OUR MISSION
The Friends of St Vincent was established in Jan 2023. Formally known as the St Vincent dePaul Society, our organization has strived to meet the needs of the community through various endeavors throughout the past 30 years. Guided by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, we are compelled to comfort the afflicted, pray for the needy, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and homebound. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all our parishioners who make our charitable works possible. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
OUR MONTHLY MEETINGS
Join us on the second Thursday of every month for our meetings.
Our next meeting will be held on
Thursday, October 12, 2023 @ 7:30pm in the Infant of Prague Room
We will be hosting a meet & greet on this evening where you can meet our current members and consider becoming a member of our society. Please join us as we begin our preparations for our Giving Tree. All are welcome.
Refreshments will be served!!!
Please join us in our latest outreach project! All proceeds will go to our soldiers at Fort Wadsworth
WHAT WE DO
Our society meets throughout
the year once a month in the Infant of Prague Room in the church basement.
Many of our parishioners are aware of our charitable
deeds, and it is through their generosity that we are able to accomplish all that we do.
NEW MEMBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!
Currently, our society operates with about 15 members.
Not all members are able to serve all the time. And that's ok.
Our Lord always provides the people we need to get the most accomplished.
CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE
Every year during the season of Advent, Friends of St Vincent operates the Christmas Giving Tree. Planning for this event begins in October, when we reach out to certain organizations inquiring what their current needs may be. A gift list is compiled, and items are typed onto labels which are then placed on the hand cut ornaments we made from used Chrstmas cards. The gifts collected go to Our Food Pantry at Mt Loretto, nursing homes, baby pantries, special needs children, and of course, individual families that have reached out through the parish office looking for help. Requests are always confidental, and we strive to meet their individual needs. We all know how stressful the holidays can be, not to mention the additional cost involved in the holiday preparation. The Giving Tree exists to help provide the basic necessities for food, clothing, toiletries, as well as Christmas gifts for the children.
THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
The Saturdy before Thanksgiving, Friends of St Vincent holds the Thanksgiving Food Drive outside the school gym doors from 9am-12 noon. With help from the Scouts and the Bread of Life organization, we are able to collect, sort, organize, and distribute boxes upon boxes of food to refill the pantries and provide outreach to the hungry here on the South Shore. Once again, calls are received through the parish office and requests for help are filled confidentially. The Italian Club of Staten Island is always a generous contributor to this event, as they supply us with many needed hams for distribution. Individual turkeys are also donated from our generous parish community.
Every year, during the summer months, the Friends of St Vincent operates "Don't Miss the Bus". School supplies are collected on a weekly basis from back of both churches and held until mid August. The supplies are then sorted, back packs are filled and the food pantries are restocked with the needed supplies so every child can have a fair chance starting the year off right.
This year Friends of St Vincent organized a new endeavor called Easter Baskets for the Homebound. Once again, through the generous donations of our parish, we were able to fill many baskets and deliver them to the sick & the homebound of our community. We were also able to supply a group home of special needs adults so that every member had a basket full of treats.
We are so excited about the future. Plans are currently under way to start a campaign for Paying it Forward, where parishioners can donate their talent, time and expertise for projects in the community to those who would otherwise not be able to afford their services.
Plans are also under way to provide home cooked meals to shut-ins.