About Us

Our Mission

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County, Inc. is a non-profit organization serving people in poverty in Northern Indiana. Our programs are intended to relieve emergencies, to provide support, and to encourage self-sufficiency. Our service is centered around honoring the dignity of the human person. We strive to see the face of Christ in everyone we serve and in each other.

We believe in joining together our staff, volunteers, donors, and partners in order to tackle poverty in our community. Together, we work to empower those we serve to help them move from a state of food and housing insecurity to a state of self-sufficiency and success.

Our Values

Growing in faith.

We are a community of volunteers, growing in faith through our person-to-person service to those in need.

Sharing hope.

We help our neighbors in need by honoring their dignity and by empowering them with skills to attain self-sufficiency.

Serving our neighbors in need.

We serve the residents of St. Joseph County, Indiana by providing food, clothing, rent & utility assistance, and beds (to children).

Our Model

Poverty is a complex problem, but here at the St. Vincent de Paul Society, we have tried to simplify the solution with our 4 S's model. We meet those we serve wherever they are on their journey and provide the appropriate programs to help them achieve success.

Survival

We alleviate immediate needs of those who are struggling through emergency assistance programs such as our food pantry and clothing voucher program.

Stability

We provide stability through our Financial Assistance Program and Sweet Dreams Ministry. These programs seek to keep families together and in their homes.

Self-Sufficiency

We use a network of partnerships to connect people with case workers and educational resources. We strive to move clients from day-to-day survival to self-sufficiency and success.

Success

The success of our clients, programs, and organization relies on community support. Without your generous donations, we could not provide for our neighbors in need.

Our History

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joseph County was founded in 1904 by 30 members of St. Patrick's Parish in South Bend, Indiana. The members served the community through person-to-person service, with an emphasis on providing food, clothing, and financial assistance.

Present day, the Society has continued to emphasize person-to-person service. Our programs have expanded to include our food pantry, home visits, clothing vouchers, financial assistance, and Sweet Dreams Ministry.

To learn more about the National St. Vincent de Paul Society, visit https://ssvpusa.org/about-us/history/.