Happy Easter!
The message of Easter is a breathtaking explosion, revealing the complete victory of Love over sin and death! In the face of our own challenges, we are all subject to doubts about that ultimate victory; and yet when we look for the presence of the Spirit of Love, we find it every time. In our small, daily efforts to offer help and encouragement to the person in front of us, we encounter hope and love – for us and for them. Thank you for taking time to include the Society in your day. Please help us in any way that seems fitting for you. And pray for us; we pray for you!
Our 32 parish-based Conferences are always busy taking calls, visits, and emails asking for emergency help with rent, utilities, medical bills, transportation, food, furniture, clothing and more. These groups are active in and assist about two thirds of the city, but that leaves many areas with no group to support them directly. That is when we rely on extra volunteer help and donations at the District Office level to support these folks. Can you help us continue to offer support and connections when and where they are needed most?
Thank you!
Choice Pantry Reopening
The SVdP Pantry will be reopening as a choice pantry in April. While the drive-thru model has been successful at preventing the spread of COVID, the choice model enables participants to select the food they need most, reducing food waste and providing people agency and dignity in their pantry experience. This transition will require chairs and rugs for our waiting area; please consider a donation to help us succeed! Stay tuned for updates!

Call for Garden Angels Volunteers
Springtime is here and our gardens are gearing up to grow fresh produce for our neighbors in need! If you are passionate about fighting hunger, like to garden, or want to learn how, volunteering with the Garden Angels is for you! 

Garden shifts are usually 2-3 hours with groups of 3 people and happen on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings at 9am at the Leavenworth pantry garden. Duties include watering, weeding, and having fun in the sun! If you are interested, please email Gillian at pantry@svdpomaha.com

If you prefer to grow vegetables at home and donate your excess produce, you may do so through our Giving Gardens program.
Sign up here!
FYI: Food Bank vs. Food Pantry
A food bank is an organization that collects large quantities of surplus food and distributes it to food pantries in the community. Those food pantries are the frontline workers that get food to people experiencing hunger. Since the food bank provides bulk food, food pantries rely on individual donations to fill the gaps. With rising food and fuel costs, donations to our pantry are down and the need is rising.
Please consider donating any of the following foods to the
SVdP Pantry at 2101 Leavenworth St:
Cereal
Peanut Butter
Pasta
Pasta Sauce
Meal Kits (e.g. Hamburger Helper, Rice-a-Roni, etc.)
Mac n' Cheese
Toilet Paper

You can also purchase and have delivered to us through our
Support Your Neighbor COVID-19 Appreciation
We would like to take a moment to appreciate an amazing group of young people in the SVdP family: Support Your Neighbor COVID-19.

SYNC-19 is a pantry delivery program that was started out of the SVdP Pantry by a passionate group of medical students in April of 2020 when the pandemic began. The delivery program has focused on helping people who are food insecure and at risk of developing severe COVID. These students, in addition to their very busy schedules, recruited volunteers, developed criteria, took phone calls, maintained wish lists, packed bags, and delivered food to households for two years! What an inspiration!

With the return to a choice pantry and the increased availability of vaccines, SYNC-19 will be running their final delivery on April 9th after serving 1,958 pantry boxes to people in need in our community.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
We sadly lost our lease to the building on south 24th street last month so that store is now closed. We hope to reopen in the neighborhood someday, but we do have four other great locations!
We have been presenting this article in parts over several months.

"14 Reasons Why You Should Shop at a Thrift Store"

11. Kids’ Clothes
Children grow out of their clothing quickly, so why spend so much on something that has a short lifespan?
Instead, buy children’s clothes at the thrift store and then pay it forward by selling or donating them back.
12. No Hoarding
It may be hard to part with an item when you’ve spent a lot of money on it, even if you’re unlikely ever to wear it again. But if that item was bought for $10 at a thrift store, it’s easier to part ways with it, perhaps by selling or donating it back to the very store you got it from.
13. No Salespeople
Thrift stores don’t have salespeople who make a commission off your purchases, so you don’t have to worry about any uncomfortable interactions.
14. Thrift Stores Often Help Communities
In addition to thrift stores often benefiting local charities, they’re usually involved in community-based programs. Some thrift stores are known to provide job training, employment placement services, and other barriers that may otherwise get in the way of getting work.
Father Joe’s Villages has been a pillar in the San Diego community for more than 70 years. The money you spend also goes back into your local community instead of to a big corporation.

Wrapping Up
Based on the above, not only can thrifting be an exciting experience, but giving your business to your local thrift store can benefit the local community and provide a green alternative.

Help us hunt for hidden treasure!
Holy Family is having a reunion Saturday, May 7, beginning with Mass at 9:00am celebrated by Fr. Pat McCaslin, followed by a continental breakfast and a trip down memory lane. We hope you can come. Please RSVP HERE, or call the
St. Vincent de Paul District Office: 402-779-8499.
And we need your help! We have a very small list of people who were affiliated with Holy Family over the years – whether parishioners, sandwich makers, or regular visitors. If you have contact information for anyone you remember fondly during your time at Holy Family, please invite them too! They are hidden treasure!
Least of My Brethren
Did you know that our partner, Least of My Brethren, and its many dedicated volunteers serve a free community breakfast at Holy Family on the 2nd Saturday of each month? They serve about 150 neighbors, starting at 9:00 until the food is gone. We are thrilled to be able to offer space for this
great collaboration effort with others serving those most in need.
This year we will be offering the opportunity to grow not only for yourself and your family, but for our sack lunches and food pantry as well. There will be community beds, group work times, and harvest days so nothing goes to waste. You may also have a personal bed if you are committed to that option. Either way, if you are interested in participating, please contact us now.
Our largest audience yet in the Chapel celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the Irish Afternoon concert this past month. With our volunteer John Chaney’s group, Sum Guise, and Danny Leger’s Easter Rising on stage, the enthusiastic crowd cheered the energetic Celtic tunes and enjoyed Shamrock punch and nonalcoholic drinks at the event which, like all events in our Chapel, was free and open to the public.
The music rolls on April 2 with three musical acts: Dan McCarthy on solo grand piano, singer/songwriter Megan Siebe, and the eclectic hard-to-pigeonhole band, James Schroeder and Mesa Buoy.

Want to enjoy our great Chapel events and help out at the same time? We need to put together a team of folks we can call on to help out at events. If you could help watch the door, run the elevator, help with beverages, and generally be available, please reach out today.
Great Plains Theatre Commons
The Chapel will be busy during the first weeks of April as the Great Plains Theater Commons takes over building sets, installing lighting and rehearsing the regional premier of The Guadalupes, an autobiographical dive into a multi-generational family in South Omaha, written by Omaha Noah Diaz.
Performances are April 14-16. Click here to reserve free tickets!
Thanks so much to the Greater Omaha Chamber Young Professionals and SHARE Omaha for choosing our Closet Door program at Holy Family for collecting donations at the YP Summit this year! Folks brought socks and underwear and shopped our Amazon Wish List. You can too at the link below!
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!
JOIN US TODAY AT THE LINK BELOW
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha at
Holy Family Community Center
1715 Izard St. Omaha, NE 68102
402-779-8499