St. Vincent de Paul

Did you know that the number one goal of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is to enhance spirituality?

Did you know that the Blessed Sacrament Conference of the Society has been helping people in need for over 80 years?

The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP) is an entirely lay organization and is the outreach arm of Blessed Sacrament Parish. Our parish SVDP Society members reach out to people in need, in and nearby our parish neighborhood, bringing help in a number of ways. Through several different ministries, our members strive to extend the message of Christian love by serving others right where they live. We provide help for unexpected setbacks or emergency situations through our  Home Visit relief ministry. We help "clothe the naked" through our St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores. We help "feed the hungry" through our Share Sunday food collection and through our South Side Meal Site program.

SVDP helps people that find themselves in emergency need, by sitting down with them in their homes and listening to their problems. We then make an evaluation of the circumstances on the spot and decide how we can be the most effective at bringing help and hope. Our volunteers can present a voucher for groceries, redeemable immediately, or supply household items and clothing through a voucher to our SVDP Thrift Stores. Help for larger problems that require larger payments are brought back to our meetings and discussed as a group. We can provide help for things such as utility shut-offs, overdue rents, broken down appliances and more, after a home visit study of the circumstances, and a careful review of our resources. All requests for help should be filtered through the Central Office of the Society in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please call 414- 462-7837.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Milwaukee operates a free Meal Program at two sites, five nights per week on the north side, at 2600 N. 2nd Street, and six nights per week on the south side, at 931 W. Madison Street. Each of the sites serves between 100 to 180 hot, nutritious meals each night. Our parish members volunteer on the first Wednesday of each month, providing food and serving the line at the south side meal site. If you want to experience first hand what it means to put your faith into action, volunteer to work at the meal site or volunteer to provide baked goods each month. It's one of the easiest ways to get involved. The work is not difficult, the rewards are many, and there are no meetings to attend! If you are interested in volunteering, baking, or learning more, contact Joan at 417-378-2021.

Blessed Sacrament Parish has been supplying volunteers to the south side meal site since it was first opened over thirty years ago! More information can be here: http://www.svdpmilw.org/meal_program.aspx

On the first Sunday of each month our volunteers ask parishioners to share their bounty with people in need through donations of non-perishable food items and money. The donated food is collected and sorted after the last mass on Share Sunday and the food is delivered to the SVDP Conference at St. Josaphat's Basilica, 601 W. Lincoln Ave. St. Josaphat's volunteers distribute the food to people with immediate needs, on Wednesdays from 10 to 11AM. Money that is earmarked to Share Sunday is used to pay for food that we distribute when we provide and serve dinner at the south side SVDP Meal Site on the first Wednesday of each month. The Share Sunday volunteers could use more help with collecting and transporting the food on the first Sunday of each month. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Joan at 417-378-2021.

The SVDP Society of the Milwaukee Archdiocese operates two thrift stores, which benefit those in need. Donated items are sold for profit with all proceeds being used to pay the operating expenses of the Central Office of the Society. People in need can shop the store at little or no cost to themselves by using vouchers that they receive during home visits from our volunteers. The stores then bill the parish conference for these items. Please consider donating used household and clothing items to the SVDP Thrift Stores. Both stores have people available to help you unload your donations and will provide a receipt for your donation on request. Our Greenfield Store 4476 S 108th St has Drive thru Service. And our Lincoln Store 2320 W. Lincoln Ave has a loading dock. For larger items, call Cindy at 414-462-7863 to request a pick up of your gently used furniture or appliances, within Milwaukee County. Both stores also employ people in need and provide a decent starting wage plus health insurance. Consider volunteering at either of the two stores as another way to put your faith into action. Help is always needed in sorting donated items, stocking and arranging shelves, and helping people in need with making their purchases. Volunteer hours are tracked and our conference will receive some store credit in exchange for our parishioners volunteer hours worked.

Greenfield Store:
Address: 4476 S. 108 Street 
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday 11:00 AM-6:00 PM
Phone Number: (414) 377-9077

Lincoln Store:
Address:  2320 W. Lincoln Ave
Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00 AM- 7:00 PM, Saturday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM, Closed Sundays
Phone Number: (414) 672-2040


For more information on volunteer opportunities can be found here: http://www.svdpmilw.org/volunteer.aspx