Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who does St Vincent de Paul help?
We will try to help or secure help for anyone with a valid need such as food, clothing, rent, shelter, ID, utilities, repairs, etc. This local conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society operates within Guernsey County, Ohio.
How does St Vincent de Paul help?
We help clients by first connecting them to local resources, both charities and government. (HERE is a partial list of these resources.) If another local resource cannot help, or cannot help enough, then we use our own funds.
Can St Vincent de Paul help pay for motel lodging?
Because of programs in our area which offer free lodging, and because of liability issues, we do not pay for motels except in rare cases. (HERE is a list which includes some of these resources.)
How is St Vincent de Paul funded?
St Vincent de Paul is funded entirely through generous free will donations and sometimes grants. (To contribute, go HERE.)
For every dollar donated, how much goes to the needy?
Because our officers and staff donate all their time, skills and transportation, and because Christ Our Light parish provides us with free office space, 100% of every dollar donated from outside goes directly to help the needy. (Our small overhead expenses are covered by the members.)
Doesn’t this web-site add unnecessary cost?
Thanks to the generosity of the hosting provider, Dreamhost.com, we pay nothing for the website. Thanks to the WordPress Content Management System, we can build and maintain these pages using volunteers. The small rental cost for our COLSVDP.ORG domain name is paid by the members.
If I ask for help, will my problems get published for all to see?
No! One reason we have our own website is to keep information confidential and not store our records on a public Internet service. We need to share information with local agencies in order to fulfill as many needs as possible, but we do not share any client information publicly.
(View our privacy policy HERE.)
Is there some way I can help?
YES! The local conference of Saint Vincent de Paul can use volunteers and material help. Take a look at our current list, HERE.