Volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul provided Paducah woman with friendships, purpose in life
BY SUZANNE WARREN, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
I think many people become a part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society because it completes something in them. They feel something is missing in their life, or there is a stress that is overwhelming; they may have a feeling of loneliness or they feel unappreciated.
Mine was stress. In 2007 I was working full time at WPSD-TV and my mother, with whom I was very close, had cancer. Before my sister moved back to Paducah to help out, I would check on Mom at lunch and spend every night with her (God bless my patient husband, Nick). This went on for several months until her death. Shopping was a stress reliever and I’d find myself stopping by St. Vincent’s Budget Store to look around and just be with people. The store manager at the time, Vicki Elliott, asked me numerous times why I didn’t volunteer there and I’d say, “When I retire.” I retired in 2013, I kept my word, and started volunteering at St. Vincent’s.
I sorted clothes on Fridays and eventually made wonderful friends who I looked forward to being with every week. The clothes we put out on the sales floor brought in money that went to our Paducah St. Vincent de Paul Helpline (and Mayfield’s too). Then I was asked to be on the SVDP conference board and be the secretary. I said yes – and before you know it I was conference president and eventually added a district president position.
I moved from the store operation to the Helpline and how eye-opening that was. I never realized the number of people in our county who were struggling to make ends meet. I also realized how important the store was to funding the Helpline so we could assist people with their needs. We hand out the assistance, but it’s the people who shop with us and the people who give donations who make it all happen.
I have made many friends and I continue to feel that I have a place in society and that I’m doing something that benefits others. And not just those who come to us for assistance and shopping, but also those volunteers who need a welcome place to be.
I highly recommend volunteering at St. Vincent’s. We have many locations throughout western Kentucky. All have the same goals of friendship, spirituality, and service. Come join us!
Suzanne Warren belongs to St. Francis de Sales Parish in Paducah.
Originally printed in the May 2021 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.