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Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha
August 2023 Newsletter
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Supporting our neighbors in need through spirituality, friendship and service;
providing emergency food, clothing and financial/homeless prevention assistance, since 1868
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- A Message from our Executive Director
- Beating the Heat at Holy Family
- Conference Spotlight – St. Mary Magdalene
- SSVP Helpline
- SSVP Pantry Running Extremely Low On Food
- Holy Family Ministries’ Amazon Wish List
- Save the Date - 2023 Winter Coat Drive & Giveaway
- Save the Date - Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul Mass
- Strawberry Brunch Follow Up
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Message from our Executive Director, Jill Lynch-Sosa | |
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“Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances."
- St. Vincent de Paul
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Dear SSVP Friends,
“I’m just one paycheck away from being homeless.” is a message that our staff and volunteer Vincentians hear very often from those we serve. In fact, helping neighbors who are facing a financial crisis to be able to remain in their homes is truly one of the most impactful services that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha provides. Many organizations, both locally and nationally, talk extensively about homelessness prevention. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha – on behalf of you, our donors – actually engages in homeless prevention every day of the year.
For individuals and families who find themselves on the lower rung of the proverbial socio-economic ladder, living “paycheck-to-paycheck” is simply a way of life. The vast majority of the people we serve are employed and work hard to support themselves and their families, albeit for rather low wages. Many of them hold down more than one job, and most of them have little to no savings. As a result, even one seemingly small, unplanned financial difficulty can be enough to cause a financial crisis for the family. When this happens, bills begin to go unpaid, including monthly rent/mortgage and utilities. Eviction and/or utilities-termination notices follow not long after.
It is generally the case that Omaha neighbors in need reach out to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul just a few days prior to a scheduled eviction from their home, or prior to having one or more utilities shut off. It is at that point that the Society and our volunteers begin to facilitate the process of providing financial assistance, to help these neighbors get through their financial crisis.
Being able to step in and provide this emergency financial assistance to cover significant, unpaid bills is very often the intervention that is needed, in order to prevent a family or individual from being evicted and, subsequently, from falling into homelessness. To this end, you may be interested to know that in one recent 12-month period of time, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha provided such assistance to more than 14,000 households – a truly remarkable number.
The impact of this service has, most assuredly, not gone unnoticed among the non-profit community here in Omaha. For example, the director of a local social service agency recently shared with our staff that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has become THE most important and impactful homeless prevention organization in the Omaha metro area.
Please know that I am keenly aware that our homeless prevention services, as well as ALL of our programs, are only made possible because of the generous support provided to our organization by caring and compassionate members of our community, like you. On behalf of the many individuals and families in our community we serve, I can only say thank you, and God bless you!
Gratefully,
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Jill Lynch-Sosa
Executive Director
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BEATING THE HEAT AT HOLY FAMILY | |
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Toward the end of July, the intense heat swept into Omaha and made life fairly unbearable for the homeless. While many of our unhoused neighbors in need appreciate spending time beneath the trees on our Holy Family front lawn, the nearly 100 degree heat on July 26th, 27th & 28th was overwhelming.
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To alleviate the sweltering conditions for our homeless neighbors those afternoons, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul opened the doors to our sack lunch prep room, making it a de facto “Community Cooling Center." Our neighbors (as well as one of their pets) were so very grateful for the opportunity to cool down, get as much ice water as they wished, as well as gladly accept a popsicle (or two). Princess Lea, the puppy in the picture is just fine. We kept her cool by laying paper towels soaked in ice water on her. Once she cooled off sufficiently, she was back to wagging her tale and visiting with the neighbors.
As SSVP Executive Director, Jill Lynch-Sosa shares, “It was incredibly hot those days, so opening the building up as a cooling station really WAS the right thing to do. I’m glad we did it! The neighbors came in to cool down and were very appreciative, as they always are for our services. So many of them told me and our staff `thank you' for having this time to cool off. Frankly, it was the very least we could do.”
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St. Mary Magdalene Vincentians, left to right: Rose Emsick,
Gary Henningsen & Paul Maginn
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ST. MARY MAGDALENE VINCENTIANS
COMMITTED TO SSVP MISSION
In the heart of downtown Omaha, St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church’s SSVP conference stands as a beacon of hope and compassion for those less fortunate. From 9:00-10:00 am every Saturday morning, a small (but mighty) group of Vincentian volunteers gathers in the basement of their church to meet with neighbors who are facing financial hardships. Their simple, yet profound mission is to make a positive impact in the lives of these neighbors requesting assistance, by lending a kind ear and a helping hand.
St. Mary Magdalene’s SSVP volunteers commonly provide assistance to families who are struggling to pay their rent and/or utility bills, and have a long, successful history of helping prevent these neighbors in need from falling into homelessness. As a Vincentian and St. Mary Magdalene’s conference President, Rose Emsick shares: “We have a great, collaborative working relationship with managers of the local utility companies. So, even if the hardship is way over what our conference can help with – from a financial perspective – a lot of times these managers will take a minimum amount to keep these neighbors’ utilities from being shut off.”
Rose continues: “It’s similar with a lot of the local property and apartment managers. They’re really good about working with us, and with these neighbors who are struggling to pay their rent. We’ll talk with these apartment managers and say, `Okay, well, we can’t pay the full amount, but we can put $400 down. And, the managers will often agree, and be satisfied. We just always make sure to clarify…'IF we pay this amount, you are NOT going to evict them, right?’"
Another St. Mary Magdalene Vincentian volunteer, Paul Maginn, acknowledges the critical role that their conference plays in our community: "Just think with the housing market in Omaha right now, the absolute last thing low-income people want to do is to get evicted. So, if we can keep them in the home they are in right now, we can do a really great deed for those people.”
Gary Henningsen, also a Vincentian volunteer at St. Mary Magdalene, shares his thoughts about how well their parish – and the larger Omaha community – supports their conference’s efforts in serving the poor: “These last couple of years we’ve been very fortunate to have really great support from the parish. And a lot of these donations come from people who aren’t even parishioners here at St. Mary Magdalene. They come to church here at SMM, and they support our parish and conference. We’re very fortunate to receive enough donations to be able to do the things we need to do – all from our small little parish here in downtown Omaha."
Without a doubt, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church truly IS able to accomplish their mission of serving the poorest of our community. The sustained relationships and clear communications they have with apartment and utilities managers are what ensure that individuals and families who seek assistance receive the help they need. By providing the services they do, St. Mary Magdalene’s SSVP conference has saved many families and individuals from the very real prospect of becoming homeless.
Listening to these St. Mary Magdalene Vincentian volunteers reflect on their conference's service to their neighbors in need, it's clear they find immense joy in their work. On this note, Rose Emsick shares a final thought: "Oh, it's a really great feeling to be able to serve the people who come to us seeking assistance. Frankly, sometimes I think that the Vincentians get more out of all of this than our neighbors do. It's a blessing for sure.”
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HELPLINE TRULY HELPS PREVENT HOMELESSNESS!
What would you do if you were about to be evicted from your home…or you’d received notice that your gas, water, or electric utility service was going to be shut off? What if you had no savings and no safety net to help you through these difficult times? What if the prospect of falling into homelessness seemed like your only “choice."
That scenario describes the “demographic” that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha serves every day of the year… which is why we offer our helpline. The SSVP Helpline is an easy-to-use, one-stop online service for neighbors in need. Here, they can inquire into, and request financial assistance from our organization.
Accessed through the SSVP’s website, our Helpline is staffed by knowledgeable Vincentian volunteers who provide a caring and compassionate response to those neighbors in need who may be experiencing the most difficult and turbulent time in their entire lives.
SSVP Omaha’s Helpline can be found here. Neighbors who do not have internet access can call our organization’s main phone number at 402-779-8499 and leave a voice mail at extension 107.
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SSVP PANTRY RUNNING VERY LOW ON FOOD! | |
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Pantry – located at 2101 Leavenworth Street - is running EXTREMELY low on food. Food donations to the pantry have been extraordinarily down. As was mentioned in last month's newsletter, a recent, non-perishable food drive yielded just a third of what it produced just one year ago. Just one example of the extent to which we’re running low on donated food? At our most recent open pantry day, we were down to just FOUR boxes of cereal.
And, while we provide a large array of non-perishable food to our neighbors in need, the following items are the ones of which we are consistently in need of:
- Cereal
- Meal Kits (e.g. "Hamburger Helper")
- Canned Meat (chicken, etc.)
- Canned Beans (chili or pork and beans)
- Dried Pinto Beans (which are the most popular!)
- Canned Pasta Sauce
If you are able, we would be grateful if you would please consider donating non-perishable food to our pantry – anytime between 9 am and noon, Mondays through Thursdays. In addition, if you belong to a church, civic group, business, etc., please encourage the members of your organization to conduct a non-perishable food drive, to benefit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's food pantry. We would be very grateful. Please call our district office at 402-779-8499 to make arrangements.
On behalf of our neighbors in need who rely on our food pantry to feed their families, thank you VERY much for your thoughtful consideration!
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
*Stock photo used for illustration only*
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To our homeless neighbors around the Holy Family Center, our sack lunch and closet door programs are invaluable. Our neighbors count on St. Vincent de Paul volunteers to give them a consistent meal and a change of clothes, when needed.
Unfortunately, we do not always have all the items we need. During the cold winter months we quickly run out of sweatpants and sweatshirts. Right now, during the midst of a scorching summer heat wave, we are running extremely low on our supply of underwear, and on the most popular sizes of shorts (30-34 waists).
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You can be the difference that keeps these programs consistently stocked and thriving. Will you please consider making an in-kind donation by purchasing one or more items from our Amazon Wishlist? This list contains the essentials for our sack lunch program, including sandwich bags, gloves, and sacks, as well as the most “in-demand” clothes for our Closet Door ministry, such as shorts, underwear, and socks. Every item on our list costs less than a hundred dollars, and each one provides a critical service for the Society and for the neighbors we care for.
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Please take a moment to review the list and see if there's anything within your budget. Every item is in high demand, however, we are in particular need of underwear, and shorts (again….smalls/mediums or 30-34 waists). Your thoughtful donation will go directly to helping our homeless neighbors, bringing comfort and hope to those facing challenging circumstances.
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2023 Winter Coat & Apparel
Drive & Giveaway
Nebraska winters can be brutal, which is why the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha will once again be conducting our annual coat and accessory drive and giveaway. For the second year in a row, this year's giveaway will be held at the Omaha Home for Boys – 4343 North 52nd Street – from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 4, 2023.
As always, this is an “all hands on deck" kind of event. So, we will be asking SSVP conferences, parishes, and any and all other community and civic groups for assistance, both in collecting/purchasing winter coats and apparel for the event, as well as helping with the giveaway, itself, on Saturday, November 4th at the Omaha Home for Boys.
Please keep a look out for more collection/drive and volunteer information and details, including how YOU can lend YOUR hand to this important program to benefit our neighbors in need.
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CATHOLIC MASS
FEAST DAY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
6 PM, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th
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Please know you are cordially invited to attend a mass and reception – here at our Holy Family Center – celebrating the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul. All are welcome!
DETAILS
Tuesday, September 26th
Mass and Reception
Holy Family Center - 1715 Izard St.
6:00 PM - Mass and Reception
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON SEPTEMBER 26TH!
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The Society's 2023 Strawberry Brunch fundraiser was "virtual" again this year. Nonetheless, in total, 85 donors contributed this year....raising more than $8,000 for our food pantry - an amazing amount - at a time of critical need!
Many thanks to everyone who was able to support the 2023 Strawberry Brunch. We are very grateful for your sustained support of this annual event!
And a big note of appreciation goes out to SSVP board member, Diane Mead, who once again chaired the event. Diane's passion and commitment to all things St. Vincent de Paul is truly inspiring!
An incentive for donating to this year's Strawberry Brunch was the chance to win a very cool Strawberry-themed Coach tote/bag - compliments of Rick and Diane Mead. We recently held the drawing for the tote - with Diane selecting the winning couple - Robert & Annette Elliott! A very short video of the drawing can be found here!
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And, just last Thursday, we were able to coordinate the "presentation of the tote," so to speak. Above is the photo of Diane sharing the tote - and her appreciation - with Annette "Toni" Elliott, who has volunteered as a table hostess for past brunches.
Again, we are VERY grateful to Diane, and to everyone who was able to support this year's fundraising event. And we hope to see everyone in person next year at a LIVE Strawberry Brunch!
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