St. Vincent de Paul | Louisville

By Lucy Easley
Assumption High School student

I had no idea what to expect from St. Vincent de Paul the day my class visited the shelter. I had never really heard much about the society, besides that it was an emergency shelter in Louisville and often needed volunteers to serve meals.

The campus was nothing like I had imagined. My usual perception of homeless shelters is that they are unkempt and a little bit disorganized. St. Vincent de Paul was neither one of these. The dining room was gorgeous--a former church that they converted into their main serving area. It made me want to schedule a date to serve a meal.

While touring the grounds was fun and eye-opening, my favorite part of our visit was hearing some of the women in their program discuss what they faced during their darkest days of addiction and homelessness. By looking around the room, you could tell that everyone enjoyed this as well. The two women who spoke with us shared their insight and were willing to answer any and all questions we had.

I really enjoyed hearing from former addicts who were in recovery because I have a close friend who struggles with addiction, and hearing from people these women gives me hope that addiction can be overcome. They both said that without St. Vincent de Paul, they do not know where they would be today.

It is evident that Christ works in and through this program.