Children who live at St. Vincent de Paul were asked to draw their dream playgrounds recently, when sponsors from KaBOOM! and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group visited us. Now we need 250 volunteers on May 31 to help us build our new playground. Sign up today!
Kids Cheer Louisville Cardinals
Thanks to the generosity of St. Vincent de Paul donor Phil Gahm, children who live in our supportive housing programs for formerly homeless families got to enjoy the thrill of watching a Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball game at the KFC Yum! Center recently. Read more about the donation that made this fun field trip possible!
Feb. 28th Last Chance to Donate Coats at Mall
LOUISVILLE, KY – Tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 28th) is the last day to donate your used coats, blankets and scarves at one of Louisville’s busiest shopping malls.
For the past several weeks, Mall St. Matthews has been asking shoppers to drop off these items in the collection bin located near Pottery Barn and Ashcroft & Oak Jewelers. St. Vincent de Paul will pick up all donated items and distribute them to Louisville area children and adults in need.
“In the winter we get hundreds of calls each week from people seeking assistance, and this includes the need for warm clothing and blankets,” says Nancy Naughton, St. Vincent de Paul’s associate executive director. “We greatly appreciate the opportunity given to us by Mall St. Matthews to provide a collection box where the public may donate new or gently-used items for the poor and homeless men, women and children St. Vincent de Paul serves.”
2012 Christmas Parties for Clients
Christmas is a special time at St. Vincent de Paul, as generous donors and volunteers host informal holiday celebrations for the men, women and children living here on our campus.
A Bit More About Megan
Megan’s dream is to open a halfway house for women struggling with substance abuse, so that their babies aren’t born addicted. She is passionate about the plight of these women and wants others to understand: “You don’t know how many women are lying awake at night crying their eyes out because they hate what they’re doing to themselves and to their children, but they don’t know how to stop,” she says.
Making Thanksgiving Special
Long before the first people line up outside the doors of our Open Hand Kitchen on a cold Thursday morning in November, the Thanksgiving feast being prepared inside is well underway after weeks of intensive planning. St. Vincent de Paul’s soup kitchen is open 365 days ayear, serving hot, nutritious meals to anyone in need. But holidays are special: Much time and extra care go into the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, in particular.
For example, in mid-October, our kitchen staff starts cooking and freezing side dishes and breads that can be thawed and quickly warmed up on the big day. “I’ve already made 100 pounds of green beans – boiled the green beans down with ham hocks and seasonings,and (I) froze them in aluminum pans so they’ll be ready to go on Thanksgiving,” said Norm Brown, the OHK’s chef/manager.
The Need Continues to Be Great, and Our Operating Budget Challenged
‘Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’ 2 Corinthians 9:7 By Nancy Naughton On September 9th and 10th we held our 9th Annual Charity Golf Event and Auction to benefit our programs for poor and homeless men, women,…
A Call to Action
Help St. Vincent de Paul By Speaking Out Against the Proliferation of For-Profit Donation Collection Bins
Maybe you’ve seen them: green, red, and white donation collection boxes .They’re on street corners, alongside curbs and in front of convenience stores, gas stations and strip shopping centers all over Jefferson County.
Driving past these ubiquitous bins, you might be able to read their signage, in large, bold letters: DONATIONS! CLOTHING! SHOES!
These boxes pose a huge threat to small nonprofit charities like St.Vincent de Paul, because they take away valuable donations of gently used clothing and other household items that help us keep our four local Thrift Stores stocked.
Many of the bins you see are owned by for-profit, out-of-state companies that claim to collect their donations on behalf of charity. However, in most cases, only a fraction of the revenues raised from the resale of these donated items actually ends up benefiting these selected charities. Most of the profits go to the companies that own and operate the bins.
Charity Golf Event a Great Success
Our 9th Annual Charity Golf Event was a huge success. The Silent and Live Auction event at Porcini and the Golf Scramble at Big Spring Country Club raised a combined total of more than $72,000! Thank you to everyone who participated in this event, which is our only fundraiser of the year. The money raised…
2012 Friends of the Poor Walk Registration and Liability Waiver Forms
Please download and print both of these forms, fill them out, and bring them with you to the Friends of the Poor Walk on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012 at Churchill Downs. Help us promote the event by printing out and sharing our 2012 Walk Poster at your school or workplace! 2012_Walk_Registration_Form.pdf 2012_Walk_Liability_Waiver.pdf walk_poster_2012.pdf