The Southwest Texas
VINCENTIAN VOICE
A monthly newsletter for all members of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest Texas Council
A Message from Your Servant Leader...
This liturgical year we listen and meditate on the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel is primarily addressed to the “Chosen People of Israel.” Jesus describes his life is to fulfill the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) in terms of the New Israel. Chapters Five through Eleven describe the basic blueprint of life in the New Israel. In Chapter Eleven he reminds us we are to be the light which shows the good deeds we do in the name of God’s new message of love. He concludes Chapter Eleven with a powerful message. “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me. For I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As Vincentians, and those of like mind, these are the tasks we undertake. In the past many weeks I have observed the Conferences making heroic efforts to maintain their Conferences open for food assistance and referrals for family assistance. What a blessing this is! However, I have also observed and seen reported our reduced efforts to visit with our brothers and sisters in need. Our brothers and sisters now more than ever need our compassion and hope the Gospel passages above reveal. We are Jesus in the here and now. We are the ones who will be present to those who labor and are burdened with their life situations. We are Jesus taking on their “yoke” of difficulties. We must rethink what we are doing and make our visits, even though “virtual,” our highest priority. They are “crying,” many times literally, to hear our voice and be a listening ear. Please, please make their burden light and restful because of God’s love for them.

To empower us for this mission in these critical days, we will be scheduling teleconferences for refection and prayer devoted to the works described above. We will announce these sessions' time and date.

Finally, on the business side, we are establishing a Board Committee to address our short and long term facility needs. Our Committee will be sure we can reach a Society consensus on this plan. Also because the COVID 19 virus is becoming more a threat we must plan to respond should someone in the Conference become infected. A Plan to respond to such an emergency has just been published. Conferences Presidents will be able to brief our members on the plan. Let all continue to follow established practices of mask-wearing, social distancing, and continuous cleaning to prevent this from happening.

May God’s love and peace be with you and remember he came to give all of us life and life to the full.

Frank
Our St. Vincent de Paul Society is joining Catholic Charities, San Antonio Food Bank, and Edgewood ISD to hold a Faith Pop-Up food distribution event. A Pop-Up event is a drive up food distribution.

The goal is to serve 300 families.

This a wonderful opportunity for us to join together and provide food for families in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19.

WHERE:    
John F. Kennedy High School
1922 S General McMullen Dr,
SA TX 78226

WHEN:            
Thursday, July 30, 2020 AT 2PM

WHO:
Families and individuals impacted by COVID-19 who meet the eligibility income guidelines 

REGISTRATION:     

VOLUNTEERS:        
If you would like to volunteer the day of the event, email  volunteer@svdpsa.org  – provide your name and number of volunteers that can assist. 
IMPORTANT ACCOUNTING ANNOUNCEMENT

If you have not turned in your 1st six month Conference report, please do so as soon as possible.
Thanks-SVdP Accounting
THANK YOU!
Thank you to all our Conferences who have welcomed our contract photographer out to your sites to take photos. He has done a tremendous job capturing the compassionate work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest Texas Council Conferences and our Vincentians.

Below please find a few photos from his shoots.

We will be sharing more with you as they come in.
St. Anne's Catholic Church
San Antonio, TX
Friday, June 5, 2020
St. Gregory Catholic Church
San Antonio, Texas
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTION!


The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Francis of Assisi in San Antonio prepared Back To School packets yesterday.   ♥️ Thank you so much for sharing this photo with us!

We know there is uncertainty regarding the upcoming school year. Our prayers are with our families, our children, and our teachers and school staff. 

Our Vincentians prepared these packs because they wanted to ensure that, no matter what the situation, children that need school supplies will have school supplies. Very well done!


St. Francis de Assis
San Antonio, Texas
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Partnership with Youth Ministry
RESURRECTION OF THE LORD CONFERENCE
On Saturday, July 11 the parish Youth Ministry program conducted a food drive to support those served by Resurrection of the Lord Conference. 989 pounds of food was collect and cash donations totaling $1,370 was received. Great fellowship and comradeship was experience by our youth and our Vincentians. The parish Youth Ministry has always been supportive of the Conference with help during special events and collection funds such as Souper Bowl for Caring. Congratulations on an successful event!
Congratulations to SVdP Kerrville for being selected to manage the new Change For Charity Program in Kerrville!
Utility Bill Payment Assistance Program
Lending a helping hand to our neighbors in need

The Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) approved the establishment of a new Change for Charity Program Fund at its June 17, 2020 board meeting in response to the COVID-19 health crisis for residential customers struggling to pay their electric bills.
 
How can someone apply/find out if they are eligible for bill payment assistance?

The Change for Charity program fund will be administered by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a 501c3 nonprofit, to grant electric bill assistance to eligible households. The funds are administered at no additional cost and are exclusively for KPUB’s residential customers.

KPUB will not handle any bill payment assistance requests directly. Requests for financial aid must be made through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul since they are the nonprofit organization that administers the program funds.

Eligibility for electric bill assistance through program funds is granted exclusively for KPUB residential customers and is qualified by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for income-eligible households and on a case-by-case emergency situation.

Email instructions to apply can be found on their website at  svdpndkerr.org/financial-aid .

Requests can be emailed to them directly at  svdpkerr@hctc.net .
HOW TO SUBMIT CONFERENCE PHOTOS AND STORIES

If you would like to share photos of what your Conference is doing OR you would like us to send a photographer to your Conference to capture the work you are doing in the community, reach out to Rosie at Rosie.Abreu@svdpsa.org .
COMMUNITY INFORMATION
In an effort to keep everyone safe and informed,
we continue to update our COVID RESOURCES page.

Below please find graphics shared by the Mayor's office. You can find this information and more on our page.


For the latest information regarding SVdP's response to COVID-19 please click the button below.
WEAR YOUR FACE COVERING CORRECTLY
  • Wash your hands before putting on your face covering
  • Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin
  • Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face
  • Make sure you can breathe easily
SOCIAL DISTANCING BEST PRACTICES
1) Practice social distancing. Keep at least 6-8 feet of space between you and other people.

2) People 10 years or older should wear a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth when in a public place where it is difficult to keep six feet away from other people, such as visiting a grocery store/pharmacy or working in areas that involve close proximity with other coworkers.

3) Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.

4) Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

5) Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

6) Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day, including counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.

 
For updates please visit the Metro Health website.   
 
METRO HEALTH
COVID-19 Hotline: (210) 207-5779

Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
REMINDER:

FREE TESTING SITES ARE ONLY TESTING PEOPLE
WITH SYMPTOMS NOW
Metro Health Issues Heat Advisory

SAN ANTONIO (July 8, 2020) The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) is advising the community of forecasted high temperatures at or above 100 degrees starting later this week and into next week.  
 
The City of San Antonio cooling centers will continue to be open and provide respite from the high temperatures. Cooling centers will observe COVID-19 precautions, including face coverings, screening, sanitation and social distancing guidelines. 
 
Adults over 65, children under 4, and people with existing medical conditions such as heart disease and those without access to air conditioning are at highest risk on days with high temperatures. 
 
Drinking plenty of water and protecting oneself from the sun are critical precautions. Additionally, people should call and check on their neighbors who may be at high risk and ensure access to heat relief and hydration.
 
Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible health effects. Warning signs of heat stroke include: red, hot, and moist or dry skin, no sweating, a strong rapid pulse or a slow weak pulse, nausea, confusion or acting strangely. If a child exhibits any of these signs, cool the child rapidly with cool water (not an ice bath) and call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
 
Never leave children or pets alone in vehicles. If you see a child or pet locked in a hot car or in the back of a truck, call the Police Department immediately. If regarding a pet, call Animal Care Services at 311.

Residents can also contact the National Weather Service for the most current weather conditions at visit www.weather.gov/sanantonio for current hourly weather.
RESOURCES
BE A PART OF SACRD
SACRD is a directory of resources offered by congregations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and compassionate groups in and around San Antonio.
SACRD.org is FREE to use and FREE to be listed in.

For more information, email: info@sacrd.org
IMMEDIATE VOLUNTEER NEEDS
EVENTS AND CAMPAIGNS
CAR DONATION PROGRAM UPDATE!


A huge THANK YOU to the three wonderful donors that donated
their vehicles to SVdP these past couple of months. 

Every vehicle donation helps the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
feed, house, and clothe individuals in need. 

We accept most running and non-running cars, trucks, trailers,
boats, RV's, motorcycles, campers, off road vehicles, heavy equipment
and most other motorized vehicles.

Click on the graphic below to learn more!

Fan collection is STILL underway at our Southcross location. Please stop by and drop off a fan or two to help area seniors cool off this summer!

SHOP AMAZONSMILE!

When you shop at AmazonSmile a portion of the purchase price will go directly to SVdP San Antonio at no cost to you!



HOW TO SHOP AMAZONSMILE:

  1. Log on to smile.amazon.com
  2. Select Society of St. Vincent de Paul San Antonio (be sure to select San Antonio)
  3. Finished!
  4. Begin shopping knowing you are helping people in need.
As we all slow down and spend more time at home, You may start to notice other things that slow you down, like that extra car or truck you don’t drive anymore. Rather than let it continue to hold you back, donate it to Society St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest Council! Click here to learn more!
Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest Council a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.