St. Kevin Catholic Church 

St. Vincent de Paul Society

Members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) see Jesus in the face of the poor and serve the Lord by helping those in need. They grow spiritually through their prayer and service, supporting each other in a spirit of friendship.

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At St. Kevin’s, Vincentians serve the members of the parish and our neighbors who live within parish boundaries. Through formal referrals and word of mouth, the Conference identifies needy families and individuals, and coordinates several events throughout the year in which parishioners can donate goods and their time in service. The Conference also uses cash donations from parishioners to augment donations of food and to provide emergency food.

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Conference Meetings

The Conference meets regularly the first Thursday of each month from 7-8 p.m. in St. Joseph’s Hall (entrance on Anderson St.). Come visit to learn more about the work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and how to help us help others.

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Emergency Assistance

The Conference provides emergency assistance, spiritual support and referrals to professional services. When someone is identified as needing help, two members of the conference make and appointment to visit the home to determine their immediate and longer term needs. The generous donations of St. Kevin’s parishioners enables the conference to help these families. The conference also helps families obtain social services and counseling for their longer term needs.

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Contact St. Kevin’s conference by e-mail at stkevinsvdp@gmail.com with non-emergency referrals. Call the rectory office (415-648-5751) and leave a message (your name and number) about emergency referrals. The Conference tries to respond within 24 hours.

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Medical and psychiatric emergencies should call 911.

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Sandwich Making

The Conference organizes Sandwich Making for the homeless after mass one Sunday each month. Using parish donations to St. Vincent de Paul, the Conference buys bread, ham and cheese, and organizes a volunteer Sandwich Making event after Mass monthly on a rotating schedule.

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Sandwich Making follows the 8:00 Mass in January, March, May, July, September and November.

Sandwich Making follows the 10:00 Mass in February, April, June, August, October and December.

Members of the parish gather in Annuzzi Hall after Mass and make 350 ham, cheese, and mayonnaise sandwiches that are then delivered to the St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter at 5th and Bryant (Multi-Service Center).

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Food Baskets

The Conference helps the parish serve the poor by collecting and delivering food baskets at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The St. Kevin’s community donates food at each of these occasions and comes together as a volunteer delivery service coordinated by the Conference to deliver the food baskets to needy families identified during year.

• Easter: At Easter, the Conference uses parish donations to add Easter treats for the children of these families.

• Thanksgiving: At Thanksgiving, the Conference uses parish donations to purchase frozen turkeys and pumpkin pies to enrich the food baskets.

• Christmas: At Christmas, the Conference coordinates the purchase and donation of gifts for the children of needy families identified during the year. A few other parishes unable to deliver food and gifts donate additional food and gifts at Christmas time for St. Kevin’s SVdP conference to distribute.

 

Cooking

The Conference often participates in a city-wide program of cooking for the homeless each winter, usually 3-4 days each January. Volunteers gather to cook and serve food to the homeless at temporary shelters hosted during the winter by various churches in the city.

 

Birthdays

The Conference participates with other SVdP conferences in a monthly birthday party for the clients of the homeless shelter. St. Kevin’s usually volunteers to host the party in March or June, gathering a group of volunteers to visit the shelter and serve birthday cake and ice cream to clients, including a small gift bag for each client whose birthday falls in that month. This is an occasion for one-to-one service and an opportunity to work directly with the homeless.

 

On occasion, older youth groups volunteer for this service with the supervision of shelter workers.

Friends of the Poor Walk

 

To celebrate the feast day of St Vincent de Paul, September 27, the Society sponsors an annual Friends of the Poor Walk. In San Francisco, the walk is held at Lake Merced in the western part of the city.

In 2010, the Friends of the Poor Walk will be held on Saturday, September 25.

 

General

Our conference also participates in programs for the homeless and for victims of domestic violence with other St. Vincent de Paul conferences throughout San Francisco and the bay area.

Membership in the St. Kevin’ St. Vincent de Paul conference is open to anyone who wants to help the poor, and offers training for home visits and Vincentian work delivering help directly to the poor.

 

A brief history of the Society is available at https://svdp-sf.org/who-we-are/history/.