"The poor alone demand your time; treat them with gentleness, with tenderness, with love. They are the nobility of heaven."... St. Vincent de Paul

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Special Works

In the Detroit area, the men and women of the Society have a long and proud history of service to the poor. Here are some of their works:

Home Visits

The basic work of the Society is the home visiting of needy neighbors done by the 2,000 members of the 200 parish conferences in the Archdiocese.

Thrift Stores

The 10 retail thrift stores exist to give community members a chance to shop economically. Almost $1,000,000 in goods are given free to the needy. Remaining revenue pays staff and expenses, supports our Camps, Food Depots, Employment Office, Scholarships, and other programs.Computerized registers have been installed to help efficiency.

Food

The Matchan Nutrition Center, operated by Oakland County Vincentians and located at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Pontiac, Michigan, serves meals twice weekly at noon.

The Community Food Depots were established in 1982 in response to the growing need for emergency food. Here families can receive groceries to tide them over until they get back on their feet. Over 75 groups refer clients and donate food, money, and volunteers to our program. Hundreds of individuals support us with food and monetary donations. Each year, the Food Depots and Parish Pantries give out food to over 10,000 persons.Together we carry on the work of St. Vincent de Paul who served the poor with dignity.

Van Elslander Center

The Van Elslander Family Center at 3000 Gratiot Avenue in Detroit is on the former site of the Society's main warehouse, which was destroyed by fire in December 1995. SVDP collaborates with 10 community agencies in providing specialized programs to help individuals and families lift themselves up and out of poverty. The Center houses a Head Start center, non-acute health and dental care centers, a thrift store, an emergency food depot, a credit union and legal services.

Camps

The Society has a great summer camping program which is fully-funded for needy children. Our camps have provided over 101,000 children in need the opportunity to experience this special program throughout the years. If you would like to donate to help send a child to camp, you should know that donating to our camps through the Detroit Free Press Charities will double your gift through a matching gift from the Skillman Foundation. Contact a member of our Development Department at (313) 972-3100 for more details.