Conference News and Notes
for Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Sent to all Vincentians & Staff
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Vincentian Reflection for the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Gospel: (Luke 9:11-17) The Twelve approached Jesus and said, “Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place.” He said to them, “Give them some food yourselves.” They replied, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” They numbered about five thousand. Then Jesus said, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty.” They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.
Reflection: There is perhaps no more heart-wrenching sight than the malnourished and starving. These sights demand a response from us. We know there is food in abundance; we know we are a nation that generally overeats. We know that often the world hunger problem is tied into politics. We know all these facts. And so when we celebrate this particular feast and hear these readings we are once more prodded to respond. Our own share in God’s abundant gifts to us demands that those gifts spill out for those in need. The gospel moves from the practical, tangible level to the mystery of God’s abundance and excess; from our being in control to surrendering ourselves so that God provides all we need. (Living Liturgy, p.150)
Vincentian Meditation: Jesus was not only compassionate with his heart, but he was compassionate also with his hands, and he willed that the compassion should reach the people until the end of time. There are millions who watch pictures of poverty on our television screens and feel generous towards the poor. Their reaction so often goes no further than feeling. Vincentians, however, imitate Jesus in that they are not content to feel generous, they show their generosity by being a sign of God’s love, a sign of God’s generosity, and a sign of God’s service, of his service in a special way to the poor. The most unfortunate people in society are those who have not had the experience of being loved. Before loving others, we must come to the realization that we are at every moment of our lives being loved by God. (McCullen, Deep Down Things, p. 669)
How have you experienced God’s love, God’s generosity, and God’s service?
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Your Formation and Training Opportunities & Tips
Formational Insight of the Week, from Chris Kelley
Why do we meet regularly and in-person? Besides being a point mentioned by the Rule (Part I, Article 3.3), it is also helpful to remember why we gather on a practical or experiential level. A recently re-shared article from years ago by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI speaks to this in a deeper, more eloquent way than I will, yet our time together is an opportunity to invite Christ more deeply into our lived experiences, to let Him lead and shape us in this life, as well as to lean on one another for support when we have had a particularly challenging or moving encounter with a neighbor, and, ultimately, to discover who we are called to be as Vincentians ourselves. At our core, every gathering we have will slowly lead us into a deeper awareness of the sacred/God at work in our lives, a tighter bond with one another, and a growing dedication to be the hands and feet of Christ with our neighbors.
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Prayer Partner Opportunities – Each quarter we invite Vincentians, Volunteers, Staff, and others to take part in a new opportunity to pray with and for one another. Partners are paired and connected at random, and general ideas for possible focuses/prayers are provided as an opportunity to walk with someone for a bit. Communication methods and frequency can be determined by the individual pairings as feels most appropriate. Please rsvp by June 30th by email to Chris Kelley to be included in the next quarter, which starts in July.
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Our Summer Social is This Evening @ St Matthias
Thanks to all who RSVP'ed - See You There!
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Our 2022 Vincentian Member Survey is Live!
Your Vincentian experience and aspirations matter to us. Please invest a few (5-10?) minutes to share your perspective in this survey which was developed with your fellow Vincentian members of our Conference Life Committee. We encourage you to participate on-line, via SurveyMonkey, which can be accessed right now by simply clicking on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RFJW3SN . Alternatively, your Conference may make on-line access available at your upcoming Conference meeting. If you prefer to participate by completing the survey on paper, you can find a printable version by clicking on this link:
Completed written surveys can be submitted by mailing to:
St Vincent de Paul - 2022 Vincentian Member Survey
1125 Bank St
Cincinnati, OH 45214
Attn: Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator
66 Vincentians have participated via SurveyMonkey in these first 2 weeks!
This survey will remain open until Thurs, 6/30/2022.
We will summarize and analyze the responses submitted; share key take-aways; and utilize this info to determine actions to better serve you.
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Our Pantry Network in Action
Church of the Resurrection Conference in Bond Hill
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Members of our Church of the Resurrection Conference invest each Wednesday, noon-2pm, serving their neighbors via a food pantry drive-thru service model. Bond Hill residents can receive food assistance including fresh produce and frozen meat, personal care, and necessary household items up to two times per month. The Vincentian team comes together each Tuesday before the distribution to pack boxes and bags in advance of the expected 50-100 households they serve in an average distribution day and the same volunteers run an incredibly effective distribution the next day. Rain or shine, our Church of the Resurrection Conference is dedicated to serving their neighbors in the best way they know how - with love, zeal, and a constant reflection of our Vincentian values. |
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Catino Choice Food Pantry Volunteers Needed
Are you looking for an additional way to live out your Vincentian calling? Our Catino Choice Food Pantry (Neyer Outreach Center, 1146 Bank St) has seen rising numbers of neighbors accessing our pantry over the last few months and we’re in need of additional volunteer support to meet the demand. We have a particular need for volunteers who can help in the morning (8am-11:30am) and in late afternoon (2-4pm). Come by yourself, with your spouse, or with a small group from your Conference.
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Neyer Outreach Center (NOC) Mural Brightens Our Good Works |
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Volunteers and staff gathered this past Friday, 6/10, to dedicate a new mural commissioned by ArtWorks Cincinnati, created by local artist and muralist Tina Westerkamp, and funded partly by a grant from The Louise Taft Semple Foundation.
The design beautifully weaves together key figures from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's history, imagery from the Gospels, aspects of Vincentian spirituality, and depictions of SVDP's work in our community, further uniting our neighbors and each of us in a sense of our Society's roots and legacy. The next time you visit our NOC, please take a moment to look up! What do you see in the mural?
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Archdiocese of Cincinnati Beacons of Light Initiative
- We will have 24 Families of Parishes in Hamilton County. 23 of the 24 Families have at least 1 active SVDP Conference currently. We have active Conferences present in 56 of the 74 current Hamilton County parishes. Of the 18 current parishes without a Conference, 16 of those parishes are in Families with at least 1 active Conference. How can we introduce and invite more Hamilton County Catholics to this gift of our Vincentian vocation?
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Beacons of Light will be implemented by our Archdiocese on 7/1, now just over 2 weeks away. How are you preparing for opportunities in your Family of Parishes?
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Our Archdiocese continues to post fresh content at BeaconsAOC.org .
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Our Archdiocese hosts monthly Beacons Roundtable Zoom gatherings on Tuesdays, 1:30-3pm. These gatherings are attracting priests, deacons, parish leaders, and passionate parishioners from throughout our Archdiocese. The final Phase 0 - Warm-Up gathering of this initiative will be this Tuesday, 6/21, entitled Love in Action. This will transition us from Phase 0 into Phase 1 - Leadership - which begins 7/1.
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Prescription Fore Fun to Benefit our Charitable Pharmacy |
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All proceeds benefit our Deaconess Health Check/ Charitable Pharmacy, the only pharmacy in Southwest Ohio dedicated to providing free medication and professional pharmaceutical care to people in need from Hamilton, Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties.
Our Charitable Pharmacy is on pace to fill more than 70,000 free prescriptions again this year and continues to serve significantly more patients than prior to the pandemic.
Your critical support helps sustain and deepen our Charitable Pharmacy's life-saving services. For every $1 invested, the Charitable Pharmacy is able to dispense $11 worth of medication to its patients.
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The Heat is On... and Our Summer Heat Relief Program is in Full Swing
Our AC request form is available for our neighbors to complete a request at https://SVDPcincinnati.org/AC . Vincentians are welcome to complete a request on behalf of a neighbor. Vincentians can also arrange to pick-up (@ our NOC, M-F, 9am-3pm) & deliver an AC for mobility-challenged neighbors who have been notified their request has been approved.
We are currently distributing fans on a walk-in basis at our NOC. Neighbors can request & receive a fan during our normal operating hours.
To-date, we have distributed 751 fans & 205 air conditioners - that's a whole lot of cool(er) neighbors in the midst of this heat wave!
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Referring Neighbors for our Council's
Centrally Administered Assistance Programs
At this point in time, we have fully extended all (City of Cincinnati) EPI and (Hamilton County) TANF funding made available to us. We are, for now, not extending assistance from either program.
Availability of assistance through publicly-funded programs is fluid. We will continue to pass along new developments so you can manage expectations accordingly...please watch for an announcement coming soon.
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CMS Tips & Tricks
John Wessel, our Resource Analyst, has created a series of over 30 easily viewed and absorbed videos that are available to you 24/7 on our CMS Support Page, https://www.svdpcincinnati.org/cms-support-page/. Password, if you are prompted: member .
CMS helps you better engage and lift your neighbors. And it will help us better attract & deploy resources to assist these same neighbors experiencing need.
Our latest progress: St Gertrude implemented 6/1 and our Lady of Victory will implement 7/1...at least 8 more Conferences are in our pipeline toward implementation...and further enhancements of CMS are on the way!
Join fellow Vincentians & Conferences and make this leap forward - for our neighbors and fellow Vincentians - now!
Whether you are a current CMS user - or soon to be one - Help sessions are available! Please contact John at jwessel@SVDPcincinnati.org, or by phone at 513.562.1823 to schedule a group or individual session.
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Your Conferences Support Team - Who Does What
Please note additions/changes in red, with further progress & evolution anticipated:
CAF applications & assistance; thrift store voucher forms & stickers; Christ Church Plumb Line; Vincentian recruiting displays & brochures; Conference Locator Map; changes to Conference members roster; volunteering in Conferences Support
Quarterly reports; questions about referrals for neighbors; our SVDP-Cinn’s Members webpage content; Conference officers training; training workshops; Metro bus passes under Everybody Rides Metro program
Tom Roberts, Director of Conferences, troberts@svdpcincinnati.org , 513.345.4910 Beacons of Light, Families of Parishes; Conference strategic or leadership matters; weekly Conference News and Notes; support team members visiting Conference meetings; Council events; twinning & CAF contributions; Conference Life Committee; facilitating support for your Conference beyond our Conferences Support team
Our team is here to serve you.
Please also note that each Family of Parishes, and the current Conferences within these respective Family of Parishes, now have a designated primary contact point-person, which is either Sunnie Johnson-Lain, Senior Director of Services, or 1 of the 3 Conference Support team members listed above. Our Conference Presidents have received a reference document identifying these relationships.
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More Resources for our Conferences and Neighbors
Conference Assistance Fund (CAF)
We, together, extended $502,123 in total FY2022 CAF assistance for the 8 months ended 5/31/2022.
Our June activity (through Tues, 6/14/2022):
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You've submitted 98 applications (in the first 2 weeks!)
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We've approved 90 applications & 2 were declined
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We currently have 26 applications in progress toward approval
We have received authorization to extend up to $60,000 in CAF assistance per month until our 9/30 FY2022 year end. We were granted special authorization to extend to $70,000 for just the month of May - and we fully extended this increased amount.
Please take note: As shared with all Conference Presidents in April, and revisited during our Conference Presidents Meeting, a Conference must be utilizing CMS to access CAF assistance effective our 10/1/2022 start to FY2023. While there are multiple reasons for this step forward, one of the most exciting is that we are actively seeking to fully integrate our CAF process - from application to assistance extended - within our CMS tool. This should deliver better visibility and efficacy for all.
We offer thanks to those Conferences & their donors who have recently twinned through CAF, to our Conferences & Vincentians who are submitting quality applications, to our volunteers who are processing these applications so promptly, and to Olivia & Alec. We encourage you to fully consider our neighbor's situation and other resources - including community partners & programs and your Conference's own funds - which could be deployed as you discern a request for CAF assistance. This is particularly applicable to neighbor situations where the total $ required exceeds the sum of the assistance you can assemble - and please remember there are other programs available in our community which have provisions for much higher assistance caps. If you are contemplating extending CAF assistance as a more-immediate bridge due to extended turnaround times for other publicly-funded community programs, please make sure our neighbor is in the queue for these other programs to which they should be eligible. Advocate for & with our neighbor to seek these community resources!
Metro Bus Passes (Everybody Rides Metro)
Your Conference has access to Metro bus passes to be extended to neighbors for use for any of 3 defined purposes:
- Commute to/from new employment
- Commute to/from our Bank St services hub or other community social services
- Commute to/from medical appointments
Please understand that these passes are sourced through the Everybody Rides Metro program and our Council is required to comply with the above-referenced usages and submit detailed reports of passes distributed. Please also understand that your Conference will need to record bus passes extended in CMS for the neighbors receiving this assistance. If your Conference wants to learn more about the specifics of this program or request passes, please contact Alec Jewell, Conferences Manager, at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org , or 513.345.4983.
Our Charitable Pharmacy is Still Providing COVID Vaccinations
The CDC has recently released new guidance on boosters for those most susceptible to severe COVID complications. We have the Pfizer vaccine. Want more info? Our Charitable Pharmacy staff is available to answer any questions. You can contact Dr. Rusty Curington at rcurington@svdpcincinnati.org and a Pharmacy team member will respond.
Our Re-Entry Program
Our Re-Entry Program Manager, Dion Crockett, is eager to work with you to assist neighbors you are serving who have been affected by the criminal justice system. If you would like to host Dion at a Conference meeting, get together with him in another way, or discuss a particular situation, Dion can be reached at 513.562.8851 or dcrockett@svdpcincinnati.org .
Rahe Beds Fund & Program
All June requests submitted by June 5 have been processed. Conferences are invited to submit requests for two additional beds this month. These can be emailed to Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org .
If your Conference is considering purchasing beds to extend as assistance, you can get info, including current pricing, or purchase by contacting Dave Chidlow, Stores Retail Resource Manager, at dchidlow@svdpcincinnati.org or 513.853.1002. Your purchased beds will be picked up at our CHRC within our Liz Carter Center. Please be aware that our beds cost and resale pricing have risen significantly.
We still have a limited number of cribs & pack ‘n’ plays available for neighbors with children too young for beds (under age two). These do not count against the limit of two Rahe beds per household per lifetime. If you have a neighbor who is in need of a crib or pack ‘n’ play, please contact Gabby at rahebedfund@svdpcincinnati.org. We will provide the neighbor with a voucher that can be redeemed at our CHRC.
Do you have questions about our Rahe Beds Fund & Program?
Please click on this link Bed Program Conference Guide to review our most current information, which includes some updates to the way beds assistance should be entered in CMS.
SafeParish Training
St. Vincent de Paul takes seriously the safety of the children and vulnerable adults who we serve in our ministry. As a Catholic lay organization, we are required to adhere to Safeguarding standards that are consistent with those of our Archdiocese. If you engage with anyone under the age of 18 or with vulnerable adults as part of your work with SVDP, or if you have questions about whether you should complete this training, please reach out to Alec Jewell at ajewell@svdpcincinnati.org for more information on Safeguarding or to register for SafeParish training/background checks. We appreciate your efforts to ensure a safe environment for the neighbors who we serve.
Cooking Improv with La Soupe
Our partner La Soupe teams with our Catino Choice Pantry to present monthly Cooking Improv demonstrations in the Teaching Kitchen at our NOC. Instructors from La Soupe engage participants on basic cooking principles and how to use what you have to create delicious, nutritious meals. All recipes are based off ingredients found daily in our Catino Choice Pantry. The demonstrations are on the first Wednesday of every month, 11am-1pm. Neighbors are encouraged to sample the delicious dishes and discuss preparation and ingredients with our staff, volunteers, and resident La Soupe instructor Chef Mona!
The next event is Wednesday, 7/6. No pre-registration is required. Feel free to share this information with your neighbors, or if you’re interested in getting involved in our Teaching Kitchen programming, please reach out to Demi Schoenherr at dschoenherr@svdpcincinnati.org for more information.
Education Center Within Our Neyer Outreach Center
Our NOC Education Center is available for neighbors to use during our operating hours: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm, and Saturday, 8am - noon.
Christ Church Plumb Line
Olivia Scheper, Conferences Support Coordinator, is our central contact point-person. Plumb Line only accepts assistance referrals from this single SVDP point-person.
As a reminder, Plumb Line can assist with $400 of past due rent for neighbors who are currently working.
All referrals to Plumb Line should be sent to:
Olivia Scheper
Phone: 513.345.4986, ext 239
Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW)
GCWW's Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program provides funds for assistance for eligible tenants residing in the City of Cincinnati. There are eligibility stipulations. Tenants must qualify by completing an online application at assistance.mygcww.org .
Renters can also call 513.591.7700 to receive assistance from the call center to complete an application. There is also a flexible payment plan through the PromisePay Portal. GCWW customers can visit GCWW.promise-pay.com for details about the program and how to enroll. Renters not residing in Cincinnati city limits but living in Hamilton County can visit https://erap.hcjfs.org/ for utility assistance. If you need additional materials or information, please contact GCWW at GCWWCares@gcww.cincinnati-oh.gov .
Duke Energy
The combination of high temperatures and elevated fuel prices will impact summer bills. As such, Duke Energy has again created a ToolKit with relevant content at
Continued global events and rising fuel prices will affect Duke Energy customers across the region this summer. Duke Energy has programs, tips and resources to help our neighbors and us better manage energy use and spending. Please visit duke-energy.com/SummerBill for more information.
For questions on accounts or pledges for neighbors requesting utility assistance, please contact Duke Energy's Centralized Agency Team at 800.241.3194. Advocates are currently available Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 5:30pm.
Additional info on public assistance resources can be found at energyhelp.ohio.gov
State of Ohio Program for Struggling Homeowners
Save the Dream Ohio helps eligible Ohio homeowners facing foreclosure and/or who cannot afford to pay their mortgage payments, utility payments or other related housing costs as a result of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of Ohio was awarded $280 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the program. Click here for more information:
City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County COVID Assistance
There is still a substantial sum of COVID federal economic recovery & relief emergency funding available in our area. If you encounter a neighbor who has experienced financial hardship due to COVID, please refer them to https://513relief.org .
Cincinnati Eye Institute Foundation (CEIF) Vision Clinic in our Neyer Outreach Center
The Vision Clinic operates by appointment on certain Thursdays as designated by CEIF. Our Vision Clinic is open, 8:30am - 3pm, tomorrow and each of the remaining Thursdays in June. A limited number of walk-in exams can also be accommodated. To schedule an appointment, or to inquire for additional info, please call 513.207.6140.
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Call to Prayer
Jesus, you are the bread that fills the longing of our hearts,
may we be the sign of your love.
Jesus, you are the wine that satisfies our thirst for holiness,
may we be the sign of your generosity.
Jesus, your food strengthens us for the journey,
may we be the sign of your service.
Amen.
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