly payments on a regular basis without any further assistance from SVdP.
Sometimes it’s only a few dollars a week that stand between need and self sufficiency. By helping Shawna find a better paying job, SVdP had helped her to change her life.
A family’s home burned down in Calhoun and they escaped with just a suitcase and the clothes on their back. The SVdP Calhoun Conference contacted the Conference Support Center and we connected them with the Jasper Community Thrift Store for help. The thrift store put together, blankets, sheets, silverware, dishes, furniture, TV, beds, table and chairs, washer, dryer and food for the client. The client drove to Jasper from Calhoun with a U-haul and picked up the furniture. By working together and sharing the cost of the furniture the Jasper Conference and Calhoun serve as shining examples of how SVdP Conferences collaborate to help serve those in crisis situations.
In a similar crisis situation, the Ellijay Conference took a call from a local Church in Pickens County asking for assistance for a young man whose apartment in Ellijay had burned. A Vincentian interviewed him and discovered that although he had found a furnished trailer to live in, it had no washer and dryer. Again the Thrift Store came through with a washer but no dryer was available. The local church purchased a dryer for the young man and the Red Cross in collaboration with local church paid for one week’s rent at the local motel.
The SVdP Thrift stores honor vouchers, allowing screened clients to get free clothing, house wares, and furniture. Volunteers, who support the mission of helping those in need, staff the stores. Proceeds from store sales go to the sponsoring conferences, funding operating expenses, and buying food for clients who come to them for help. Each of the stores offers a low-cost, high quality shopping experience for bargain shoppers, as well as those with limited means. The stores are stocked with items donated to the Society by generous individuals as well as businesses. Items that cannot be used by our thrift stores are recycled. The Society takes pride in being good stewards of all that we receive in the name of helping others.
A single-mother of two, Cassie was homeless at one time in 2005. She found her way to a shelter. SVdP helped her find an apartment, where she still resides. Through some financial support from her ex, she has been living on her own.
Cassie had been working at a local fast-food restaurant and was poised to graduate from a local technical school. Although she suffers from a bi-polar disorder, she functioned well on medication. Cassie was ready to move forward in her career aspirations, but she had no transportation. She had come a long way to overcome many challenges.
The local SVdP conference contacted the SVdP Conference Support Center. Through our Wheel Appeal Program, SVdP was able to provide Cassie with a car. Now Cassie is driving toward complete independence. Through five years of hard work with a little help from SVdP, she is well on her way.
When a car is donated to SVdP, it means more than transportation. It’s transformation!
As one of only 700 organizations selected from the 2,900 non-profit organizations that applied to participate in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program. St. Vincent de Paul, Atlanta received 150 coupons that were distributed to 11 Conferences to give to children during the Christmas 2009 season. Here are just two of the 150 stories about how these shoes have made a difference.
Ms. Neese, a single-mom, cares for four grandchildren who live with her in a small two bedroom apartment. Neese temporarily cares for her four grandchildren because their father has to work and their mother is in rehab. She also has a four-year-old adopted daughter, Bianca. Although Bianca’s biological mother twice made appointments for an abortion, she was unable to go through with the procedure.
“If you are willing to give birth, I will care for the child,” Neese felt compelled to tell Bianca’s birth mother.
Consequently, when Bianca was born, Neese adopted her. It’s difficult to keep up with the clothing needs of five growing children. Thanks to the Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program all five children have new shoes for Christmas.
Mrs. Joyce Cruz, pictured in the green sweater, is a single, disabled-mom with two teen boys, a daughter in-law and a tiny grandson.
Currently, they all live in a small two bedroom apartment. Cruz uses a wheel chair to get around since childhood when she was diagnosed with polio at the age of two.
Her eldest son, 19-year-old Miguel, and his 19-year-old wife, Nancy, are unemployed and are currently job-seeking. Cruz’s 16-year-old son, Raphael, is still in school. Joyce cares for her grandson, Miguel and Nancy’s four-month-old son, Rodney, whose medical condition requires he be fed through a drip nasal tube. Like many families, they are struggling to make ends meet during these difficult times.
All three of the teens needed shoes so they would be dressed appropriately for job interviews. The Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program provided them the means to shop for shoes. Now, they can go to interviews feeling proud of their appearance. The confidence is sure to come across through the interviews and will enhance their chances of finding employment.
“This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Cruz.
A Vincentian at Christ the King called the Conference Support Center about Teddy, a man who depends on his electric wheelchair for all his mobility. The chair was broken and he didn’t have the means to repair it. Did we have anyone who could help?
A member of our staff called a contact who posted it on the Business Association Network Boards. As a result, the community came forward with enough help to totally refurbish Teddy’s wheelchair.
This kind collaboration is part of the foundation of St. Vincent de Paul’s assistance model. SVdP is happy to work with other nonprofits and businesses to continue our mission to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support to those in need.
Sometimes the simple presence of the Vincentians, the connection to another human being, makes all the difference for a person in need. Recently, two of our Vincentians visited a woman. This client was very different. She was a woman with a wretched history – abused, hardened, suspicious, and almost hostile.
At the outset, conversation was nearly impossible. She answered, if at all, with monosyllables, or half sentences. But after several awkward minutes, with us helping with some answers, being agreeable, and asking some non-threatening questions, the lady seemed to become more comfortable, seemed to warm to our being there, even showed a little trust. She needed rent money. She and her husband, a handyman, were unemployed.
Suddenly without warning, the dam burst! There followed an unanticipated, uninterrupted, tearful outpouring of her life: one of failure and misery. It was a life of broken relationships with men; children, legitimate and illegitimate; lost jobs; debt; eviction; abuse, both given and received; drugs and jail.
When she finished, the tenor of the situation was different. We joined in a closing prayer. This woman, so reticent at our first meeting, now accompanied us to the door. She thanked us for our coming to visit, for our time, for our efforts to help. But there is more — this is not the end of the story.
We arranged to pay a month’s rent; the landlord agreed to make a contribution and offered handyman work at some of his properties to our client’s husband. When I called, she was not home. I left word that the rent was paid and asked her to call me back concerning the offer of employment.
When she called, she was bubbling with appreciation, excitement and expectation. She was very appreciative of the rent money. She had renewed her own efforts for employment with the School System as a bus monitor. Her husband’s possibilities for work leapt, not only as a result of the landlord’s promise, but also with the end of rain and the improving weather situation. She gushed for more than five minutes! She went from misery and defeat to hope in just twenty-four hours.
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
A family’s home burned down in Calhoun and they escaped with just a suitcase and the clothes on their back. The SVdP Calhoun Conference contacted the Conference Support Center and we connected them with the Jasper Community Thrift Store for help. The thrift store put together, blankets, sheets, silverware, dishes, furniture, TV, beds, table and chairs, washer, dryer and food for the client. The client drove to Jasper from Calhoun with a U-haul and picked up the furniture. By working together and sharing the cost of the furniture the Jasper Conference and Calhoun serve as shining examples of how SVdP Conferences collaborate to help serve those in crisis situations.
In a similar crisis situation, the Ellijay Conference took a call from a local Church in Pickens County asking for assistance for a young man whose apartment in Ellijay had burned. A Vincentian interviewed him and discovered that although he had found a furnished trailer to live in, it had no washer and dryer. Again the Thrift Store came through with a washer but no dryer was available. The local church purchased a dryer for the young man and the Red Cross in collaboration with local church paid for one week’s rent at the local motel.
The SVdP Thrift stores honor vouchers, allowing screened clients to get free clothing, house wares, and furniture. Volunteers, who support the mission of helping those in need, staff the stores. Proceeds from store sales go to the sponsoring conferences, funding operating expenses, and buying food for clients who come to them for help. Each of the stores offers a low-cost, high quality shopping experience for bargain shoppers, as well as those with limited means. The stores are stocked with items donated to the Society by generous individuals as well as businesses. Items that cannot be used by our thrift stores are recycled. The Society takes pride in being good stewards of all that we receive in the name of helping others.
A single-mother of two, Cassie was homeless at one time in 2005. She found her way to a shelter. SVdP helped her find an apartment, where she still resides. Through some financial support from her ex, she has been living on her own.
Cassie had been working at a local fast-food restaurant and was poised to graduate from a local technical school. Although she suffers from a bi-polar disorder, she functioned well on medication. Cassie was ready to move forward in her career aspirations, but she had no transportation. She had come a long way to overcome many challenges.
The local SVdP conference contacted the SVdP Conference Support Center. Through our Wheel Appeal Program, SVdP was able to provide Cassie with a car. Now Cassie is driving toward complete independence. Through five years of hard work with a little help from SVdP, she is well on her way.
When a car is donated to SVdP, it means more than transportation. It’s transformation!
As one of only 700 organizations selected from the 2,900 non-profit organizations that applied to participate in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program. St. Vincent de Paul, Atlanta received 150 coupons that were distributed to 11 Conferences to give to children during the Christmas 2009 season. Here are just two of the 150 stories about how these shoes have made a difference.
Ms. Neese, a single-mom, cares for four grandchildren who live with her in a small two bedroom apartment. Neese temporarily cares for her four grandchildren because their father has to work and their mother is in rehab. She also has a four-year-old adopted daughter, Bianca. Although Bianca’s biological mother twice made appointments for an abortion, she was unable to go through with the procedure.
“If you are willing to give birth, I will care for the child,” Neese felt compelled to tell Bianca’s birth mother.
Consequently, when Bianca was born, Neese adopted her. It’s difficult to keep up with the clothing needs of five growing children. Thanks to the Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program all five children have new shoes for Christmas.
Mrs. Joyce Cruz, pictured in the green sweater, is a single, disabled-mom with two teen boys, a daughter in-law and a tiny grandson.
Currently, they all live in a small two bedroom apartment. Cruz uses a wheel chair to get around since childhood when she was diagnosed with polio at the age of two.
Her eldest son, 19-year-old Miguel, and his 19-year-old wife, Nancy, are unemployed and are currently job-seeking. Cruz’s 16-year-old son, Raphael, is still in school. Joyce cares for her grandson, Miguel and Nancy’s four-month-old son, Rodney, whose medical condition requires he be fed through a drip nasal tube. Like many families, they are struggling to make ends meet during these difficult times.
All three of the teens needed shoes so they would be dressed appropriately for job interviews. The Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program provided them the means to shop for shoes. Now, they can go to interviews feeling proud of their appearance. The confidence is sure to come across through the interviews and will enhance their chances of finding employment.
“This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Cruz.
A Vincentian at Christ the King called the Conference Support Center about Teddy, a man who depends on his electric wheelchair for all his mobility. The chair was broken and he didn’t have the means to repair it. Did we have anyone who could help?
A member of our staff called a contact who posted it on the Business Association Network Boards. As a result, the community came forward with enough help to totally refurbish Teddy’s wheelchair.
This kind collaboration is part of the foundation of St. Vincent de Paul’s assistance model. SVdP is happy to work with other nonprofits and businesses to continue our mission to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support to those in need.
Sometimes the simple presence of the Vincentians, the connection to another human being, makes all the difference for a person in need. Recently, two of our Vincentians visited a woman. This client was very different. She was a woman with a wretched history – abused, hardened, suspicious, and almost hostile.
At the outset, conversation was nearly impossible. She answered, if at all, with monosyllables, or half sentences. But after several awkward minutes, with us helping with some answers, being agreeable, and asking some non-threatening questions, the lady seemed to become more comfortable, seemed to warm to our being there, even showed a little trust. She needed rent money. She and her husband, a handyman, were unemployed.
Suddenly without warning, the dam burst! There followed an unanticipated, uninterrupted, tearful outpouring of her life: one of failure and misery. It was a life of broken relationships with men; children, legitimate and illegitimate; lost jobs; debt; eviction; abuse, both given and received; drugs and jail.
When she finished, the tenor of the situation was different. We joined in a closing prayer. This woman, so reticent at our first meeting, now accompanied us to the door. She thanked us for our coming to visit, for our time, for our efforts to help. But there is more — this is not the end of the story.
We arranged to pay a month’s rent; the landlord agreed to make a contribution and offered handyman work at some of his properties to our client’s husband. When I called, she was not home. I left word that the rent was paid and asked her to call me back concerning the offer of employment.
When she called, she was bubbling with appreciation, excitement and expectation. She was very appreciative of the rent money. She had renewed her own efforts for employment with the School System as a bus monitor. Her husband’s possibilities for work leapt, not only as a result of the landlord’s promise, but also with the end of rain and the improving weather situation. She gushed for more than five minutes! She went from misery and defeat to hope in just twenty-four hours.
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
As one of only 700 organizations selected from the 2,900 non-profit organizations that applied to participate in the Payless Shoes 4 Kids program. St. Vincent de Paul, Atlanta received 150 coupons that were distributed to 11 Conferences to give to children during the Christmas 2009 season. Here are just two of the 150 stories about how these shoes have made a difference.
Ms. Neese, a single-mom, cares for four grandchildren who live with her in a small two bedroom apartment. Neese temporarily cares for her four grandchildren because their father has to work and their mother is in rehab. She also has a four-year-old adopted daughter, Bianca. Although Bianca’s biological mother twice made appointments for an abortion, she was unable to go through with the procedure.
“If you are willing to give birth, I will care for the child,” Neese felt compelled to tell Bianca’s birth mother.
Consequently, when Bianca was born, Neese adopted her. It’s difficult to keep up with the clothing needs of five growing children. Thanks to the Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program all five children have new shoes for Christmas.
Mrs. Joyce Cruz, pictured in the green sweater, is a single, disabled-mom with two teen boys, a daughter in-law and a tiny grandson.
Currently, they all live in a small two bedroom apartment. Cruz uses a wheel chair to get around since childhood when she was diagnosed with polio at the age of two.
Her eldest son, 19-year-old Miguel, and his 19-year-old wife, Nancy, are unemployed and are currently job-seeking. Cruz’s 16-year-old son, Raphael, is still in school. Joyce cares for her grandson, Miguel and Nancy’s four-month-old son, Rodney, whose medical condition requires he be fed through a drip nasal tube. Like many families, they are struggling to make ends meet during these difficult times.
All three of the teens needed shoes so they would be dressed appropriately for job interviews. The Payless Gives Shoes for Kids Program provided them the means to shop for shoes. Now, they can go to interviews feeling proud of their appearance. The confidence is sure to come across through the interviews and will enhance their chances of finding employment.
“This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Cruz.
A Vincentian at Christ the King called the Conference Support Center about Teddy, a man who depends on his electric wheelchair for all his mobility. The chair was broken and he didn’t have the means to repair it. Did we have anyone who could help?
A member of our staff called a contact who posted it on the Business Association Network Boards. As a result, the community came forward with enough help to totally refurbish Teddy’s wheelchair.
This kind collaboration is part of the foundation of St. Vincent de Paul’s assistance model. SVdP is happy to work with other nonprofits and businesses to continue our mission to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support to those in need.
Sometimes the simple presence of the Vincentians, the connection to another human being, makes all the difference for a person in need. Recently, two of our Vincentians visited a woman. This client was very different. She was a woman with a wretched history – abused, hardened, suspicious, and almost hostile.
At the outset, conversation was nearly impossible. She answered, if at all, with monosyllables, or half sentences. But after several awkward minutes, with us helping with some answers, being agreeable, and asking some non-threatening questions, the lady seemed to become more comfortable, seemed to warm to our being there, even showed a little trust. She needed rent money. She and her husband, a handyman, were unemployed.
Suddenly without warning, the dam burst! There followed an unanticipated, uninterrupted, tearful outpouring of her life: one of failure and misery. It was a life of broken relationships with men; children, legitimate and illegitimate; lost jobs; debt; eviction; abuse, both given and received; drugs and jail.
When she finished, the tenor of the situation was different. We joined in a closing prayer. This woman, so reticent at our first meeting, now accompanied us to the door. She thanked us for our coming to visit, for our time, for our efforts to help. But there is more — this is not the end of the story.
We arranged to pay a month’s rent; the landlord agreed to make a contribution and offered handyman work at some of his properties to our client’s husband. When I called, she was not home. I left word that the rent was paid and asked her to call me back concerning the offer of employment.
When she called, she was bubbling with appreciation, excitement and expectation. She was very appreciative of the rent money. She had renewed her own efforts for employment with the School System as a bus monitor. Her husband’s possibilities for work leapt, not only as a result of the landlord’s promise, but also with the end of rain and the improving weather situation. She gushed for more than five minutes! She went from misery and defeat to hope in just twenty-four hours.
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
A Vincentian at Christ the King called the Conference Support Center about Teddy, a man who depends on his electric wheelchair for all his mobility. The chair was broken and he didn’t have the means to repair it. Did we have anyone who could help?
A member of our staff called a contact who posted it on the Business Association Network Boards. As a result, the community came forward with enough help to totally refurbish Teddy’s wheelchair.
This kind collaboration is part of the foundation of St. Vincent de Paul’s assistance model. SVdP is happy to work with other nonprofits and businesses to continue our mission to provide financial, material, educational and spiritual support to those in need.
Sometimes the simple presence of the Vincentians, the connection to another human being, makes all the difference for a person in need. Recently, two of our Vincentians visited a woman. This client was very different. She was a woman with a wretched history – abused, hardened, suspicious, and almost hostile.
At the outset, conversation was nearly impossible. She answered, if at all, with monosyllables, or half sentences. But after several awkward minutes, with us helping with some answers, being agreeable, and asking some non-threatening questions, the lady seemed to become more comfortable, seemed to warm to our being there, even showed a little trust. She needed rent money. She and her husband, a handyman, were unemployed.
Suddenly without warning, the dam burst! There followed an unanticipated, uninterrupted, tearful outpouring of her life: one of failure and misery. It was a life of broken relationships with men; children, legitimate and illegitimate; lost jobs; debt; eviction; abuse, both given and received; drugs and jail.
When she finished, the tenor of the situation was different. We joined in a closing prayer. This woman, so reticent at our first meeting, now accompanied us to the door. She thanked us for our coming to visit, for our time, for our efforts to help. But there is more — this is not the end of the story.
We arranged to pay a month’s rent; the landlord agreed to make a contribution and offered handyman work at some of his properties to our client’s husband. When I called, she was not home. I left word that the rent was paid and asked her to call me back concerning the offer of employment.
When she called, she was bubbling with appreciation, excitement and expectation. She was very appreciative of the rent money. She had renewed her own efforts for employment with the School System as a bus monitor. Her husband’s possibilities for work leapt, not only as a result of the landlord’s promise, but also with the end of rain and the improving weather situation. She gushed for more than five minutes! She went from misery and defeat to hope in just twenty-four hours.
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
Our Christmas Appeal child, Ricky, had a pretty good Christmas thanks to St. Vincent de Paul at Our Lady of the Mountains and the community of Jasper, Georgia.
Even though he didn’t have cookies for Santa, Ricky did receive some pretty cool stuff at the Christmas party hosted by St. Vincent de Paul.
Each year, Our Lady of the Mountains hosts a holiday party for about 180 children. The kids eat treats, play games and visit with Santa. Each child has the chance to talk to the jolly old elf.
These kids say the darnedest things. One little boy asked Santa to bring a gift to his mom, he didn’t need anything but his mom needed a job. Another child caught a glimpse of the numerous, identical backpacks staged for giving.
When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, he said, “A backpack?”
He was pretty savvy about asking for a sure thing. Of course, that’s what he received, as did all the kids that day. The backpacks were stuffed with storybooks, crayons, holiday treats and tooth brushes with toothpaste.
Of all the goodies the children receive at the party, can you guess what the kids are most excited about? The toothbrushes and toothpaste!
Along with the many gifts to those in need this Christmas through the annual Giving Tree, the Transfiguration Conference hosted a Christmas Party where 17 children and their families were given a healthy sack lunch, toys, t-shirts and sweatshirts, a filled Christmas stocking and a poinsettia for each family. This was a true labor of love through collaboration from the Knights of Columbus Transfiguration Council 10362 Ladies Auxiliary, the Windsor Oaks Bunco group and the Transfiguration SVdP Conference.
The community coming together in collaboration is what allows these events to take place. Isn’t that how it should be? All of us working together to provide for the children? Don’t they all belong to us?
You can have a part in making these types of events happen. Volunteer, donate, and spread the word about St. Vincent de Paul!
Thanks to the article in the Georgia Bulletin about the hardship some of the St. John Vianney (SJV) parishioners were having due to the 100 year flood in September, the Conference received donations from all over the Archdiocese to help.
These flood victims are still facing much hardship trying to get their lives back together and a place to live. The donations were sent to our St. Vincent de Paul Conference, Lithia Springs, Georgia, to assist the Conference in helping the victims.
With these donations, on Saturday, December 19, they hosted a party for the victims. Because of this generosity, 23 children will receive Christmas presents purchased with gift certificates to buy some given to their parents. Our Spanish Circle of the Council of Catholic Women helped one family with their Christmas needs; and our Knights of Columbus Council was able to help two more families. Our SJV Council of Catholic Women will be having a Baby Shower for one couple that is expecting a new baby in March. Our own Catholic Charities organization came out and helped many families in the Austell area with monetary assistance. This is just one example of how your donations are put to good use.
On behalf of all the flood victims, we say a BIG THANK YOU!
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..
A little more than seven years ago I was invited to join St. Vincent de Paul. I was delighted! I felt that my experience as a marketing and sales person dealing with the rough and tumble of the marketplace would serve me well in the uncertain world of SVdP home visits. I was right — to a point. I knew, of course, of SVdP’s long history of providing world-wide financial assistance. But, I was oh, so naïve as to the many more enduring and meaningful benefits brought about by a personal, face-to-face meeting with those in need.
A couple of weeks ago my wife and I made a home visit to an individual who needed propane– not a complex visit. He was a wounded veteran of Vietnam, had lost his job in construction weeks before, and was tending the home fires while his artistic wife, part Native American, was back in her original setting, selling her Indian art and articles of jewelry.
Before calling us, our client had contacted eight charitable organizations without any response. When I returned his call to SVdP just twenty minutes after he had left a message he was surprised, impressed, and highly appreciative.
His response was “Thank you. At last someone who cares.”
When I advised that we would also like to meet with him in his home he was astonished. As we drove into his yard, he came out to greet us. My wife, a natural nurturer, who has positive effects on all hurting people, animals and plants, immediately engaged our host in a deep conversation concerning his abundance of squirrels and cats. It seems the squirrels were bombarding the cats with pecans, and since he was a friend to both parties, was uncertain as to how to intervene. He then led us on a highly animated tour of his modest but unique home. He, a carpenter, and his wife, an artist, had conspired to create a home of raised floors and sunken rooms, indoor trellises and arbors, tastefully complemented with Native American art. It was fully thirty minutes before we settled for the supposed purpose of our visit.
The visit lasted over an hour. With the onset of colder weather, he certainly needed propane. But, our client, anxious and embarrassed over his lack of employment and his finances; isolated and alone; missed his wife and was desperately lonesome. We bought his propane. But I am convinced that by far the greater good, the greater value was delivered by just being there, being concerned, being involved, being a friend.
I have been in the USA for four months now through the Diversity Program organized by the US Immigration Services. Since then, it has been an enriching experience to get closer to those with which I have been working for about a decade, namely the US Peace Corps Volunteers.
While looking for jobs and better opportunities for my family and myself, I found St. Vincent de Paul Society where I am now volunteering. My past experience with Language and Culture facilitation, Program coordination, ESL teaching, French/English interpreting/translations and other experience were all conducive to my volunteering at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference Support Center.
I came from Burkina Faso, West Africa, where I grew-up in a St. Vincent de Paul Parish; my 9-year-old son is named Vincent de Paul. I have also found the best in many human beings on the road to becoming useful and helpful to others. Indeed the rule of the Vincentians is to make personal contact with those who suffer and direct services of the marginalized, their basic work. The final objective of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to grow together, spiritually, morally and humanly. Every time I step into the Society of St Vincent de Paul’s premises in Atlanta (Chamblee Tucker Road), I pray the Lord to continue making this place a solid rock for all those coming from hard places, I pray to the Lord to allow his glory to be revealed in every person I meet, every activity I’m going through, data entry, setting up donated appliances, folding envelopes… and I pray to my Lord to make me new again, to give me the means to be more helpful to people.
My job search has been challenging. It’s difficult to go through a lot of applications and sometimes to be told that you’re not the best match for the position, when you know deep in your heart that you have potential to be taken into account.
After four months of job seeking, I filed about 80 applications, from which I received about 10 non-matching notifications, 10 in progress notifications, 10 interviews and 50 silent responses. It sounds like an adventure. Actually there is no need to go into a no man’s land, in the middle of nowhere, in a remote jungle to seek adventure. Adventure nowadays is anytime you click on a “apply now” icon without knowing definitely where it will lead you; adventure today is when you cross the threshold of your door (when you have any) without expecting the road to take you to any store you can’t afford because you’re penniless, or bring you to any hospital you can’t visit because you’re dime less.
I do believe we’re in the right place, where the American Dream is still possible, where we can move from square one to the top of the mountain. The right people are those who believe in this dream and who struggle to find opportunities to achieve their dream. The right people at the right place, is it not a perfect match? I also believe that when God hears the cries of a captive, he assigns a deliverer. God Bless You! Jean ./DDET]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Starbucks is a favorite, if not a daily, stop for my sister, Peg, and I. Knowing this, Sandra called St. Vincent de Paul on Thursday, September 24, to take a case: A woman was found living in her car in the parking lot outside a local Starbucks. I mention the date because what followed has been a whirlwind of love, charity, and community action.
This Starbucks is always busy with a variety of customers from every ethnic and religious background; all ages. Mothers with infants, tables of people playing cards, and others just gathering to discuss and solve world problems. Some of the “regulars” know everyone and others just wave at familiar faces as they leave with their purchases. Some employees even know our “drink preferences”. This is the Community that reached out to help this woman.
By the time we met with our client at Starbucks on Friday, her story was known throughout the store. One customer had already provided Thursday and Friday nights’ lodging for her. Others had offered money. Peg and I had our “private home visit” at a table outside the store. Our client turned out to be a homeless woman who had been living in her car for 5 weeks and hadn’t eaten in 5 days. Her story was not unlike others we have heard: divorce, illness, accidents, etc. leading to loss of employment, eviction, nowhere to turn, and too ashamed to ask for help. Unlike other cases, she was raised, educated and, until recently, lived in Dunwoody. “Regulars” knew her when she would stop on her way to work to get drinks for the hospice patient she was taking care of. Others knew her from the Jewish Community. She was one of us and the Dunwoody Starbucks’ Community went into action to help her.
A “core group” of people took charge. Immediately, everyone was on their cell phone or BlackBerry finding resources to help her. Within a couple of hours a plan took shape. All Saints SVdP provided lodging in an extended stay hotel for one week and gave her Kroger cards. The Jewish Community began organizing food and finding doctors willing to evaluate her health. Other Starbucks customers began collecting laundry supplies, quarters and other staples she would need and All Saints SVdP took them to her.
By Friday, Oct 2, she had been seen by a doctor with a scheduled follow-up appointment. This doctor arranged for her to be seen by a pulmonary specialist….both pro-bono. She was given samples of medicine. She is looking better and eating well. She’s been to the Jewish Family & Career Services to see what services were available to her and was given food from their pantry. Maureen, from All Saints SVdP, gave us clothes to give her. Her health is improving, her spirits hopeful and she’s feeling better about herself. Emails and meetings at Starbucks have kept everyone updated on her progress. This is Community action at its best!
We have not and will not solve all her problems. That is not our goal. We just wanted to give immediate and short term help. We also wanted to direct her to resources that will lead to a future of self-sufficiency. This experience has shown me, once again, what God expects from each of us: To Help One Another. This is what life is all about.
To the wonderful Dunwoody Starbucks Community…..thanks for including us. I lift my tall Pumpkin Spice Latte to ALL of you!
Here are a few typical stories of help from our conferences. The needs of each of our clients directly influence the type of assistance the Society of St.Vincent de Paul provides. Unlike other assistance programs, SVdP seeks to provide the assistance and resources specific to the needs of each individual client in order to restore stability. These stories illustrate the diversity of the types of assistance SVdP provides.
The day began like any other at the St. Vincent De Paul Family Support Center. The waiting room was filled with more than 28 people waiting for assistance. Some sat and others stood, as the sound of children playing and shopping carts being filled with food were heard. A client, Fannie, thanked the SVdP worker and the society for being so generous. Then she told the worker about a women walking outside with an open wound on her abdomen.
“This woman just had a baby and she really needs help more than I do, but she doesn’t speak any English,” said Fannie.
The worker immediately went outside to see the women Fannie was talking about. Sure enough, she was outside and walking very slow. The worker invited her into the office and learned her name was Maria. She showed the worker the stitches from her C- Section. They had come loose, leaving her with an open wound. She had done her best to stuff the wound with gauze to control the seepage. Maria said she had been rejected by a local hospital because she did not have proper ID or insurance.
Even though she was in pain, Maria remained pleasant. She carried her newborn baby in a sling she had fashioned from an old sheet. The worker gave her a stroller and a baby carrier to help her get around town. A bilingual interpreter assisted the family with finding a hospital that would accept Maria with no insurance. Once her appointment was established, SVdP staff made sure Maria left with food and clothing for her new born and herself.
Maria had no idea what St. Vincent De Paul was all about. She just happened to be walking outside our door and ended up falling into the hands of people that love to serve. She said it was like falling into a blessing. Maria’s story illustrates how much SVdP brings hope and help to people who feel lost in the world.
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
We recently received an e-mail from a client who expressed her delight and gratitude after finding one of our Thrift Stores. She wrote:
In June our home was destroyed by fire. We were very fortunate that we had insurance and most importantly, no one suffered a single burn, scratch, or an ounce of smoke inhalation. However; we had difficulties with our girls’ bedrooms in the basement never being permitted through the county by the former owners. This, combined with our insurance company’s turtle-paced slowness in sending us a check, meant we took the money from our personal accounts and minuscule savings to hire a contractor to start building. We thought before we ran out of funds, we would have received the check from the insurance company. We still needed to replace our belongings.
So, today I went down to the SVdP Thrift Store and I was pleasantly surprised to find exactly what I needed at unbelievable-miraculous prices. I was simply amazed at the quality of clothing and the prices the items were marked. Not only were the prices marked considerably lower than retail, adult clothing with yellow and green stickers was reduced even more.
We made earlier purchases from the SVdP Thrift Store for the warm weather in June and July but with the weather turning cooler, we needed items for the cold weather season. Again, the SVdP thrift Store had just we needed. We are very grateful. Thanks for the lead
Even in the midst of the economic downturn, Sharon has consistently been employed. However, life has brought other challenges that caused her to turn to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
Her cousin Mary’s husband died, leaving Mary with two children under 10 years old. Unfortunately, Mary is disabled. She has applied for Social Security disability, but has not received a response back yet. Even in these tough times, Sharon welcomed her cousin and her children into her home. But, the added expense, as well as the other expenses surrounding the death in the family, caused Sharon to fall behind in her rent. She had been working with the rental agency to keep up to date, until the flood of 2009.
Her household was affected by the flood, creating more expenses which pushed her further behind. With help from St. Vincent de Paul, she will be able to catch up on her rent and move forward.
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
A family approached St. Vincent de Paul about a young man, Jerry, being held in Fulton County Jail. Despite his very traumatic and chaotic childhood, Jerry has much potential. He was in need of encouragement, compassion and help.
His pro-bono attorney said he needed to provide a concrete plan to the court to increase the likelihood the judge would allow him a chance to start over. That plan, among other things, entailed finding employment and a vehicle to get to the place of employment.
A car for this promising young man could make the difference between him possibly being sent to prison for a number of years and the judge allowing him probation. This young man sincerely wanted to turn his life around. Finding employment will help tremendously, but finding employment with a criminal record AND without a car is very difficult.
Connecting this young man with a local St. Vincent de Paul Conference, he learned the criteria necessary to obtain a car. He would need obtain insurance and have a valid driver’s license. He needs to recognize and understand the costs of gas, maintenance, registration and insurance. He must have no DUI in 5 years and no other moving violation in the past year, and no outstanding tickets of any kind.
After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jerry was delighted when he was handed the keys to his 1990 Cadillac. He’s living with his brother, has found a job and is getting back on his feet. A single dad, Jerry now can spend time with his child on the weekends. We recently received an e-mail from the SVdP Conference that assisted Jerry. They tell us the car is on the road and Jerry is driving toward success.
Suzanna, a 20-year-old, single woman dropped out of school because she couldn’t pay tuition. She could not afford to live independently and had moved in with a family member.
Within the past month her situation has improved. She received her first pay check, purchased a Marta card and moved into an apartment. Suzanna came to St. Vincent de Paul Family Support Center looking for food and basic household items.
While doing intake with Suzanna, she began expressing her unrest and lack of peace in her life. She talked about wanting to go back to school to get a vocational degree as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. The SVdP worker called a few local schools and provided Suzanna with information regarding government grants to attend school.
Also, they discussed how to save money for a rainy day. We connected her with Best Bank, a partner of SVdP. During the entire conversation Suzanna’s boyfriend, Guy, sat patiently, not uttering a word.
“Sir, are you taking care of Ms. Suzanna?” the worker said to break the ice.
“I can’t even take care of myself,” he responded and began to cry. The SVdP worker felt heartbroken but she encouraged him.
“Remember,” she said, “God is a God of second chances.”
A native of Georgia, he grew up in a tough neighborhood and watched many of the men in his family go to jail or die. Already a convicted felon, he wanted something different but didn’t know how to go about achieving it.
The SVdP worker gave him a GED book and offered to assist him in furthering his education. She connected him with two non-profit organizations that assist convicted felons to find work and mentoring. Mr. Sailor began to cry and said that no one had ever taken the time to tell him any of this. The SVdP worker gave him her business card and, of course, a hug. She told him we are here to help, not to judge.
Suzanna and Guy were truly looking for more than life’s basic necessities. They left our office with food, but most of all they had renewed hope.
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Sally reached out to her local St. Vincent de Paul Conference for some help with her grandmother, Lorraine.
Her grandmother had left behind many personal belongings, escaping a difficult living situation, she moved in with Sally. Sally told the SVdP members about her grandmother and asked for some winter clothes for her and for someone to stay with her grandmother for a couple of hours each month so Sally could have a small break from the around-the-clock care of her grandmother who has cancer and is developing Alzheimer’s. Two members of SVdP visited Sally and Lorraine.
During the visit, they found the needs were much greater than the simple request. Lorraine is nearly 80 years old and was staying with family, but it was an abusive situation. Sally, in her mid-30s was able to get her out of the situation and become the legal guardian for her grandmother. However, the situation put Sally in a “catch-22.” Lorraine’s health was not good enough for an independent living situation, but it was not bad enough to qualify her for a nursing home. Lorraine’s medications were running as high as $1,500 per month, more than Social Security check could cover. Sally’s job did not provide enough money to pay someone to care for her grandmother, but the constant needs of Lorraine prevented Sally from working regularly. So, now they are both relying on Lorraine’s Social Security check.
Because of the home visit, SVdP was able to provide much more substantial help. The SVdP members gave Lorraine and Sally a voucher to go to the Family Support Center in Chamblee to receive food, clothing, and some household items. The Conference also provided rent assistance for one month. Also, the SVdP members will work with groups in their parish to coordinate volunteers who can spend a few hours with Lorraine, so that Sally can have a break. Through the SVdP Pharmacy Program, Lorraine will be able to obtain her cardiac medication at no cost. This savings will allow them to “break even” on their monthly budget.
Lorraine and Sally were overjoyed to receive the help from SVdP, offering repeated thanks amidst tears of joy. And it all began with a simple request..
Working in an office making a little over $24,000 a year, Mary barely makes ends meet. Moving back home to be a caretaker for her aging parents, has not given her any relief. Aging along with her parents is their home, where the water line had been leaking for several months when it finally breaking. The utility bill alone consumed three of Mary’s paychecks with cleanup and doctor’s bills consumed the family’s remaining funds.
Unfortunately, unpaid time away from work to tend to her parents and the water damage repair has placed her family on the edge. St. Vincent de Paul was able to negotiate a payment plan and secure funding to help with the water bill. They were able to replace any many of the water damaged items with free items from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Stores.
Through the new Pharmacy Program, both of her parents are able to get several months of critically needed prescriptions without any additional strain on their tight budget. Without SVDP, there may not have been a safety net to catch this family before they fell over the financial edge.
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent.
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Leonard abused substances and lead a self professed ‘trouble life well into his forties. In and out of conflict he explains, I just didn’t get it. When he found himself out on the street he would come to St. Vincent de Paul for help. I never just got a hand out though says Leonard. ‘I knew that a friendly voice of reason would always guide me to resources – either through their own programs or others that they worked with – and I could just feel that they (SVDP) believed in me.
Even though he would fall back to his old habits, each time it took a little longer. ‘They (the Society) would just pick me up and brush me off to try again. Until one day, the light came on and I finally got it. Leonard never felt judged when he asked for help. Because of this, Leonard has successfully completed his college degree and passed several certification programs that will enable him to open a women’s recovery center.
The building for the recovery center has been purchased and will house up to eight women at a time and offer classes designed to build self esteem and encourage educational growth. According to Leonard, ‘Without St. Vincent, I would have never understood why I should care about others. Now, all I can think about is how I can give back. This center is my answer. Thank you St. Vincent de Paul!.
Tamara was working two jobs and barely making ends meet when she was laid off from her part-time job. That’s she things started to unravel. She lost her car and, due to medical expenses for her son who has asthma, was unable to pay her full rent. 
Tamara called the St. Marguerite conference and two caseworkers visited her home. They arranged to pay the rent and get her a donated car so that she could keep her job. They also brought food and arranged for her to go to our Conference Support Center to be screened for benefits.
With the help of St. Vincent de Paul and the food stamps that she now gets regularly. Tamar’s financial situation is more stable. She sees a brighter future for herself and her children..
[DDET There's Always Hope]
Every person has innate human dignity and the right to be treated with respect. Those in need have suffered a litany of both large and small indignities, from the knot in the pit of their stomachs when realizing they must ask for help, to feeling invisible to those who seemingly ignore them or won’t look them in the eye as they pass by.
In these difficult economic times and more families find themselves in need, our mission to help takes on greater urgency and importance. Besides giving much needed material assistance to those in need, the staff and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul strive to recognize and meet our clients’ needs for dignity, encouragement, respect, care and kindness by creating positive experiences for each person we assist.
“When clients come in looking for food, they often don’t consider how they will transport that food home. Often, we can find a rolling suitcase and we lovingly and carefully pack it for the client.”
“When homeless clients come for bread, one staffer institutes her ‘Hug the Homeless campaign. ‘But, I’m so stinky,’ they often respond.
‘I love stinky,’ she responds. She gives the much needed human contact so many homeless people are lacking.
”It’s so important to look people in the eye and treat them as guests, offering them a seat or a bottle of water.”
”I love the look on their faces when they come in with a voucher and discover they can receive more than just a bag of food.”
By going beyond what is expected, our staff and volunteers restore some of the dignity lost along the way and bring to life the belief, there is always hope..