St. Vincent de Paul Society
St. Mary’s Conference, Los Gatos
St. Vincent de Paul Society members prepare sandwiches once a month for the Day Worker Center at San Jose
Introduction
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic organization of lay persons, founded in 1833 in Paris, France, by Frederic Ozanam and his companions. Placed under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul, the Society derives its inspiration from his thinking and work. It seeks, in spirit of justice and charity and by person-to-person involvement of its members, to help those who are suffering.
Catholic in character, the Society is open to all who wish to live their faith by loving and serving their neighbor. In some countries, circumstances may lead to the acceptance of Christians of other confessions, or members of other beliefs, or other creeds who sincerely accept its principles.
No work of charity is foreign to the Society. Vincentian helping can include any person-to-person assistance that promotes human dignity and integrity. The Society is concerned not only with relieving need but also with redressing the situations that cause it. It serves persons in need regardless of creed, opinion, color, caste or origin.
Vencentian Mission Statement
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 it founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam,
and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
Active Ministries
Emergency Support. When a person or family comes to the parish offices seeking lodging, food, bus pass, rent or PG&E funds, two St. Vincent de Paul members response to identify the need, provide immediate help or refer them to an organization that can best meet their need.
Thanksgiving Food Collection. Annually at Thanksgiving the Conference collects food for the needy families in Los Gatos and families whose members seek work at the St. Joseph Day Worker Center in San Jose. For Los Gatos families, the food baskets are provided to those seeking help through Pastoral Ministries and to senior citizens at the Live Oak Nutritional Service Center. The food baskets contain food sufficient for a balanced Thanksgiving Day meal and additional items to supplement food cupboards.
Truck of Love. Twice annually, in March and again in October, the Conference collects clothing for the Truck of Love organization. In bins outside the main doors of the church, all types of good, usable "every day" clothing, and especially work boots and gloves are gathered. These items are picked up by members of the Truck of Love, operated by Pete Fullerton. Members of the Truck of Love organization distribute the clothing to those on need in the South Bay.
Friends Outside. This organization is dedicated to immediate and long-term needs of prisoners in the Santa Clara County jail system and their families. We support the prisoners’ spouses and children at Christmas by providing food baskets and presents. We also support financially the children’s summer camp sponsored and conducted by Friends Outside.
Glasses. The conference collects used glasses and gives them to a Los Gatos ophthalmologist who regrinds them on location in third world countries to meet specific needs of patients. We provide between 900 and 1000 pairs of glasses per year. Used glasses can be dropped off at the Parish Office.
Lunches for St. Joseph’s Day Worker Center. Monthly, early on a Saturday morning, lunches are assembled at St. Mary’s and taken to the Day Worker Center in San Jose. These lunches are provided for those workers who go out on a job and have no means or way to obtain a lunch.
St Vincent de Paul members provide services in kind like soap and coins for laundry to the homeless in the Los Gatos area.
Homeless Laundry. In concert with St. Luke’s Episcopal Church here in Los Gatos, we help the homeless, on a by-monthly basis, wash and dry their clothes by providing soap and quarters at a local laundromat. During the rainy season particularly, these people’s clothes become quite soiled and damp, and could possibly become a source for health problems.
St. Vincent de Paul Society. Should you be interested in discovering who performs the works of St. Vincent de Paul here at St. Mary’s, join us on the second Sunday of each month, except for July and August, between 10:15 and 11:10 a.m. in the Conference Room. You may also phone (408) 356-6228 or (408) 354-9190.
Annual Summary of Services for 2008
The St. Vincent de Paul Conference wishes to thank the parishioners of St. Mary’s for their generous and continuous support. It is through your support alone that we are able to meet the varied needs of those who come to the parish seeking help or phone with the hope that someone will help them meet an immediate need. Our response is quick, whether it requires meeting a client at the Church or making a ‘home visit.’ It is because of your financial support that we are able to provide food, pay a PG&E bill, help with a rent payment, purchase a bus pass or a tank of gas so one can get to work, or in many other ways meet the needs of those who cry out for help.
The following presents the total funds received, major contribution sources, and disbursement highlights. The total does not include some “in kind donations” nor ministries supported by individual members of the conference.
Total receipts for 2008 $17,780
Sources of Funds:
- Poor Box Collections $ 6,890
- Holy Thursday Collection 4,164
- Thanksgiving 5,726
- Various Sources 1,000
Highlights of the major disbursements:
Those in need who knock on our parish door
Those who came to the parish seeking funds for various kinds of help, such as funds for food, clothing, gas, help with their PG&E bill or rent are contacted by two St. Vincent de Paul members to identify the need, provide immediate help or refer them to an organization that can best meet their need. During the year $4,000 was disbursed to those who came to St. Mary's seeking help.
Thanksgiving food baskets
A total of 43 baskets were distributed to families in the area. Twelve to Seniors at the Live Oak Seniors Nutrition Center, 16 to families in Los Gatos, and 15 to families that have a member seeking work at the St. Joseph Day Worker Center in San Jose. Each basket contained sufficient food items for a balanced Thanksgiving Day meal, additional items to supplement their food cupboards, and a grocery gift card. The cost of this program was $1,200.
Friends Outside
Each Christmas we support the Friends Outside organization which is dedicated to immediate and long-term needs of prisoners in the Santa Clara County jail system and their families. We participate in the Adopt-A-Family Program by providing the spouses of prisoners and their children with a food basket and presents. We also support financially the children's summer camp which is organized and conducted by Friends Outside. The cost of these programs was $1,000.
Local Programs
On a monthly basis we supported two local community organizations, the Live Oak Seniors Nutritional Center and the Holy Names Convent.
Funds distributed to the Live Oak Center are restricted to providing transportation to those seniors who would otherwise be unable to come to the center for a hot lunch, social activities and entertainment. The annualized cost of this program is $1,200.
Funds distributed to the Convent were for the Care Center which meets the needs of the elderly nuns. One of these needs was hospital beds that lowered sufficiently low to the floor that the nuns could, own their own, get in and out of the bed. The annualized cost of this support was $1,200
During the Christmas season we provided approximately 30 local families grocery gift cards. The cost of this distribution was $600.
Support of St. Vincent de Paul Conferences in the Diocese
Occasionally, conferences in the Diocese are unable to meet the entire need of a client. When this happens, the Conference in need requests help from other conferences to meet the specific need. This process is called 'twinning' which enables St. Vincent de Paul to help many more people than otherwise would be possible. The cost of this support was $8,500.
The St. Mary's Conference again wishes to thank you for your generosity in helping us help the poor. Also, as evident from the twinning process, many others in the diocese were helped by your financial gifts. The conferences whose clients you helped are grateful and the clients for whom your funds directly kept the lights and gas on or water running, or perhaps enabled them to remain in their apartment are extremely grateful.
Summary of Accounts for the period October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008.
Receipts
Poor box collections…………$6,890.00
Holy Thursday Collections….$4,164.00
Thanksgiving………………...$5,726.00
Miscellaneous donations……$1,000.00
Total Receipts……$17,780.00
Disbursements:
Those who knock at our door….$4,000.00
Thanksgiving food baskets.……$1,200.00
Friends outside………………….$1,000.00
Local programs:
Live Oak Center….….…$1,200.00
Convent……..…….…….$1,200.00
Gift cards at Christmas. $ 600.00
Support of St Vincent de Paul
Conferences in the Diocese ……. $8,500.00
Miscellaneous disbursements..……$ 80.00
Total Disbursements…... $17,780.00
David D’Souza
Conference President