Society of St. Vincent de Paul Requests Donations to Aid Victims of Domestic Natural Disasters

ST. LOUIS, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The nonprofit National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) today announced a nationwide appeal for tax-deductible donations to its "Domestic Disaster Relief Fund."  

"This has been an unprecedented year for natural disasters," said Joe Flannigan, national president of SVdP. "The requests for assistance we have received just from Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas have totaled in excess of $200,000. The tornado in Joplin, Missouri, for example, was the worst in the state's history."

Flannigan said that for its 2010-2011 fiscal year, SVdP has contributed more than $250,000 to date to hard-hit communities, including the tornado victims in Joplin, Mo., as well as victims of natural disasters in Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The aid includes food, housing, clothing, medical assistance and school supplies.  

He emphasized that the overwhelming need for assistance has stretched the organization's resources.

"Our mission is to help all people get back on their feet and resume some normalcy in their lives, regardless of their background, religious affiliation or other personal circumstances," he said. "Moreover, our members who provide help live in those communities and so they're neighbors as much as caregivers. For example, John and Mary Olson, members of the Society who live in Joplin, have been providing aid to their neighbors in spite of the fact that their church and the SVdP Center were destroyed, and they have no power at their own home. They've been working out of a funeral home to help the people of Joplin while they've been dealing with their own misfortune."

Tax-deductible contributions (with "Domestic Disaster Relief Fund" in the memo field) should be sent to:
National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul
58 Progress Parkway
St. Louis, MO 63043-3706

One of the oldest and most effective charitable organizations in the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (http://www.svdpusa.org) is a Catholic lay organization of more than 690,000 men and women throughout the world who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually and offer person-to-person service to the needy and people living in poverty in 142 countries on five continents. With the U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., membership in the United States totals more than 146,000 in 4,600 communities. Programs include home visits, housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, food pantries, dining halls, clothing, transportation and utility costs, care for the elderly and medicine. Providing more than $572 million in tangible and in-kind services, SVdP serves more than 14 million people in need each year, performs more than 644,000 visits to people in their homes, and delivers more than 7 million service hours to those in need.

For more information:

Charles B. Henderson
(314) 576-3993, ext. 214 (office)
(314) 623-6505 (mobile)
E-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Society of St. Vincent de Paul