As winter sets in, now is the time to help our neighbors
BY BELINDA ABELL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky would like to express the tremendous gratitude we have for our donors across our 32-county service area. Last month’s article on SVDP’s St. Mary’s conference in Franklin, Ky., needing assistance and the recent parish conference Mass presentations by SVDP members did not go unnoticed by you, our donors. Your generous donations are evidence of your faith in God’s request for us to be the face of Jesus to our brothers and sisters.
As witnessed in last month’s WKC by Jim Dale, SVDP Southeast District president, in St. Mary’s/Franklin the need is great, and it is growing. This newly-established conference is struggling to meet the needs of their neighbors in the Southeast District. A district that serves seven counties: Allen, Butler, Christian, Edmonson, Logan, Simpson, Todd, and Warren.
Many of the conferences in the diocese have been established for several decades and have regular donors but the needs are never completely met. Right now your parish conferences are gearing up not just for the holidays but also for the coming winter. A winter which the weather service is predicting to be a cold one with increased inflation looming in all areas of human need: food, clothing, shelter, utilities… the list continues endlessly and affects every household budget.
If you are struggling to make ends meet with a regular good-paying job, just think how parents of young children feel in a job – or two or three – that only pays minimum wage. Yes, many households are holding down as many as three part-time jobs to provide for their families. That is time away from their children, their spouse, no resting time, time spent wondering where God is in this life of theirs.
Take a minute to review our 2021 SVDP annual report. It is a collective view of the amount of assistance we have provided in our 32 counties. Note that those numbers are before this year’s layoffs happened throughout the state; before the effects of losing unemployment impacted so many in our community. We are gathering our numbers for our 2022 annual report and know already they are higher. So, what is 2023 going to look like? Take a moment to reflect during this season of the year. Why are you thankful? What could you do for others during this season of giving?
If you would like to help our newest conference, SVDP/St. Mary’s in Franklin, send your donation to:
Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Southeast District Council
P.O. Box 1093
Franklin, KY 42135
If you would like to donate to your parish conference, a list of all parish conferences is available on our website: svdpwky.org.
Belinda Abell is the marketing coordinator for Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Western Kentucky.
Originally printed in the December 2022 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
