Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
Who Are We? The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded April 23, 1833; in Paris, France. By 1845, the Society had already spread throughout Europe and advanced to the United States.
In 1871, the Society was introduced in San Antonio and is one of the longest running charities in South Texas.
The Society's U.S. members donated nearly 6 million hours of their personal time in 2009, aiding more than 20.5 million of their neighbors in distress and offering services valued at over $520 million.
The first conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in San Antonio was founded in 1871 at the parish of St. Mary. In the Archdiocese of San Antonio there are currently 75 conferences with 2,200 active and associate members that assist in the counties of Bexar, Medina, Uvalde, Valverde, Kerr, Bandera, Kendall, Frio, Gillespie, Wilson and Maverick. In the 2009/2010 fiscal year conferences assisted over 1 million people with over $12 million in financial assistance, in-kind goods and services. The membership donated 297,395 hours to help the needy and drove over 537,000 miles to deliver their services.
Today, there are three levels of the Society that make up the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the Archdiocese of San Antonio (SVDP-ASA). Those levels are the Conference, the District Council, and the Archdiocesan Council. The SVDP-ASA currently serves the needy in Bandera, Bexar, Frio, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Maverick, Medina, Unvalde, Valverde and Wilson counties in Texas.
The first level - the Conference - consists of a team of volunteers who are on the frontline addressing the needs of the poor in their community. At present, there are seventy-five Conferences belonging to the SVDP-ASA. In all, there are approximately 2,200 active and associate members in these seventy-five Conferences.
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Gifts can be made in the form of cash, check, or credit card donations; in addition to stocks, bonds or securities, or by planned gifts. We are always in need of in-kind donations as well.
In 2010, the generosity of St. Vincent de Paul donors helped the Society provide over $1 million in direct financial assistance to families in need. With the additional to live better lives because of
The Society operates very efficiently, with only 20 paid staff members and 2,200 volunteers manning its operations.
St Vinnys Bistro at Haven for Hope
Serving more than 1,500 meals daily to the homeless of San Antonio - soon to increase to 2,500 meals per day! The Bistro will serve approximately 650,000 meals in 2011.
Operation Food Pantry
Helping over 1 million persons and over $10 million in program services; in-kind goods; time and mileage.
St Vinnys Value$ Thrift Store
Revenue collected from sales goes back to our pantries throughout the city to help anyone in need.
Client Financial Assistance Program
Assisting clients who find themselves in financial difficulty.
Project Cool
Helps keep San Antonio cool by donating over 11,000 fans for our elderly.
Disaster Services
The second responders when it comes to disasters assisting with food, appliances and clothing.
You, too, could be one of the volunteers who say, I'll get so much more than I ever give.
Just call 210-225-7837 or e-mail info@svdpsa.org
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