St. Joseph

What is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (The Society or SVdP) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to spirituality, fellowship, friendship, and serving those in need.   

A food pantry and office for St. Vincent de Paul is located on the Parish campus, however, it is not open to the public. It is available, on a pre-scheduled basis, to receive food donations, including perishable items. Please contact us to make arrangements.

Our Conference has officers comprised of President, Co-President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Spiritual Advisor.  We have approximately 50 active members in our St. Joseph Conference and we refer to ourselves and others in the Society as “Vincentians”

What we do as Vincentians

Our Vincentian members provide help to the community in a variety of ways; by delivering food from our pantry, by administering financial aid, or by working at the main downtown facility in the food warehouse, kitchen, clinic, or shelters.  Some members volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores located throughout the city.

While the Society is international, each Conference provides assistance to families and individuals who reside within our local boundaries – so they are our neighbors.  These are honest, hard-working people going through a difficult time.  So many people in our community live from paycheck to paycheck, hand to mouth.  All it takes is one unplanned car repair, one unexpected medical emergency, or scaled back hours at work and suddenly, a family is in emotional and financial crisis.

That is where our Conference can help.  Our volunteers can deliver food to a hungry family, make a utility payment to prevent services from being disconnected, or help with a portion of a rent payment to keep a family in their home.  We also provide vouchers for clothing and furniture from the SVdP thrift stores – or sometimes just visit with someone to reassure them that they are not alone during a difficult time.

Last year, through the generous donations of food and money by parishioners at St. Joseph, we were able to make 787 food deliveries.  We helped 357 families with financial aid totaling more than $45,000.  Our small group of Vincentians provided over 10,000 volunteer hours in support of our neighbors and our community.

Why we need you – yes you!

The calls we receive requesting assistance are increasing and many of our active members are aging.  Many are no longer physically able to support our mission.  As a result, we need new members who can join us in serving the poor within our parish boundaries.

Please consider this a standing invitation to become a member of our Vincentian family at St. Joseph.  Help us serve the poor by putting your Catholic faith into action, and serving the most fragile and vulnerable of those among us.

How it can help your family

I know that as parents, we want our children to grow into caring and compassionate individuals.  Participation in our St. Joseph Conference offers a very real and tangible way to set this type of example for your family.  It is true that children learn more from what we as parents “do” versus what we “say”.  And the children who have participated are blessed with the good feelings that result in helping someone less fortunate.

Many of our schools are now requiring students to participate in community service.  The Society would be a tremendous avenue for your student to satisfy their requirement.

How much time will it require?

This is always a difficult question to answer as it would depend entirely on the level of involvement each member and family is comfortable providing.  We would like to provide a basic estimate of the time commitment for various Conference activities.

Who would I contact to become a Vincentian?

Please call any of the individuals below and we will gladly welcome you to the Conference and get you engaged and involved.
President Jim Tope (602) 569-2729
Treasurer Diane Arndt (602) 569-2729

If your schedule doesn’t allow you to volunteer at this time?

As with any organization, it is the generosity of our benefactors – the parishioners of St. Joseph – who allow us to bring the gifts of food, financial aid, and companionship to those we serve.  If you cannot volunteer your time due to current obligations and commitments, we would always appreciate your continued monetary contributions to our Conference.

Where do my donation dollars go?

The vast majority of donations provided by St. Joseph parishioners stay within our Conference.  These funds allow us to supplement our twice/year food drive collections with food purchased from the main St. Vincent de Paul warehouse (at pennies on the dollar), our financial aid assistance, and minimal operating expenses.

We do provide a tithing to the SVdP District (multiple Conferences comprise a District) which is 10% of total monetary receipts.  This tithing is paid each quarter.

We also “twin” with two other Conferences.  “Twinning” is where one Conference shares their good fortune with another Conference.  Each month, our Conference provides a small stipend to two other Conferences within the Phoenix area to support their activities.

For all donations, our Vincentian volunteers strive to ensure that assistance is provided to those in need, and offered in a way that is in keeping with our mission to serve the poor in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.