SVDP and the Vincentian Family in West Virginia
May Newsletter reflects on the experience of the Vincentian Family at National Vincentian family Gathering and on meeting the direct needs of people in West Virginia.ALMOST HEAVEN…
News from the St. Vincent de Paul Society
Conference of Southern West Virginia
May, 2005
Fred has a new ramp! Now, most of you don’t know Fred. In fact, most of you will probably never meet him. But he knows you. He knows that you are the ones who got him that ramp. Thanks to you and our collaboration with the Passionist Volunteers, he can now get to his little garden plot.
Who is Fred? Oh, Fred is an old guy who lives by himself in a dilapidated house whose floors tilt in various directions and whose cellar has had 18 inches of sewer water in it for the past few years. It’s dark and cluttered in his three rooms and, don’t tell Fred, but it could be somewhat cleaner. But Fred’s had a fairly tough life and lately his health problems have begun to get the best of him. His feet developed sores which led to the inevitable infections which led to life threatening illness and the possibility of amputations.
But Fred’s kind of stubborn (somewhat of an understatement) and it took a while for concerned folks to get Fred to see the doctor and get the necessary care to save his feet. The good news is that Fred’s on the mend! But his feet are heavily bandaged and, although he has graduated to a walker, he will probably have trouble walking from now on. We were hoping that Fred would find a better place to live, but he loves his little house…and the reason he does is because it has a small plot of land in front where he can garden. It’s obviously important that Fred be able to get out of his house, but all Fred wants is to be able to get down to his garden. Thanks to you, now he can.
Fred’s little saga represents just another of the stories down here in southern West Virginia that can fill the St. Vincent de Paul scrapbook. We have many more like them. Sometimes we are able to find an answer to a problem that some folks might have. At other times, we can only offer moral support and prayer…hoping that somehow things will work out.
We have been hit by a number of requests for unpaid utility bills. Debbie works hard on these. She spends time with the people in need as well as the utility company working out a plan for payment. Not only payment for this past bill, but also a plan for paying bills in future months. Utility bills test Debbie’s resourcefulness. They are usually fairly high and some thought must be given to what happens next month.
The food pantry in Mullens which we help support has a steady stream of customers! Surrounding grocery stores look at us with some envy till they realize that our customers share for free in the generosity of so many good folks like you. We remain blessed with government commodities, but they are never sufficient for the needs and we have to purchase extra food…especially foods high in protein, such as: peanut butter, beans and tuna. Hundreds of families come to our door each month in hopes of obtaining some food to feed themselves and their children. It’s hard to imagine that hunger remains a reality for some here in our lush mountains.
IMMEDIATE NEED…An immediate need for the food pantry has arisen. Of course, we can always use food, but right now we are in great need of infant’s and children’s clothing…especially infant’s. Last week, that table went bare. If any of you could box up some of those items and get it to us, we sure would be grateful.
A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to St. Louis for the Vincentian Family Gathering. Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois provided a peaceful locale for the meeting which brought together representatives from all the branches of the Vincentian family. I was asked to speak on collaboration using the St. Vincent de Paul Conference of Southern West Virginia as a prime example. Collaboration from all of you remains the single reason why this Conference exists. Without your continued support, we can do nothing. The work you have begun down here, I think, exemplifies the borderless spirit of charity. A charity that does not stop at your parish limits or your Council boundaries, but which travels across the distance to a far off place like southern West Virginia…to an old guy named Fred…to someone you will never know except to know that he is part of the Body of Christ and, therefore, the responsibility of all of us.
Thanks again to all of you for your continued support and generosity…and most of all, for your prayers for the continued success of our ministry.
Arnie Simonse, President
Conference of Southern West Virginia
304-732-8959
arnoldsimonse@aol.com
P.S. An interesting side note…St. Vincent was plagued with sores on his feet in his later life. I have a notion that Vincent is looking down on your help of Fred with special understanding and appreciation!
Tags: Direct service