The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with ​and service to people in need.."

For all of your support in 2021, whether it was financial, food, volunteering, as a Vincentian, a partner, or you donated to one of our stores; we can't thank you enough for all you do to help us help our neighbors!

Danny Leger and his organization, Hope for the Poor, have been offering coffee and prayer three days a week at our office at Holy Family for a year. They have served thousands of cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and that means also said thousands of prayers, sometimes for but mostly with our homeless neighbors who come for clothing or a sack lunch, or just coffee. They have helped develop a remarkable sense of community among a very transient group of neighbors and have made prayer an almost daily occurrence here. 

The Help Line phone number and email receive dozens of requests for emergency assistance each week. Volunteers then direct them to the Conference (parish with an active SVdP group) nearest them. Two Vincentians (trained Conference members) will then visit with the person requesting assistance and do what they can to help pay for rent or utilities or find other assistance as needed.

If the person requesting help lives in an area without a Conference, our Ozanam Outreach group steps in. However, they are a very small group, only able to assist two people per week.

Your support would help assist more people and more importantly offer a direct referral to a person at the appropriate agency that can help when we are not able.

If this group could develop into its own Conference with representatives from all the other Conferences or parishes in Omaha, so many more neighbors could be supported in meaningful ways. If you would like to join the Help Line team, attend a training to become a Vincentian, or assist in other ways, please let us know.

We will be presenting this article in parts over the next several months.

"14 Reasons Why You Should Shop at a Thrift Store"

While you may be sold on donating to a thrift store, there are also many reasons to shop at one.

1. Save Money

A thrift store is a great place to buy items that you need at a discount. You can find anything from furniture and appliances to clothing and rare collectibles.

2. Help the Environment

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics considers thrift store sales clerks as having “Green Jobs.” And for a good reason: every part of the clothing production process takes water: It takes at least 400 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to make one t-shirt. A pair of jeans needs at least1,800 gallons. There’s also all the pesticides that are often used to grow cotton, which can contaminate ground and surface water, leading to soil acidification and agricultural run-off that can disrupt ecosystems. The entire process requires energy. That includes washing, de-sizing, bleaching, rinsing, dyeing, printing, finishing, transporting, packaging, etc. Shopping at thrift stores encourages the re-use of clothing and items that have already been created, decreasing the need for the production of additional items. Finally, by shopping at thrift stores, you’re helping decrease the size of landfills.

3. Hardly-Used or New Items

It’s not uncommon to find barely-used items or new items that still have their tags on them. It’s also not uncommon to find otherwise expensive items for a fraction of the price, especially if your thrift store happens to be located in an upscale area. And if you have a tailor or access to someone super handy, you can make most garments fit you and repair items that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars brand new.

From: Father Joe's Villages website

Holy Family is a place to find emergency food, coffee, and clothing; volunteer opportunities; and special, free concerts, plays, storytelling, and more. We are always looking for ways to feed souls as well as bodies. If you or your organization want to get involved, let us know!

The Chapel is once again hosting the Omaha Conservatory of Music's String Sprouts program and we are looking forward to partnerships with more organizations in the new year. Look for events with the tbd dance collective, an exciting series with Alajia McKizia, a concert of Irish music and so much more!

Volunteers have been distributing clothing, toiletries, backpacks, blankets and more to anywhere from 15-40 people per day this year.

Your donations help us purchase new socks and underwear as well as backpacks, toiletries, hats, and gloves.

Volunteers have been distributing anywhere from

50 -120 lunches per day. The weather can make a big difference in the number, but they always try to have plenty on hand.

Our volunteers take the vans to distribute an average of about 140 healthy, free sack lunches daily Monday - Friday to parking lots at:

There is an amazing core group of volunteers at Holy Family and our Food Pantry, but we are always looking for help at our Thrift Stores. We love to have that extra friendly smile helping people find what they need, organizing shelves or hanging clothing. If you are interested, please apply below today.