St. Vincent dePaul Society

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and aid is given regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race or creed.  "No work of charity is foreign to the society."

The Archdiocesan Council of San Francisco is composed of three separate county councils: Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo. These in turn are formed and governed by much smaller--usually parish-based--groups known as conferences. Most Vincentians work within these conferences to provide assistance. 

The first San Mateo County St. Vincent de Paul Conference was founded in 1931 at Holy Angels Parish in Colma. Currently, there are 32 parish-based Conferences and 3 Homeless Help Center Conferences.  Approximately 2,000 Vincentian volunteers offer emergency aid to all areas of San MateoCounty, working within their parish locations. 

Who does St. Charles’ SVdP serve?

• We primarily serve people living in San Carlos who are having difficulty meeting basic needs such as food, housing, utilities, and clothing.
• We support our sister parish, St. Francis, in East Palo Alto, as well as St. Mark, St. Vincent de Paul, and other conferences as needed.
• We also support SVdP Homeless Help Center, Catherine Center, and SVdP Restorative Justice ministries.

How do we serve the needy in San Carlos?

• We provide food and/or food gift cards. We also provide vouchers for clothing and/or household items from our local SVdP stores
• We assist in obtaining bus (SamTrans) tokens
• We provide rental assistance and utility payment assistance
• We refer the homeless to county and non-profit homeless providers

How does the conference get funds?

• Every fifth Sunday at St Charles, there is a second collection. The funds from this collection are used to stock the SVdP pantry and/or provide monetary assistance to the local needy. Food is also supplemented by Second Harvest and St. Charles School food drives.

 
Become a SVdP member at St. Charles

• To become a member of St. Charles SVdP, simply contact the president of our conference via the parish secretary. See the church bulletin for details.  Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at Borromeo Hall, 7:00 PM year-round.

  
Additional SVdP Activities

• Thrift stores in S. San Francisco and San Mateo, and a clothing closet in Menlo PArk
• Help Centers where meals, clothing, sleeping bags, mail, bus tokens, and laundry services are provided.
• Jail Ministry, providing a chaplain and volunteers to assist the incarcerated and their families