Thank you from St. Vincent’s

To the editor:

We at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul appreciate the time and interest of the more than 625 volunteers, members, donors, other supporters, and members of the general public who visited the new Center for Vincentian Charity during our grand-opening and dedication events May 27 to 31. Our new center, at 2033 Fish Hatchery Rd. in the town of Madison, is home to Dane County’s largest and busiest food pantry. We began serving people in need at this location on February 2, but second-phase construction — adjoining warehouse and dock space — was completed just last month.

Our pantry serves an average of about 90 families per day, five days a week. Even as we prepared to show the public our new facility, however, we broke our own daily record for number of families served — 131 in one four-hour shift on May 26. This is mixed news, of course. On one hand, it means we are able to help many families from across Dane County meet their nutritional needs. On the other hand, it means we’re seeing such need mount.

Our new center also houses our administrative offices and a range of St. Vincent de Paul programs providing direct, person-to-person assistance to local people struggling with poverty. We plan to continue raising funds for this facility through year’s end; we still need about $700,000 to reach our $4 million goal. We are grateful to the hundreds of generous donors who have made this important project and the neighbors in need it serves a priority in their giving. For more information about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and our new Center for Vincentian Charity, please visit www.svdpmadison.org