Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha
April 2021 Newsletter
Happy Easter!
Schedule your vaccine, vote in the primaries, and check out our news!
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Reflection
Thanks to many Vincentians volunteers, who really should be called Good Samaritans, many people are being helped and healed. But the following, in the latest St. James Parish bulletin, illustrates that in giving we receive.
"St. Vincent de Paul volunteers from St. James help our neighbors in need with donations of food and financial assistance. One volunteer shares her story of how this ministry has touched her in ways she did not expect.
'What I have learned from volunteering for SVdP is that the people that I am helping are not much different from me. I once met with a woman in the parking lot of church to give her some groceries and gift cards to purchase Christmas gifts for her children. We ended up having a conversation that went on for forty five minutes about our lives growing up, our families, and our faith. Due to some unfortunate circumstances in her life, she ended up as a single mom who struggled to pay the bills. We had so many other things in common, however, that showed me that this could have been my life. God has spared me some of these difficulties and I am grateful for that. I am humbled by the opportunity to have helped this woman in this small way and feel very blessed to have met her and connected with her as a fellow sister in Christ. Being a St. Vincent de Paul volunteer is making me a more grateful, generous, and compassionate person. I am being blessed by those I help as much if not more than I am blessing them with food and financial help.' "
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Do Good Week
Join us for the city wide Share Omaha sponsored week of nonprofit fundraising and volunteerism (replacing Omaha Gives).
Our theme is “Won’t You be My Neighbor?”
Help us raise $20,000 or more for our Ozanam Outreach ("Vincentians Without Borders") and Help Line.
These funds support all of our Omaha neighbors in areas that do not have an SVdP Conference group.
Contact us if you or your business are interested in providing matching funds for rent and utility assistance
and other essential needs!
April 19: Mission Monday ▪ Forward our mission to five of your friends
April 20: New Giving Tuesday ▪ Every little bit helps
April 22: Volun-Thursday ▪ Come help out at our clean up day
April 23: Fund It Friday ▪ Omaha's need is much greater than we can fill
April 24: Celebration Saturday ▪ Thank You Volunteers Day and Pantry Food Drive at Holy Family 10:00am - 1:00pm
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We want to thank our partner Heart Ministry for knowing that they can refer people to us without hesitation. We are able to provide so much more than just help with rent or a bill. We can offer food through our Food Pantry and clothing and household goods through our Thrift Stores. We can also give referrals to other services. Mostly we can be a friend that helps negotiate all of the steps needed to get back on your feet. We are all in this together and form the network necessary to grow a stronger community.
Thank you to all of our amazing partners in this effort!
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Look for our new store at
123rd & Center this spring!
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Store Donation Pickup:
Call Monday - Friday 9am-5pm to schedule 402-341-1688
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MACCH Housing Problem Solving Partner
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has recently become a partner in the Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless (MACCH) Housing Problem Solving (HPS) project. We will now be able to help people who are homeless or within two weeks of becoming homeless with financial support from funds provided by that program. This is a huge benefit to many people we meet and are unable to help because of our own limited funds. While no amount of money will solve every problem, this partnership greatly expands our capacity reach to beyond our own parish boundaries. We've decided to call this effort Vincentians Without Borders. Pray that we can make the most of this new partnership on behalf of our neighbors in need throughout the city!
(See our story on Do Good Week above for ways to support this effort!)
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Our partner Support Your Neighbor COVID is celebrating one year in operation and is holding a food drive in order to continue their work. Please consider donating.
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Saturday April 10th
11:00am - 1:00pm
at our Food Pantry
2101 Leavenworth
Items needed are:
- CEREAL
- OATMEAL
- PANCAKE MIX
- CRACKERS
- MICROWAVEABLE READY RICE
- TOOTHPASTE
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From their Facebook page: Thanks to all the contributions from our amazing donors (you) and our hosts at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha we have been able to deliver over 1,250 grocery bags and over 1,000 toiletry bags since April 2020. We have helped over 95 households and are currently delivering to 80 households all around the Omaha area. Thank you all for making this possible! As the number of individuals we serve continues to grow we are in need of additional funding to buy essential toiletry items, such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer, paper towels, laundry detergent, and masks.
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Giving Gardens
Grow a Row for Your Community
Contact us whenever you have extra produce to support our Food Pantry. Don't let those zucchini grow too big or go to waste!
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DRIVE THRU OPEN
2101 Leavenworth St.
Tuesdays and Thursdays
9:00am-12:30pm
Donate: Drop off at this location
Monday or Wednesday
8:00am-11:00am
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GARDEN ANGELS NEEDED
St. Vincent de Paul Society Garden Angels grow fresh produce for our food pantry. Experience is not necessary. The garden is located on the south side of the SVdP Main Store & Pantry at 21st & Leavenworth in Omaha. Volunteers work the garden in teams Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings, spring into fall. Volunteer as often as you wish...once a week, twice a month, or as a substitute.
Learn about the garden and volunteer duties at the opening of the garden season on Saturday, April 17 at 10am.
Thank you!
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Welcome to our new partner, the Omaha Conservatory of Music's String Sprouts program! We were thrilled to be ready to fill a last minute need. It is lovely to hear music in our Chapel space and see kiddos in the building. Did you know this program "... aims to provide music education opportunities to children ages 3-8 in underserved areas at no cost to families"?
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We want to acknowledge the blessing of an untapped savings account from the former Holy Family Parish which paid for the recent floor renovation. We were able to have the old carpet and asbestos tile safely removed and the original wood floors restored to their former glory. We think no one will mind that the money was spent saving and renovating this beautiful historic building to be used to feed, clothe and care for people for another 138 years! |
Thanks to our lovely volunteer Mary, our mural is being refreshed as well! |
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The Churchyard Community Garden is coming alive. Many gardeners from last year are anxious to plant the seeds of cool-weather crops during April. There are still a few garden boxes available in this unique community space where fresh food is produced and human connections made. There is a $25 fee, but water is provided. Grow for yourself, your family, your neighbors or donate to our Food Pantry. Contact us for a garden bed.
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A huge thank you goes out to all the wonderful volunteers who have really stepped up in a big way for us: John, Lisa, Liz, Sherrie, Mary, the group of home bakers who provide treats for the lunches, the St. Margaret Mary Group, and many more than can be named here. We can't do what we do without you! |
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha
1715 Izard St. Omaha, NE 68102
402-779-8499
If you or someone you know is in need of assistance:
Helpline: 402-346-5445
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