Parishes have different ways to fund De Paul societies

Poor boxes, made out of burnished metal or battered wood, hang in many churches. To many Catholics, they might seem relics of another era. But to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, they are vital sources of funds to aid the needy.

Despite government social service agencies, faith-based charities and neighborhood associations, the members of the Society feel they still have a crucial role to play in keeping the community fed, clothed, and ahead of evictions, bill collectors and poverty.

Each parish chapter uses a different method to achieve their goals:

* St. Madeleine Sophie Church in Guilderland concentrates on supporting its substantial food pantry,

* St. Vincent de Paul Church in Albany focuses on immediate service needs, such as utility bills, medication and assistance for the elderly,

* St. James parish in Albany funds existing service programs, and

* St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar splits its attention between the food pantry and helping families get back on their feet financially.

Filling in

"Historically, we'd deal with people who didn't have any other means to turn to," said Bob Sheehan, Society president at St. Vincent de Paul. "Social service agencies pick up the basics, like clothing and food. We try to fill in the cracks other agencies don't cover."

Those cracks include services like plumbing, utilities and car repairs, expenses which, for poor families, can mean the difference between meeting or failing to meet their month's budget.

Society members also respond to other requests. One recent call, he said, came from a visually-challenged elderly woman who could no longer do her laundry.

"Who else will you call? Who will take care of that?" asked Mr. Sheehan. "The people the Society serves are low on the totem pole, but we don't care one bit. We're there to help, regardless of status."

Meeting the needs

At St. Thomas the Apostle parish, the St. Vincent de Paul Society makes it a priority to assist families in developing good financial skills as well as providing the hungry with bread and milk. Many have fallen into deep credit-card debt, not realizing that "plastic is real debt," said John Byron, president.

"The rectory turns over the request to the Society, and we talk to the client and family to see what the problem is: a back payment on rent? a car that's broken down? do they need food? or all of the above?

"Then we start prioritizing. We prepare a budget with them, and we'll agree for a certain length of time" to provide money so the family can get out of debt.

Funding

Chapters of the Society usually operate independently of the parish budget; instead, they are funded through the generosity of parishioners, usually via extra collections, poor boxes and independent donations.

At St. Thomas, parishioners "who are cognizant of our program give us periodic checks," Mr. Byron said. At St. Vincent de Paul parish, collections from Thanksgiving Masses remain a significant source of income.

According to chapter president Jack Ryan, parishioners at St. Madeleine Sophie bring non-perishable food to church with them each week. By Sunday night, the collection baskets are usually full. Contributions from local businesses, orchards and food banks also help keep the food pantry stocked.

"Most of our work is feeding people," said Mr. Ryan. "We never run out of food, even though our levels are down after Thanksgiving and Christmas."

During the week, he and the other 30 members of the chapter receive referrals from the parish secretary. On-duty members of the Society are dispatched to pack a bag of food, which the client will either pick up or have delivered. For perishable needs, such as milk and eggs, or unusual requests, such as baby formula, the Society gives gift certificates to local supermarkets.

"Our church's attitude has always been: 'They call; we go,'" said Mr. Ryan. "We don't feel that we're supposed to judge any people. Sometimes, we know we're being taken for a ride, but we still don't judge. People going hungry; that's crazy. There shouldn't be anyone going hungry."

(8/14/03) [[In-content Ad]]