Boost to our communities

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

Our diocese owes a big thank you to the St. Vincent De Paul Society for all it does to assist needy people through its councils in Appleton, Green Bay, Kaukauna, Manitowoc, Marinette, Neenah-Menasha and Oshkosh.

Some idea of what the Society does in our diocese is found in a report from the Green Bay Council on its 2005 fiscal year, when it gave more than $960,000 to needy individuals and groups.

Nearly one-third of that went to vouchers for clothing, furniture and other household items area residents donated to the Society's retail store. Sales at the store help fund six residential shelters and House of Hope (a temporary home for unwed mothers and their children), scholarships, energy assistance and grants to Catholic Charities and the Bay Lakes Boy Scout Council.

Society stores are staffed by a few employees, but mainly by volunteers who sort, clean and price the donated items, stock shelves and run the cash registers. It's that combination of donated items, low prices, volunteer help and bargain-hungry buyers that makes it all work.

At a time when there are both a large number of yard sales and more thrift shops, St. Vincent De Paul continues to need both donations of household items and patronage. It's a winning team for our area.