Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul

"Extend mercy towards others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for us if God should withdraw His mercy from us?" St. Vincent de Paul

Today is the feast day of the Patron of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  Today is a day we should reflect upon the work that we and hundreds of thousands of others across the world do in the name of St. Vincent; and to ask for God's blessing on that work.

Frederic Ozanam, and the other founders, chose St. Vincent de Paul as the patron saint for the Society because of his commitment to serving the poor. Yet it is important to know that he actually entered the priesthood to make a good life for himself and his family.  It was his ministry that changed his heart to seek not his own welfare, but the welfare of the poor.  Today, St. Vincent has become known as "the Apostle of Charity" and "the Father of the Poor."     

    

St. Vincent once said "Let us love God my brothers, let us love God. But let it be with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow." 

So today, as every day, we ask God to continue to change our hearts so that we may serve our neighbors in need through the 'strength of our arms and the sweat of our brow' - and by doing this let us love God and one another.

  

Peace and God bless,

John Berry

Executive Director

Poverty News - It is a Call to Action

On Monday of last week the US Census Bureau released poverty statistics for the United States and the State of Georgia.  Those statistics made big news in the media the next day. 

Unfortunately they were old news to staff and volunteers of St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta and the many others who work with people in need every day.  Each of the agencies dealing with situations of poverty and need have faced an overwhelming number of clients over these past few years; especially since the start of the economic downturn in 2008.

It is our hope that the release of these sobering poverty numbers does not drive a sensationalism of the plight of the poor and disenfranchised, or create a tone of blame against those living on the margins. Instead we hope that they will create an atmosphere of compassion and understanding and a drive for solutions.

We must demand that our elected representatives at all levels refuse to use the plight of the needy as political footballs to be kicked back and forth until one party wins and the people loose. Those suffering in poverty and need are real people with real stories of how they got into trouble. They are real people who have a strong desire to get themselves out of their crisis. Despite what some would claim, no one wants to be poor; no one wants to be dependent.

We all know that some people in need got themselves into that situation because of bad choices they made. But the vast majority of the people we help didn't have a choice--they lost their job at the wrong time, got sick at the wrong time, got their hours cut at the wrong time, or bought a home at the wrong time. They may be our family, neighbors, or friends. Without a financial cushion, these people fell into need. They deserve our compassion. They need our support.  

Let’s use the sobering poverty statistics released this week as a call to action rather than a call to blame.  Let’s act, not talk. We can all be part of the solution. While we are waiting for the economy to improve, for jobs to be created and filled, for housing to recover, we need to volunteer in a food pantry, donate to a thrift store, serve food in a shelter, and give to a service organization.  Together, we can make a difference.

John Berry
CEO and Executive Director

Voice of the Poor Month

St. Vincent de Paul has declared September Voice of the Poor Month. Our advocacy committee, Voice of the Poor, will tell the stories about those we help, their situations and their solutions.

The most striking change we have seen over the past few years has been the exponential increase in the number of people experiencing situational poverty,  a period of poverty caused by situational factors, in contrast with generational poverty, which is a form of entrenched poverty which can encompass multiple generations of a family. There are a number of reasons for situational poverty to emerge, but some of the most common are: divorce, death of a spouse, unexpected health expenses, and the loss of a job. These uncontrollable events can cause a spiral of events which leads to a period of situational poverty.

We have seen people who used to be our donors become our clients.

 

Those experiencing situational poverty often possess a higher level of education than people who experience entrenched poverty. Situational poverty can be grueling, especially without a support network. For people who have worked hard all their lives, it can also be extremely depressing, as it may seem like everything is being taken away for no apparent reason. Situational poverty is a sobering lesson, as it can potentially strike anyone; many people in the middle classes, for example, are only a catastrophic accident, illness or job loss away from situational poverty.

Look over over website and the stories of clients working their way through the challenges of situational poverty. They offer that SVdP has been instrumental in helping them when they were unsure of where to turn for help. We are blessed and honored to have the ability to serve those who need us so much. You can help, too! 

Become part of the solution for so many who need just a little help to get back on track.

Poverty is Not Theater

Recently in the local Atlanta newspaper a national columnist suggested that that those in poverty in the US are taking welfare and social security funds so they can live large in other ways, like air conditioning, cars, color TVs, cableand satellite, VCRs, microwaves and big houses. He also suggested that overeating causes most of “the poor” to become obese. He calls compassion for the poor, “great political theater.”

This columnist seems to think a majority of people strive to remain poor so as to accept handouts from the government. Last year the Society of St. Vincent de Paul helped more than 189,000 people who could not make ends meet. That is the equivalent of the entire population of the city of Columbus, Georgia. The majority of the people were visited in their homes by a team of caseworkers. I can assure you and the author of this column that our caseworkers did not observe extravagance and opulence. The people we visited were scared and suffering. Most were reluctant to ask for help but turned to SVdP in desperation. No one dreams, wishes and hopes to be poor when they grow up.

We also are angered by the author’s assertion that compassion for the poor is “great political theater.” There is nothing theatrical about your family of four living in a car because they have been evicted.  There is nothing theatrical about feeding children carrot soup for three days because all that is left to eat is one carrot and water. There is nothing theatrical about having the electricity turned off when the temperatures are 90 to 100 degrees for weeks on end. The fear, shame, isolation and desperation of these circumstances may make for high drama, but there are no theatrics involved.

Every day we see real people living in extremely difficult circumstances in very tenuous economic times. Many of those who ask for help were previously employed. They were middle class, or working class people striving to get ahead, to provide for themselves;  but they lost their jobs and lost their homes through no fault of their own. The economic downturn has made victims of many who were previously self-sufficient. That is not political theater. That is reality; a reality we address every day in our 38 food pantries.

As a whole, the quality of life in the US is better than anywhere else in the world. Yet people living in our communities are still ill-clad, ill-housed and ill-nourished. We see it every day and we try every day to change it.  We have no political intent, no desire for theatrics and no need for political rhetoric.  We help people because we are compassionate and caring, and because it’s the right thing to do.   We ask for help in our work and thank you for your continued support.

Trio de Guitarras Domine

Last night St. Vincent de Paul Atlanta was honored to put on a benefit concert by a guitar trio from Buenos Aires, Argentina; Trio de Guitarras Domine.

Through the efforts of the Consulate General of Argentina, the trio performed at no cost to SVdP Atlanta.  They were in the United States on a concert tour and to do a TV special and offered to support the works of SVdP Atlanta by performing at this event.  The members of the group, and the Consul General of Argentina here in Atlanta were very familiar with the works of St. Vincent de Paul as a result of the work done by the Society in Argentina.

A wonderful evening was had by all and much needed funds were raised to help support people in need in Georgia.  In addition, each concert goer was asked to bring an item of non-perishable food to help stock our food pantries.

We thank everyone associated with this wonderful evening and pictures will be posted on our website www.svdpatl.org soon.

John

The Start of a New Week at SVdP Atlanta

Well it's Monday again and we're ready to start another week at SVdP Atlanta.  I thought that you might be interested in getting an idea of what the week ahead entails for us here.  So I'm going going to 'take you behind the curtain' and let you be part of our morning.

This morning we started the week with our weekly staff update.  Everyone gives each other an update on what's scheduled in each department so that we can each know how scheduled activity is going to impact us.  Usually it's safe to say that about half of what occurs during the week is proactive and half is reactive.  That's about normal and expected for an organization like ours.  The "fun" starts when that reactive percent climbs based on unanticipated issues and activities.

Our Stores Director Kevin reports that we just signed the new lease on Friday to expand our Kennesaw Thrift Store into a new 10,000 sq. ft. space.  Now that we've committed to the space there will be quite a bit of physical work on it before we actually move in.  Thankfully the majority of that work will be done by our "volunteer army" with support from local groups like the Knights of Columbus and Kennesaw State University (Go Owls!) students.  Exciting time ahead!

We've also got a new Thrift Store Manager for the Dallas, GA store starting training today.

Communications Programs Manager Caryn is getting ready for our benefit concert Wednesday night with the Argentinian group "Tres de Guitarras Domine" who will be performing at Transfiguration Catholic Church in Marietta.  This group, through the generous efforts of the Argentinian Consulate, is performing free to benefit the work of SVdP Atlanta.  In addition, Caryn is getting ready for the printing and mailing of invitations for our 5th Annual Evening for Hope on October 15th at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.

The Vincentian Support Department is operating without its Director, Brian, who is off on a well earned and deserved vacation in Florida with his family.  But Louise and Tiffany are stepping in to continue the work of that department including the delivery of our Vincentian University programs, including the Leadership Workshop this week.

The Finance and Development offices are deeply engaged in grant reporting and management and preparation for the anticipated release of over $100,000 in EFSP funding to us.  This funding will be used to directly support people in need with housing, uniltriy, and food assistance across North and Middle Georgia.

Client Support department efforts are focused on delivery of services at the four Family Support Centers, continuing growth and management of the Food Distribution Program (including the addition of a new partner this week) and process and procedures for monitoring of the EFSP funds mentioned above.

I have a busy week ahead of me, starting with a meeting tonight with the Governor and Mayor on transportation issues and then partner meetings the rest of the week.  On Wednesday night I'll be with the Argentine Counsel General at the concert in Marietta and o Thursday night I'll travel to Jasper, GA to bid farewell and offer my thanks to our District 8 President as he leaves us to move to Arizona.

So, I hope this gave you a little taste of what a week around here is like.  There's never a dull moment at SVdP Atlanta.

John

Kids and The Viscous Cycle of Poverty

The cheating scandal within the Atlanta Public School System has dominated the news for the last few weeks.  The scope of the scandal is breathtaking and it will be a long time until all the facts are unraveled and the damage assessed.  Unfortunately it will likely be an even longer time until the damage caused to the children of the school system can be corrected.

In all of the fallout from this tragic episode we must ensure that we do not lose sight of the fact that the impact of a failure to educate children today has longer term implications.  The viscous cycle of poverty and dependence that many find themselves in is, more often than not, directly tied to a lack of education or inadequate education.

The cycle of poverty is not difficult to understand.  Each of us lives within a socioeconomic system whose parts interact with each other.  If the system is working well it favors personal growth.  If not it thwarts growth and accelerates decline.  If, for example, I don’t have a job, I don’t earn money.  If I don’t earn money I can’t buy food for my family.  If my son or daughter doesn’t have sufficient food they suffer malnutrition.  If they suffer malnutrition they can’t study well. If he or she can’t study well they won’t graduate from school.  If he or she doesn’t graduate from school he/she may not get a decent job.  If they don’t get a decent job they won’t earn enough money to buy food.  And so the cycle begins again.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution, in an editorial on July 15, 2011, addressed this issue of education and poverty in the context of the APS cheating scandal.  While addressing the need for reform and change in the system they also made the case that it is only through a holistic approach to our school and communities that real progress can be made in helping our children. One memorable line in the editorial said: "Children’s horizons are heavily influenced by their surroundings, we all know that. Effective learning can’t occur until we find new ways to better counteract harsh outside-of-school realities facing thousands of students. "
The cycle of poverty cannot be broken at the school level unless effective learning can occur. And effective learning cannot occur when children are hungry, or living in rat infested hovels, or subject to daily exposure to violence and drugs, or unloved and un-nurtured.
 

St. Vincent de Paul, through the work we do every day in our community, strives to address the challenges associated with breaking that cycle by addressing the needs of the community.  In some cases those needs involve programs that drive a systemic change approach.  Other situations call for urgent, immediate help that can address need without going beyond basic support. 

We will continue to define, develop, and implement programs that can support our local community volunteer conferences in their efforts to help people in need.  These efforts include creation of partnerships and collaborative programs with other nonprofits, the business community, and others.  Because we know that you cannot Change Lives unless you change circumstances.

The APS cheating scandal is a tragedy.  Children caught in cycles of need and dependence are a greater tragedy.  We must work together to correct both.  Let's get to work.

John Berry

CEO and Executive Director