Second Quarter 2020
Volunteer Newsletter
To see in those in need the face of Christ
Stay safe and healthy, everyone.
  • Note: This calendar will be in effect again once all normal activities are allowed to resume.
  • Attend a Society meeting at 10:00 AM at the SVdP Center on the third Thursday of each month.
  • There is a Cookie and Lemonade Social 0n the first Sunday of every month at SSPP Church after the 10:30 AM Mass.
  • Sunday, September 27, 2020 at SSPP Church, 10:30 AM Mass: Annual Vincentian Mass in honor of St. Vincent de Paul.
  • Sunday, November 8th, 2020 at St. Michael's Church, 10:30 AM Mass in Remembrance of Deceased Vincentians.
  • Sunday, December 6th, 2020 at SSPP Church, 10:30 AM Mass in honor of Patroness of SVdP, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her Immaculate Conception.
SVdP Food Pantry Has Remained Open Even Though the Thrift Center Has Been Temporarily Closed

A HUGE thank you to all volunteers who have made it possible to keep the Food Pantry operational during this Coronavirus crisis. These volunteers who have placed themselves at risk in order to serve the less fortunate are truly some of the unsung heroes of this Pandemic; the heart of this organization.
Changes are Coming to our Thrift Store, Reopening July 2, 2020!

Volunteers have been working hard to reconfigure our store to meet Covid-19 regulations and to better utilize the existing space. Thank you to Elizabeth Langston, who volunteered to design the new layout to merchandise our products and to make the space more efficient. Plans are being made to reopen the Thrift Store on July 2. Our new hours will be Thursdays and Saturdays from 1-4 pm (the store will be closed for the July 4th holiday). Food Pantry hours remain the same: Tuesdays 1-4 pm, Saturdays 9 am - noon. Having the Thrift Center open at different times than the Food Pantry will greatly alleviate parking and traffic issues. We appreciate all of the volunteers who have stepped forward to help with the planning and execution of this process in order to make the reopening possible.
CONGRATULATIONS to Patti and Ralph Case, who have been selected for induction into the Maryland Senior Citizens' Hall of Fame for the year 2020. The luncheon will be held on October 22, 2020, in Glen Burnie, MD. (This is a tentative date right now due to the Coronavirus restrictions.)  
Ralph and Patti moved to Easton in 2005 and have made a significant impact on our community through SVdP, Talbot Hospice and The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. They have both served in many capacities at SVdP. Ralph has been the "Building Maintenance Administrator" since 2012 and is also a Home Visitation team member. Patti has been the Food Pantry Coordinator, scheduling volunteers to work in the pantry as well as a SVdP Ambassador. Both have been very active in every aspect of fundraising. We are so proud of their achievements. Congratulations!
ANNY & VINCENT
Anyone who knows Anny Williams knows that she is, and has been for many years, an ambassador for everything concerning St. Vincent de Paul. For the last few years she has been travelling with a large brown bear aptly named Vincent, who rides shotgun in the front seat of Anny's car and goes everywhere she goes. When asked about him, she reaches in his shirt pocket to give two SVDP business cards to promote either the thrift store or the food pantry or when donations are accepted. Recently Anny and Vincent were seen around town both wearing their COVID-19 face masks. Now that is truly a socially responsible bear! ( His owner too, of course.)


THANK YOU!


SVdP recently received generous donations totalling $31,000.00 from the following companies and foundations:

Anthem Foundation
Choptank Electric
Covid-19 Response Fund
Grayce B. Kerr Fund, Inc.
Harry R. and Kim E. Gueterman Charitable Fund
Mid Shore Community Foundation
Mid-Shore Community Foundation Granville Fund 2
Rubel Family Foundation
Shore Health System
Walmart

This is greatly appreciated during these pandemic times. Thank you all!
We greatly appreciate all volunteers and Talbot County residents who answered the call for Food Pantry shortages via Facebook, website, and Easton Community Group. As a result of this plea, the Food Pantry received more than 1 ,250 lbs. of items that were in short reserve: pasta, peanut butter, pork and beans, toilet tissue and cereal. We appreciate it all and it will be put to good use!! Peanut butter and bar soap are the new hard to get items...
Fabric Masks
A group of talented SVdP volunteers have generously spent a LOT of hours sewing more than 2,500 fabric face masks, which have been/are being distributed to the SVdP Food Pantry, the Neighborhood Service Center, Acme, Critchlow Adkins, Rite Aid, House of the Pines, Londonderry, Homeless Shelter, Little Sisters of the Poor, Cambridge Food Distribution, and St. Michaels Food Pantry. We appreciate all of your thoughtfulness and hours. Thank you also to Staples for donating rubber bands and to those who donated fabric and other materials for this effort. It's very heartwarming to see how we all unite in critical times.
Thank You, Knights of Columbus!
The Knights of Columbus, Regina Coeli Council, recently held a drive for The Little Sisters of the Poor. A full truckload of face masks plus other needed supplies and $2,100 in monetary donations were delivered to the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Newark Delaware.

A second effort was just completed with another full truck and $1,500 in cash donations.

Thank you to all who participated!
Amazon Smile Account

In these unusual times, more of us are ordering household goods and necessities online. Please remember to shop via Amazon Smile, and SVdP will receive a small portion of your order. You merely have to choose the charity one time, and then shop through their link...Amazon will automatically give us 0.5% of your eligible purchases at no cost to you . It doesn't seem like a lot, but it definitely adds up. What's not to like about free money???

If you'd like to help, please click on this special link (or copy and paste into your browser): h ttps://smile.amazon.com/ch/82-5261263 or specify "St. Vincent de Paul Saints Peter and Paul Conference I" from the Amazon Smile website.
Volunteer Spotlight: John Wafer

In 2008 John became Vice-President of SVdP. He and Alex Handy attended a SVdP conference in Emmitsburg, MD in June of that year. As a result, John and Alex became aware of the many opportunities available for SVdP to serve the community. That September speaking at Mass, they recruited many of the current volunteers now serving as Vincentians. John has been a key figure in our Home Visitation Program, as well as initiating the SSPP high school Scholarship Program.
 
 “John was key to getting us going in 2008,” says Alex Handy, “he was such a steadying factor in finding a location (for the food pantry and thrift center.) His experience served us well in setting up the overall organization.”

John and Adrienne came to the States from Dublin, Ireland in 1965, where he graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a Masters degree in Physics. He joined Westinghouse Electric Research Center in Pittsburgh and ran a Technology Center developing Circuit Breakers. John’s introduction to SVdP was by his wife, Adrienne, a volunteer, as was her father and brother in Dublin, for many years.  Thank you, John!
Youth Volunteer Appreciation...

Henry Michels: Henry began volunteering in 6th grade as a member of the newly formed SVDP- SSPP Club. He volunteered as a club member throughout his grade school years, attending the weekly club meetings and volunteering on Saturdays in the Food Pantry, when scheduled. During his high school years, Henry continued to volunteer for special events and transporting items for the Holiday Hut. This past year, Henry crafted, painted and installed new shelves for the Thrift Center garden corner. In addition, he painted shelves in the Housewares Dept. Henry is a 2020 Easton High School graduate.

Ainhoa Espinoza: Also a 2020 high school graduate, Ainhoa is a regular volunteer and a great student who received a full scholarship from SVdP to attend SSPP High School. She served over 60 hours this year in the food pantry and has the following to say: " T he Society of Saint Vincent De Paul has taught me that it will never be enough when it’s about helping, that you should value every opportunity offered to you and you should be thankful to those who support you. However, the most important thing that I’ve learned is that happiness can be shared with others and everything can be achieved by perseverance and determination." 
Welcome New Volunteers :

Carole Weinmann - Food Pantry
Donna Lange - Food Pantry
Marc Ebersberger - Food Pantry
Peggy Brittingham - Boutique
Jerry Pettit - Friendly Neighbors
Kim Blake - Friendly Neighbors
Trisha Hughes - Thrift Center
Karen Porter - Thrift Center
Contact Us:
Society of St. Vincent de Paul SSPP Conference, Inc.
29533 Canvasback Drive
P.O. Box 783
Easton, MD 21601
410.770.4505
email: svdpeastonmd@gmail.com

(Articles/information for future issues may be submitted via email to barbaraharries@gmail.com)