Author: Sharon Winzeler

  • Getting by with Some Help from Friends.

    Help comes in many forms from the volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul.  Often, it involves some tender, loving care in addition to a donation. A woman with disabilities in her late 80’s called SVdP after she was evicted, and the sheriff had already padlocked her apartment. She was a professional in her day but exhausted all her… Read more

  • Hope when locked out

    A 33-year-old mother of four was recently evicted from her apartment after she lost her job and the ability to pay her rent.  The father of the children is incarcerated and unable to support the family.  The landlord locked her out before the sheriff could, and, as a result, she lost most of her children’s… Read more

  • We All Need that Extra Chance

    Another instance where SVdP helped involved a widow with five children. She worked as a temporary administrative assistant at a local state agency but was released after 11 months because the job was classified as temporary. She was hired to assume a permanent position within the same agency because of the excellent recommendations she received,… Read more

  • A Light Shines in the Darkness

    Volunteer visitors from the St. Vincent de Paul Society put their hearts into helping neighbors.  When members of the Brown Bag ministry at St. Francis found that a gentleman in the senior apartments they served was in trouble, they contacted SVdP.  Visitors learned from a social worker the neighbor had fallen several times in the… Read more

  • Family of eight aided

    The open hearts and ears of visitors from the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Francis of Assisi Church match the needs of their neighbors. In a recent case, a mother of three called for help paying utility bills.  The SVdP visitor found that the 32-year-old woman also was caring for an additional four children—two… Read more

  • Inspiring neighbor

    Help with rent A 30-year-old single woman needed assistance with her October rent after extensive emergency car repairs put her behind on her rent and utility payments. She worked full-time and sought as many extra hours as possible to catch up, plus she had a second job. She was able to work on a payment… Read more