Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Neighbors Helping Neighbors 2016 Annual Report

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS At St. Vincent de Paul, we truly believe in Neighbors Helping Neighbors and we practice this daily. We make home visits to our neighbors who live in the same community and provide support and material assistance to help them meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and home furnishings when they are going through difficult times. We invite our neighbors to shop in our stores and find great deals and quality merchandise at low prices that help to stretch their dollars. We welcome our neighbors to bring their entire family and eat their evening dinner at one of our two meal programs in a warm and friendly environment. The support our volunteers provide is crucial when families and individuals in our community find themselves in challenging financial and emotional situations and just need a little bit of extra help to get them through difficult times. We thank all of our volunteers who daily assist individuals and families in need. They work closely with our neighbors to help them get their basic needs met so they can better provide for their families. Last year, over 850 of our volunteers provided almost $1.8 million of goods and services to people living in Milwaukee County and gave more than 78,200 volunteer hours. They visited 5,600 homes, distributing gift certificates for free merchandise at our stores. Through our two meal sites, over 102,130 hot nutritious meals were served; 15,615 of these were to children. We thank you for the difference you make in the lives of children and adults in our community by working together with us. Your support allows us to provide basic needs, such as food, new beds, stoves and refrigerators to families who live in our community and rely on our help. Thanks to you we have been able to help many of our neighbors improve their lives and we are committed to continue to do so in the future. We offer our heartfelt thanks to you for helping us carry-out our mission to eliminate hunger and poverty in Milwaukee. Sincerely, Deborah A. Duskey Deborah A Duskey Executive Director Rosemary Storts Rosemary Storts Board President

Summary of 2016 Accomplishments Volunteer Home Services In 2016, trained SVDP volunteers provided almost $1.8 million in goods and services to low-income individuals and families to assist them with the basic necessities of food, clothing, furniture, and other critical needs if possible (depending on funds) e.g. rent, medical expenses, and transportation. Volunteers make community information and referrals available to those whom they visit. There are 53 volunteer groups, with 855 members, providing these services. In 2016, 142,377 people were served throughout Milwaukee County. Many groups operate food pantries, visit prison inmates, and aged care residents. The Intake Department accepts calls where residents request help from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Operation days and business hours for the Administration Office are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meal Programs There are two SVDP meal programs in Milwaukee; the south site is located at 931 W. Madison Street, and the north site is located at 2600 N. 2nd Street. Over 102,000 meals were served in 2016. The South Side Meal Program operates the Healing Waters program, directed to the homeless population, which provides a hot shower, clean clothing, support, and resources. Both serve a free evening meal; the south site Sunday through Friday at 5:30 p.m., and the north site Tuesday through Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. year round. Thrift Stores SVDP operates thrift stores at 2320 W. Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee, and 4476 S. 108 Street, Greenfield. The stores provide a gift certificate program for SVDP volunteers to provide people with whom they are working free clothing, household goods, and furniture. In 2016, over $65,000 worth of merchandise was distributed throughout Milwaukee County. Any income generated from the stores is used to support programs. The Greenfield store hours are Monday through Saturday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The Lincoln store hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 am 7:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am 6:00 pm.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors In 2016, 855 volunteers made 5,600 home visits and provided almost $1.8 million in goods and services to those in need in Milwaukee County! Volunteer Home Services With abounding enthusiasm Vincentians reach out to lend a helping hand in a variety of ways. Our signature service is known as the home visit. There s nothing quite like a neighborly visit especially when arrangements are made to help alleviate the need for basic necessities. The primary focus of our volunteer visitors is to provide beds for those who might otherwise sleep on the floor, resources for food via parish food pantries or delivery of basic staples as well as obtaining kitchen appliances or furniture and household items. Our hospitable outreach provides families and individuals assistance in achieving a stable living environment. Our volunteers show hospitality in other unique ways. Recently, a Vincentian couple, Ashley and James, encouraged their extended family to share the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul with a creative family service project. In one weekend, children as young as 2, as well as talented teenagers and adults representing 12 families, painted over 75 pieces of canvas art and made them available for Vincentians to share house warming gifts when making their home visits. A cheerful way to bring color to oftentimes barren walls!

Meal Program The St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program is a wonderful example of neighbors helping neighbors. At our two sites, volunteers from Milwaukee and surrounding communities, of all ages and faiths, give of their time, talent, and treasures in helping to provide, prepare, and serve the meal for those who are hungry in our community. The volunteers buy, cook and serve the food, some on a monthly basis, so our guests can have at least one good meal each day. Beyond just providing a meal and shower, the SVDP meal program also has special celebrations during the holidays offering our guests traditional family types of activities, including a visit with the Easter Bunny and Easter Baskets, Valentine candy, and pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus and gifts at Christmas. In 2016, more than 102,000 meals were served to our guests, of which 15,615 were served to children. In addition 535 homeless guests were able to take a hot shower and receive clean clothes. The neighborly feeling our guests experience at our meal program is just one way of neighbors helping neighbors in our community.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores Through donated merchandise, the St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores benefit individuals and families in need by fulfilling certificates for clothing and household merchandise. The certificates are issued by Vincentians In 2016, the Neighbors during the Helping Neighbors Neighbors Helping volunteers provided almost Neighbors home visitations. $1.8 million in goods and Our services stores provide to those quality, they low-cost helped in Milwaukee merchandise to thrifty shoppers who are always County! looking for a good deal. let our neighbors know that we care about them. We work with many organizations to provide job training skills and volunteer opportunities. This year one of our Greenfield store volunteers shared his story of how SVDP helped him: My name is Michael Buetow and I heard about St. Vincent de Paul through their meal sites. My mom and I benefited through the program when I was younger when we needed the help. After some time I decided to call 211 at Impact and received a referral for St. Vincent de Paul. Upon calling, I found out they were still giving out vouchers. I explained to them that I am visually impaired and was in need of a computer desk for my desktop computer, as well as a filing cabinet to become more organized. This was important to me because I did not have the funds to purchase these items. And because of that, I greatly appreciate St. Vincent's for helping me. Now I volunteer at their Greenfield location several days during the month where I help greet and give flyers to those who come in as well as helping with packaging and pricing items to sell. After volunteering, I enjoy shopping in the store and receive help from the employees who guide me around the store. For their help and generosity, I wanted to give back my time and energy to the community and the organization.

Every year both our stores hold special events like: Caps for Kids, Canned Food Drives and Santa s Workshop. Santa s Workshop allows customers to get their children s pictures taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus free of charge! It s a way to help those who can t afford to pay for pictures at the mall and give the children some free goodies for the holidays. All income generated from our stores supports both our Meal Programs and our Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program Thanks to donations made by United Healthcare, numerous Vincentians and SVDP Employees & Customers, we were able to fill over 200 backpacks for the homeless! We even had SVDP Employees with their family & friends help pack all the backpacks on their free time with much needed items (blankets, socks, hats, mittens, flashlights, hand warmers, snacks & hygiene products) to be handed out to our Meal Program guests on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Our focus this year was remodeling our 2320 W. Lincoln Avenue location in Milwaukee for updates. We also rearranged our 4476 S. 108 th Street location in Greenfield for more eye appealing displays to better serve our customers!

Financial Report