In Austin, Texas, moving toward the opening of their new Vincentian Family Center is exciting news! The Society of St. Vincent de Paul shares the excitement with the Family all over the world.

The open house and tour was a rousing success! Over 300 volunteers and friends got their first look at the facility and learned more about our vision for this dynamic new space. During the tour, we led visitors through our warehouse, conference rooms, partner office spaces, retail thrift store area, executive offices, and coffee shop/deli area. For those who were unable to join us, we’ve included some more details about what the VFC has to offer our community:

Our warehouse is already well-equipped, with an existing electric dock-high lift and an existing baler. We will receive bulk goods and large deliveries and ship out bulk recycling through the delivery bay, which is also one of three potential staging areas for the mobile thrift store trucks. Receiving and processing will take place in an adjacent hallway, with climate control doors separating the processing space from the remainder of the warehouse. There is also ample space upstairs to store seasonal items. This space is approximately eight times larger than the storage room at the current South Congress location, and the new thrift store itself is a much larger space as well.

The VFC also features a large conference room, computer lab, a food pantry, intake and reception area, prayer room, and two smaller conference rooms. All services provided here, both by the Society and nonprofit and government partners, are intended to supplement the Society’s home visits and conference services. The new facility will not supplant the good work done by our conferences. In the first 90 days of operation, we hope to have all aspects of the Vincentian Family Center up and running, including nonprofit partners who will office at the facility.

Through our partnership with a restaurateur, the VFC will also have a great location for low-cost, nutritious meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner six days each week. In addition, the cooking and prep area and will serve as a demonstration kitchen for nutrition and cooking classes. The restaurant space will included a computer counter and booths to allow for some fixed seating. The space will be able to seat up to 35- 40 guests at one time. The Grill will provide a catering option for meetings scheduled at the VFC and some voucher meals for neighbors.

Our biggest news: we plan to move to the Vincentian Family Center in April 2016! We are thrilled to introduce this incredible new resource to the community. Be on the lookout for an announcement about our grand opening celebration.

Source: web site of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Austin, Texas