St vincent de Paul
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,..." - Matthew 25:35
St Vincent de Paul
Serves on the first Sunday of the Month
Through the years, there have been many faithful volunteers. The gift of their time and effort has been priceless.
It is guaranteed that you will go home knowing you have been blessed to be a blessing. If you would like to have an opportunity to experience this worthwhile activity, sign-up online, at the Welcome Table at church on Sundays or you can call the church office during the week, (480) 948-1234
Serving at Saint Vincent de Paul is a rewarding monthly opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus! A group goes to the Phoenix dining room located at 1300 W. Harrison St, Phoenix 85007, and they prep and serve, then clean up after the noon meal on the first Sunday of every month. Bring your spouse, a teen who needs service hours, or a friend, and make new friends who have a heart to serve!
After you register, you will receive an email from Luann Helepololei with the gate code to enter the Saint Vincent de Paul parking lot, and any other instructions you may need. However, if you would like to ride with someone who is leaving from the church after the 8am service, please let Luann know.
Age Requirements: 14 years and older (14-15 year olds must be with a parent)
If you have any questions, please reach out to Luann Helepololei @ (480) 200-2260 or email Lch03@aol.com
Helpful Info
Why Your Service Matters:
Our dining rooms are strategically located throughout the Valley, from Mesa to El Mirage, to be easily accessible to the people who need them most. Every day, we prepare more than 4,500 nourishing meals free of charge to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. All of our services are “take out and sit down”, we remain committed to providing nutrition, belonging, and social connection. By helping with food and other necessities, our families can then put their limited incomes into rent, utilities, and other expenses; your service is helping to save lives and prevent homelessness.
Volunteer Duties:
May include preparing, sorting and bagging food and give-away items, prepping for meal distribution, greeting guests, handing out food and other items to guests, cleaning. Some duties may include lifting, and volunteers should be prepared to stand for long periods of time, bend, lift and carry.
Attire and Belongings:
Closed-toe shoes with rubber soles, sleeved shirts, pants/skirts/shorts that are knee-length or longer. Please refrain from cell phone / headphone use while volunteering. We have limited storage space and recommend bringing as few items as possible.
Volunteer Etiquette:
Please show respect and compassion for each other and for SVdP guests, staff and property. That’s it! We hope you have a fantastic experience – let us know how it was. And, have fun!
Testimonials
The facility where LCdC helps one Sunday a month has changed. It is a newer facility downtown that is easy to get to (little traffic on Sunday morning) and it is well-run by the staff. Several times during the year, there are special events where there are professionals in the community from different walks of life who volunteer their services. When the hair stylists and barbers are there, it is a treat for the homeless to get a shampoo and haircut. St. Vincent de Paul is such a special organization and really makes a difference in our community. By volunteering, we have learned more about the organization, and the numerous areas where it helps.
Clearly, every time someone helps at St. Vincent de Paul, they get far more out of it personally than they give.
We don’t always realize how something as simple as a smile can brighten someone’s day. So, keep smiling!
The initial intention is providing each guest a gracious welcome:
We are so glad you are here.
We’ve been expecting you.
Here’s a special place at the table just for you
This past month, I (Penne) had the opportunity to assist a woman who is blind. Navigating the room, providing a plate of food, then leading her to the restroom and locating clean clothes, I served as her eyes. She offered me the invitation to share conversation, compassion, kindness, dignity, patience and unconditional love. God met us there, together in that space. As the woman left, I thanked her for the gift of our time together. “Thank you for being so nice to me,” she said. “Oh, it’s not me,” I replied. “It’s Christ through me.” Our eyes never met, but our hearts touched for that moment in time.