Each year before Thanksgiving, and again before Easter, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul reconnects with families it has helped in the past. They are invited to come to the church to select items that they need and want for their family’s use. We offer pantry items, toiletries, paper products, and supermarket gift card for fresh foods and other items for their feast. We know the people we serve. Each family has been visited at least once, and some several times over the years, by two members of the Society. These home visits are an important part of our service to those in need and it is in sitting down and talking in the privacy of a person’s home that we assess their situation and offer the help we can. (During the pandemic we met people outdoors or by phone.) We have met pregnant women whose lives have been upended by difficult situations, workers without paid sick leave, a dad who could not work due to cancer, and later his widow with young children who wondered how she would manage. We serve families living in basements, in apartments above a store, in two flats and in apartment buildings on Western, Wilson, Lawrence, Montrose, Kedzie and many other streets in our area.
These are your neighbors. Some speak Spanish, some speak Arabic, many speak English. Most of the families we serve have children but others are older adults and people dealing with chronic illness who are often living alone. When they call on us, they are calling on you as members of our parish, and when we answer, it is through your generosity that we can offer them food, toiletries, help with a bill, clothing, and other necessities.
If you are able to donate groceries and toiletries, please bring your donation to the church during the usual Mass times up through Friday, November 18th. You may also donate through Give Central or place cash or checks in the Poor Boxes located either side of the stairs just outside the Gathering Space in Queen of Angels Church.
May God bless you for your generosity.
