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The St. Ignatius chapter of the St. Vincent De Paul Society (SVDP) has been serving the neediest of our
community since 1995. The Society's works at the parish include:
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Sandwich Saturday: Held on the first Saturday of every month, volunteers meet in the
Xavier Hall kitchen to make over 700 sandwiches to be distributed at two local shelters
operated by SVDP (the Multi-Service Center & the Ozanam Center.)
To date, SVDP has made over 63 thousand sandwiches.
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Men's Clothing Drives: Held on a periodic basis, these clothing drives provide supplies
to be distributed to men on the streets by the Vicentian Help Desk on Ellis St.
- Other Drives:SVDP holds a special drive during Holy Week for towels
to be donated to the Multi-Service Center (housing 335 homeless men and 45 women each
night) and the Vicentian Help Desk.
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First response to the needy who come to the parish office: Those living in
poverty in the City often turn to church communities for help, and St. Vincent De Paul Society enables
St. Ignatius Parish to make a compassionate and thoughtful response. We do not have the resources to
simply make "handouts" - SVDP instead attempts to give a "hand up" by interviewing clients looking
for assistance and connecting them to community resources or addressing their specific need for food,
shelter, etc. The following client story is a wonderful example of the good works being performed by
St. Ignatius parishioners involved in SVDP:
A recent phone call, received on the parish SVDP Help Line by a member of our St. Vincent De
Paul Society, was made by a woman calling from a Battered Women's Shelter. The caller, along
with her two children, had found refuge there from an abusive domestic situation. She advised
that all of her household belongings had been placed in storage. However, she had no finances
and payment for the long overdue storage charges was now being demanded. Failure to make
immediate restitution would result in all of the items being placed on auction. She asked if the
parish could help with the storage costs. An SVDP member promptly met with the caller and
arranged to go with her to the storage facility where the bill was paid, thereby saving all of her
personal belongings.
VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS NEEDED!! To learn more or get involved in this amazing
ministry, contact the SVDP chapter information line at 422-6788.
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