Note: This is one of the featured articles from the Advent issue of the DISCIPLE newsletter. If you are not receiving DISCIPLE at your home, please register as a parishioner or update your contact information by emailing Deanna at the parish office. Pictured at right, communiy members enjoy lunch after the annual Friends of the Poor Walk sponsored by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Photos courtesy of Jeanne Van Drasek, Amy and Dan Dupay, and Jodi Gendron
With so much growth and relative prosperity in our community, it’s easy to miss those in need. For the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Sharing and Caring Hands, helping the poor is a daily calling—and a blessing for both giver and receiver.
No Hands But Ours
Jeanne and Rob Van Drasek and Amy and Dan Dupay (pictured below) have seen Wright County poverty firsthand volunteering with the St. Francis of Assisi conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVdP). As Vincentians, they visit those in need face-to-face.
“Maybe they have been relying on family to help them pay rent, buy food, or provide gas money, and now their family is no longer able to support them,” says Jeanne. “Sometimes they have a medical emergency, such as a surgery, and, with lost wages, will be evicted from their apartment without some assistance. We also meet with the truly homeless, who live in their car and need assistance finding a shelter or a hotel for a shower and a good night’s rest before a job interview.”
The role of a Vincentian is not merely material assistance, but prayerful presence, active listening, and helping each person recognize and recover his or her dignity as a person made in God’s image.
“Most need someone to believe in them and give guidance and hope,” Amy says. “Picture someone who has lost their way or may have never known the right way. Obstacle after obstacle is what they encounter.”
The process works like this: When a call comes in to SSVdP, a member answers to get an overview of the situation. A pair of Vincentians—always a man and a woman, though not always a married couple—is assigned to the “neighbor” in need, based on who is next in the rotation, their availability, the urgency of the need, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. A family being evicted may need immediate help, while less urgent issues permit volunteers with less flexibility to schedule a visit at a time that works for everyone.
It’s never up to the visitors to determine what to do for the client in the moment. Typically, the needs are brought back to the conference, which meets every other week, to decide together how best to help. In more urgent situations, the conference’s five-person board is contacted and decides what steps to take.
“Our goal is to not just be a band-aid to an ongoing difficulty or situation,” Jeanne says. “Some we help once, and they never need to contact us again. Others may need to reach out more often. Each time a new request is made, we do a home visit, developing trust and working towards systemic change.”
The ability to do more attracted Dan Dupay to join Amy as a Vincentian. As business administrator at the Church of St. Henry in Monticello, he often met with people asking for help—but with limited funds and time, a gas or food card was the typical response.
“When we started referring people to St. Vincent de Paul, those who were ready to make a change started seeing a real difference in their lives,” he says.
Dan volunteered to keep books for the SSVdP thrift store in St. Michael, then was invited to get more involved. Now he serves alongside his bride, ministering to people he could only devote minutes to in his job.
“It’s amazing what happens when you sit down to listen and let them know their worth,” he says. “Jesus tells us the poor will always be with us. We aren’t going to end it; our time is what we can really give. That’s how I’ve grown the most, in the pure relationships we build in a short amount of time.”
“Their stories are details of humans trying to live in a broken world,” says Amy. “But the bigger and superior story is that they are a child of God. ... We all need someone to bring us the story of a great Hope, a great Love. I hope to show our neighbors that they are worthy of love, that they matter, that they are seen and known.”
Jeanne says missionary work has always been on her heart, but proved difficult while raising a family. For many years, she and Rob donated to charities, but ultimately decided that their Corporal Works of Mercy could not be outsourced.
“Jesus asks us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead,” she says. “St. Vincent de Paul allows us to do that in an active way that serves those in our local communities.”
Hearts for the Homeless
Jodi Gendron leads our parish support of Sharing and Caring Hands, a Catholic non-profit founded by Mary Jo Copeland to serve the poor in Minneapolis. On the second Thursday of the month, Gendron brings St. Michael Catholic School (StMCS) sixth-graders (pictured below) and parents downtown to prepare and serve a hot meal for scores of homeless men, women, and children at the Sharing and Caring Hands kitchen.
“The students are always so excited to go,” she says, “and the people coming in for a meal just love seeing them. The meals are important, but people spending time with the homeless feeds their souls. They love it when we bring homemade cookies and bars, because they know that time and talent, prayer and love went into them.”
Gendron collects donated food to prepare the monthly meal. During the height of the pandemic, fewer people were coming in to eat, but numbers are on the rise again. She prepares for 150 people and sends the leftovers to Mary’s Place, a transitional housing facility for homeless families.
“We need food donations in larger quantities—large cans or bags of vegetables, lots of bars and cookies,” she says. “Dry or canned goods can be brought to the church and left on the ledge by the kitchen anytime, but people should contact me to let me know. Frozen foods and fresh baked goods should be brought the morning of the second Thursday by 10:00 AM, before we leave.”
Cash donations go directly to the church and are divided between Sharing and Caring Hands and other ministries. When school is not in session, Gendron needs at least three volunteers to help prepare and serve meals in place of the students. Families, men’s and women’s groups, or other ministry groups are all welcome to help.
In addition, the parish collects clothing, towels, sheets, blankets, and more, in the yellow dropbox in the church parking lot. Hats, mittens, gloves, and other cold-weather gear are especially important—and so many people give their clothing and household items to resale stores that the need is great. Fortunately, SSVdP works closely with Gendron to share items that Sharing and Caring Hands can use. StMCS also collects toys and games for children at Mary’s Place.
Volunteers make weekly trips to Sharing and Caring Hands to drop off these donations, and Gendron says they are always looking for more helpers.
“We would love more help, with food donations, preparing meals during the summer, and delivering donated clothing and other items downtown,” Gendron says. “It’s a wonderful way to be Jesus to those in need."
Want to Help?
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
Become a Vincentian. SSVdP needs adults— especially men—to join its ranks. You will be trained and receive ongoing spiritual formation and prayer. To learn more, email [email protected] or call 763-634-1167.
Support the Store. The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store provides revenue and necessities to support individuals in need. All money, minus expenses, goes directly to serve the poor. The store always welcomes donations, volunteers, and shoppers. For information, contact the store at 763-276-1909 or [email protected] or visit svdpstore.net.
SHARING AND CARING HANDS
Help with Meals: Contact Jodi Gendron at [email protected] or 612-701-8504. (Texting is best.)
Help with Donated Items: Contact Jeannette Christman at [email protected] or 763-234-6342.