St. Vincent De Paul Society

 Contact: Judy Bruzza, President 269-327-5165 Ext. 100

 Who: Any adult not only interested in helping the poor but also in developing their spirituality in seeing Christ in those we serve.

 Where: The second Tuesday of each month at 5PM in the GLP Conference Room at St. Catherine’s Church.

 What: Our society has been in existence in the parish for over 33 years. In the past 4 years our membership has grown to 20 people. Our outreach interviews families every weekend who may have electrical shut-offs, evictions and relocations.  In addition we offer emergency groceries to clients from our small food pantry.  We work in conjunction with other St. Vincent Societies in the area, as well as local agencies to assist families in Kalamazoo County. In some cases we partner with St Catherine’s to help our own parishioners.

 We have three large service projects during the year:

 1.    Every 2 weeks we deliver personal care items donated by our parishioners to local agencies for distribution. These agencies include Ministry with Community, Open Door Next Door, the Ark, YWCA Women’s Domestic Assault Program and the Gospel Mission.

2.    In the spring we offer our Seeds for Sowing Victory Garden project. Parish families grow fresh produce from plants and seeds that we distribute to them. Through the summer we collect and distribute the harvested produce to local agencies that provide daily meals to those in need.

3.    Our biggest project is our Thanksgiving basket distribution. The parishioners of St Catherine’s donate food and money to purchase and fill 100 baskets for Thanksgiving dinner for families in need. Names are received from those who sign up through the Portage Outreach Center, South County Services and families that are recommended to us in our own parish. Together with our St Vincent members, our parish families sort, pack and deliver the baskets of food.