When you see someone in need up close, it changes things.
 

As St. Gabriel Conference President, Melissa has seen the harsher side of the community.
 

“I cannot tell you how many times we have went on a visit and it was for rent. We walk in, and there was not a single piece of furniture in the home, they have no food in their refrigerator, and there are two little kids there. We can’t go home and go to sleep and be fine with that,” said Melissa (who preferred to remain anonymous and is not pictured).
 

In those instances, Melissa and another conference member act quickly. They use a SVDP Thrift Store Voucher and furnish the family’s apartment.
 

“The Thrift Store Vouchers have come in handy so much,” Melissa added.
 

Melissa says home visits are at the heart of St. Vincent de Paul’s mission.
 

“That feeling you get when you go back on the follow-up visit is the best,” she said. “When you see those kids claiming that couch. Their feet are up on that couch. It’s a beautiful feeling. It makes your heart completely joyful.”
 

Whether it’s a family on the brink of eviction, someone in need of utility bill assistance during the winter, or groceries to make it to the end of the month, the 27 parish-based conferences answer the call.
 

“We like to pull the person completely above water. If they’re drowning, then we need to give them a clean slate,” Melissa said.
 

St. Gabriel Conference has 14 members who serve people in three zip codes.
 

Its Vice President, Mary Beth Knight, had some free time after retirement. She saw her parents serve at SVDP, doing home visits and donating furniture.
 

“It’s been beneficial to me,” said Mary Beth, pictured on the right. “We do works of mercy and plant seeds of hope. That sticks with me. We bring God’s love … it’s strengthening my faith every time I go on a home visit and doing something good for the community.”
 

In Feb., St. Gabriel donated $2,500 in bedding and personal care items to support the residents in our Domestic Violence Program.
 

St. Gabriel Conference members also added the ministry of partnering with neighboring nursing homes. They do crafts with memory care residents.
 

“St. Gabriel’s proactive approach and their inventive outreach truly inspires me,” said David Neill, SVDP Council President. “They serve as a shining example for our mission. While all our conferences serve as the backbone of SVDP Louisville, St. Gabriel’s commit­ment to life-changing support exemplifies our Vincentian promise to ‘seek and find’ the suffering—bringing them God’s love and the hope they need to move forward.”
 

Visit www.svdplou.org/svdp-conferences.

St. Gabriel Homelessness Prevention
 

• $73,319 provided in rent, utilities, groceries, furniture, and car-related assistance
• 56 home visits, including 149 in-person meetings with those in need across three zip codes
• 573 people served this past fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2025)