Saint Vicent de Paul of Dallas, Texas, was inspired by the early seventeenth century Father Vincent. Father Vincent was a Catholic Priest who is said to have cared deeply about his congregation. On one occasion, the congregation told him about a family that had become too sickly to attend church anymore. This deeply touched Father Vincent’s heart, and he became devoted to caring for them day after day. Years later, Saint Vincent de Paul societies follow these ideals to help out their community in need. Staff says they are trained inherently to support those living in poverty and help them out of their social, economic, or financial setbacks.
What might seem like just another thrift shop to an outsider looking in, Saint Vincent de Paul is much more than that. They are a nonprofit as well. The thrift stores and their other work are interconnected. A portion of proceeds collected at the thrift store go straight to the community aid programs. The first of its kind in Texas, Saint Vincent goes above and beyond for the community. One of their services includes a free public pharmacy that caters to those without insurance. Unfortunately, in the United States, many people in undesirable living conditions don’t even have access to essential medications, whether paid for out of pocket or covered by insurance. The Saint Vincent website states, “Despite rising diagnoses of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions, many people cannot afford their prescribed medications without health insurance. Paying for medicine might mean they can’t pay for rent or provide food for their families”.
The choice between maintaining one’s health and providing for a family is one that Saint Vincent de Paul believes no person should have to make, no matter their status or financial wellbeing. The pharmacy of Saint Vincent has fulfilled 270,000 prescriptions to Texans over the years. They have reduced the average cost for prescriptions by thirty-five percent, resulting in fifty-four million dollars’ worth of medicine over the years.
The Saint Vincent de Paul thrift store runs a sale daily. These can be offered through coupons or in-store clearance. If you donate clothing, you are in an indirect way helping those in need. Since proceeds from the thrift store go to the other portions of Saint Vincent, you don’t even have to volunteer to help out. However, volunteering is encouraged for anyone who has the time and resources. Not only will helping out someone in need make their day, but you will also have the satisfaction of knowing you did a great deal to your community. You can donate things from clothes to furniture and more. Even if you don’t use it or don’t need it anymore, the chances are that someone from your very own community needs it.
You can find locations and information about their thrift stores here: https://svdpdallas.org/shop/. Information on their pharmacy can be found here: https://svdpdallas.org/pharmacy/.
