St. Vincent de Paul Society

The Saint Vincent DePaul Society (SVDP) traces its roots to the Sorbonne University, Paris, France, where a 20-year-old student in 1883 founded the Society to serve the poor, the needy, the suffering and the afflicted. Since then, the Society has grown into a worldwide network of local conferences, 112 of them in the Cleveland Diocese out of 237 parishes. The Saint Basil The Great Conference was founded in 1963.

Today, 13 active members of the St. Basil Conference serve the poor in several ways:

Evaluating and responding to emergency requests for financial assistance from parishioners (and other residents of Brecksville) and from members of the St. Catherine community, our partner parish. They see approximately 50-60 cases a year and the average grant is between $50 and $75. Additionally, the conference provides bu* eo.X<X,~zrcy including lodging if warranted, to travelers who find their way to St. Basil from nearby interstates and the Ohio Turnpike.

Directing and managing the day-to-day activities of the Saint Catherine Food Pantry, including partial funding, and managing the free monthly community meal program that takes place on the last Sunday of every month at that church. Conference members also provide volunteers on the third Wednesday of every month to serve a hunger center evening meal at St. Patrick's on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City.

Participating every October in the Diocesan-wide Blanket Sunday Appeal, which collects bedding and dollars to help homeless shelters meet their needs over the coming winter months. Bundle Sundays are also sponsored from time-to-time to collect usable clothing, small appliances, tools, etc. which are then sold at three SVDP stores in the Cleveland area at deep discount prices. (Unfortunately, SVDP no longer has the trucks or manpower to pick up large furniture or major household appliances.)

Joining a Diocesan-wide effort every August to collect school supplies for Catholic and Public inner city elementary school children, and serving as a referral service for individuals who wish to donate a used automobile to the Diocesan program.

Providing partial funding support for major Parish undertakings at St. Basil or St. Catherine, for example the ongoing St Catherine Summer Program for Inner City youngsters and the St. Basil medical mission to Honduras, which began early in 2002.

The annual operating budget for the St. Basil SVDP Conference is $24,000. Almost all of the money comes from generous parishioners who use their monthly envelope "to help the poor and the needy."

Please check the weekly parish bulletin and the quarterly newsletter for timely news about SVDP activities.

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