St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization of lay Catholics who organize into small working groups known as “conferences”. At this grass-roots level Vincentians are engaged in person-to-person service with troubled persons and families in their immediate neighborhood.

Two specific ways we support our mission are:

1. Through preparing, delivering, and serving meals every other week at the Ozanam Family Shelter in Edison
2. Through person-to-person casework with troubled persons and families in our immediate neighborhood

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is grateful for the generous support of the parishioners of St. Bartholomew.  Your support allows us to continue our work of offering assistance to those in crisis in our local communities.

Like every other organization, we've been trying to define a new normal in this COVID-19 environment we find ourselves in.  After prayerful consideration, we've made two changes we'd like to share with you: 
 
ONLINE DONATIONS:
We can now accept donations via credit card or Paypal on our website.  Please visit us at ebsvdp.org and click on "Donate to support EB SVDP" in the yellow box.
 
GIFT CARDS:
As of September 2020, we have transitioned from collecting and distributing food to the distribution of grocery store gift cards. It has proven to be a much more versatile and efficient way to provide for those we serve while eliminating the waste of expired items. The gift cards have enabled our clients to purchase fresh food: milk, bread, produce, etc. It has also given them the dignity of choosing what they would like to eat, whether their choices are based on health concerns or taste preferences.

As soon as it is permitted, we will continue to collect monetary donations in the narthex after all Masses the third weekend of each month. Donations of gift cards to local grocery stores will also be appreciated.  
 
We extend a huge thanks to everyone who has supported the food pantry over the years.  We hope we can count on your continued support as we reimagine how we operate.  Our mission of bringing the love of Christ to those in need remains unchanged. 
 

Our conference meets on the second Monday of each month at the Parish Center at 7:30pm. We can be reached at 732-597-1507 or by email at [email protected]. If getting involved and helping others is something you've been meaning to do, please consider this an invitation to join us! 

“In other words, amid the thicket of precepts and prescriptions, Jesus clears a way to seeing two faces, that of the Father and that of our brother. He does not give us two more formulas or two more commands. He gives us two faces, or better yet, one alone: the face of God reflected in so many other faces. For in every one of our brothers and sisters, especially the least, the most vulnerable, the defenseless and those in need, God’s very image is found. Indeed, with the scraps of this frail humanity, the Lord will shape his final work of art. For ‘what endures, what has value in life, what riches do not disappear? Surely these two: the Lord and our neighbor. These two riches do not disappear!’” (Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation: Gaudete et Exsultate, 2018, #61)