St. Mary's Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Thank you … The St. Vincent de Paul Society expresses heartfelt thanks to the Parish of St. Mary and all who donated to the recent Walk for the Poor. Your generosity was overwhelming. All donations will be used to support those in need in Franklin.
The Knights of Columbus present a donation from their Food Card Drive to the St. Mary St. Vincent de Paul Society
Upcoming Events
St. Vincent de Paul - Current Food Pantry Requests
We would like to request:
- Paper Towels
- Laundry Detergent
- Complete Pancake Mix
Mission Statement
A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.
(SVdP USA, Approved April 14, 2018)
Volunteer: The St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) is a volunteer, lay Catholic organization with a Conference at St. Mary Parish. Adult men and women, known as Vincentians, help each other grow spiritually and live out the gospel values by helping neighbors in need in their community, regardless of religious affiliation. New volunteers are always welcome and receive a formal orientation and training.
Assistance: A person or family in need is encouraged to call SVdP (Assistance Letter). Vincentians respond to the call and make arrangements for two SVdP members to make a home visit to determine how best the Conference can be of help. All information is kept confidential, and each person is treated with dignity.
Donation: SVdP Conference funding comes from donations. St. Mary Parish parishioners and parish groups, including the Knights of Columbus, have been very generous. Other funding sources include the Friends of the Poor Walk, a Christmas card donation program, and donations from local companies and organizations. Donations in memory of loved ones are also an appreciated source of funding for us. The Conference maintains a small non-perishable food pantry made possible by generous food donations from parishioners.
Please contact St. Vincent de Paul Society:
- Assistance - 508-918-2291 or svdp02038@gmail.com; Assistance Letter
- Volunteer - 508-918-2291 or svdp02038@gmail.com
- Donations – Mail check to: SVdP Society, St. Mary Parish, One Church Square, Franklin, MA 02038
Year at a glance: Fiscal year ending Sep 30, 2023
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” —Mother Teresa
Thank you to all the parishioners, the Knights of Columbus and all the other organizations for their support of SVDP by generously donating food and financial assistance so we could offer help to Franklin residents in need. Special thanks to Fathers Brian, Bob, Jack, Deacon Ron, and Deacon Guy for spreading God’s message of the importance of helping others.
Our 38 members volunteered almost 5,600 hours meeting with families in need a total of 1,076 times, with 2,674 people helped. In 2023 we have continued our mission of providing assistance to neighbors in need. We are back to doing home visits with people as Covid has ended. Two members meet with neighbors in need and do an intake to assess how best to help. Any financial assistance is paid directly to the provider of services and not to the person seeking assistance.
Your support helped us:
- Distribute 675 bags of donated food & 105 personal hygiene bags
- Give out 72 Complimentary SVDP Thrift Store vouchers worth $3,600
- Caring Tree 98 families / 224 people with Gifts cards of $9,500
- Provide Gifts for Mother’s Day (48), Father’s Day (13) and Veterans (6) of $2,600
Financially, your donations served families 319 times for a total over $ 64,000
- Housing assistance 43 times for $33,800
- Utilities 34 times for $10,900
- Automobile related assistance 12 times for $5,000
- Easter Meal Food Cards 71 families for $3,600
- Grocery store, Gas & Other gift cards 115 times for $3,500
- Furniture 14 times for $3,300
- Other: Medical, Child Care, and Moving 30 times for $4,100
We continue to have strong relationships with other town organizations and businesses. We gave families 200 referrals to town, state and federal agencies that might help them.
In the coming year neighbors in need face significant challenges due to increases for housing, utilities, food & gas. These costs put added pressure on them to make ends meet.
The most important members of this Ministry are each of you, our Contributing members, without whom we would not be able to serve. We thank you for your generosity, and want you to know your contributions are very appreciated by the people we serve.
Promoters of Hope, Apostles of Charity and Advocates of the Dignity of the human person