National President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA Joseph D. Flannigan has issued a call to the 120,000 volunteer members of the Society in the United States, as well as to the general public, to help provide assistance for the victims of the terrible Haiti Earthquake.

Flannigan said, “The people of Haiti are suffering with mass devastation. Our sister and brother Vincentian volunteers in Haiti will need our help in what will be an enormous and long term recovery. I ask for your prayers and financial support for the poor of Haiti.”

The Society of St Vincent de Paul has a permanent presence in Haiti. Flannigan went on to explain. “Our Society of St. Vincent de Paul volunteers – who we call, ‘Vincentians,’ are at the scene of disasters long after many other service organizations have left. Our Society volunteers live and work in, and are primarily native to, the communities in which they serve. In the aftermath of natural disasters, this permanent presence is particularly important. Our volunteers already know and understand the people who are suffering. Using Hurricane Katrina as an example, several of our Society units – called, ‘Conferences and Councils,’ are still working with the many people of the Gulf Coast still impacted by the tragedy of Katrina.”

“The Society of St Vincent de Paul makes no distinctions in service to the victims of disaster. We address their needs, whatever they may be, and we keep on addressing them,” added Roger Playwin, national executive director of the Society of St Vincent de Paul USA, headquartered in St Louis, Mo.

Contributions for Haiti Disaster Relief and Recovery can be made via the Society’s national Web site at SVDPUSA.org (http://www.svdpusa.org), or mailed to:

Haiti Earthquake
Society of St Vincent de Paul USA
58 Progress Parkway
St Louis, MO 63043

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CONTACT:
Victoria Berger
Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council
58 Progress Parkway
St. Louis, MO 63043-3706
PHONE.  314-576-3993  314-576-3993 ext213