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St. Vincent de Paul
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Two conferences. One Mission.East Lansing Catholic has two conferences of St. Vincent de Paul societies. Each conference serves our community through different services. While they act as two separate conferences, their mission to serve our community is the same.
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St. THomas Aquinas
Inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need, we join together to offer person-to-person service to our neighbors who have nowhere else to turn for help. Uniquely, we make home visits providing financial assistance with costs of living. By doing this with care and respect, we show our neighbors that they matter and are children of God.
In past years, St. Thomas & St. John parishioners have provided half our yearly income. We pray that you will continue to do so.
You can send a gift in the following ways:- putting money in the poor boxes located at each of the doors of St. Thomas Aquinas church,
- writing a check made out to “Society of St. Vincent de Paul STA” and mailing it to 955 Alton Rd., East Lansing, 48423,
- drop an envelope in the collection clearly marked that the money is for STA SVdP.
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St. John Student Center
The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John’s, with the involvement of members of the parish family, helps neighbors in need through a variety of ministries. We welcome all members of the St. Thomas-St John parish community to join us in serving others - as an occasional or frequent volunteer, as a member of our conference, or by way of supporting us through in-kind or financial contributions.
We invite you to volunteer. Several of our ministries are well suited for young families, and others are well suited for those who work from home or who are retired. Contact us to learn how you can be involved. (College-age and older members of the parish always are welcome to attend our twice monthly St. Vincent de Paul Society meetings. We gather to pray, share, and plan on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from 7:00 to 8:45pm.Questions? Emails us at [email protected].
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Make a Gift today.More than half of our funding is thanks to parishioners and individuals. We receive no funding from the Diocese, the Church, or our local Catholic Charities agency. Your support ensures that we are able to meet the needs of our community.
Have physical items to donate?
The St. Vincent de Paul Store (1020 W. Washington, Lansing) will accept household goods in usable condition. This includes furniture, appliances, utensils, clean clothing, dishware, pots & pans, and toys. When in doubt about an item call 517.484.5395. Items donated to the Store are made available to assist our neighbors. Store profits and grants assist us with our larger requests for help.
Make your gift:- Online by clicking here to make a one-time or sustainable, recurring gift.
- Poor boxes. The money you place in the poor boxes of the entrances to St. Thomas Aquinas is all directed to the work of our mission.
- Checks. These should be made payable to St. Vincent de Paul Society and mailed to St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 955 Alton Rd., East Lansing, MI 48823. If checks are placed in the regular collection, they should be clearly marked for use by St. Vincent de Paul Society.
- Church envelopes. If you receive church envelopes dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul Society, you can place either cash or checks within these envelopes.
**Please be sure to specify in writing whether your gift is the for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul SJSC or St. Vincent de Paul STA.**
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Reach out today.You can reach us by calling the parish office at 517-351-7215, Monday - Friday. We serve local neighbors regardless of color, creed, ethnicity, sex, nationality or any other identifying characteristic. We are on duty six days a week and will arrange a visit to suit your schedule.
For the St. John Student Center conference you can email st. [email protected].
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St. Thomas Aquinas SVDP
We assist with crisis financial assistance for housing, utilities, appliance repair, transportation, and other vital needs. Vouchers are available to purchase basic furniture, bedding, housewares, and clothing from the St. Vincent de Paul store in Lansing. We can provide short-term food also.
Each year, we make around 180 visits to serve 400 individuals of which 40-50% are children. We provide on average $350 per visit. Because we share costs by twinning with other parishes, each visit costs our conference just under $300. Most of our income comes from the generous support of parishioners.
After the call for assistance, two Vincentians visit the neighbor to both hear and see their needs. Their crisis situation may be due to a brief unexpected temporary loss of income or more complex involving, several children, illness, and other complicating factors. In the latter situation, we can offer referral to other local and state agencies.
No two situations are identical.
Together The Vincentians and the neighbor assess how St. Vincent de Paul can best help to resolve the immediate crisis. If possible, we will try to move our neighbor onto a more sustainable path. Finally we offer the neighbor an opportunity to pray.St. John Student Center SVDP
The St. John Food Cupboard operates 40 Saturdays annually and offers those in need a selection of fresh produce, canned-and dry-good items, personal care products, and bread and pastries. Each year, we distribute approximately 5,000 bags of items to neighbors who are in need, regardless of background or beliefs. The Food Cupboard has many volunteer opportunities, from sorting and stocking donations, shopping and transporting items, to volunteering on Saturday mornings. The Food Cupboard is located on the lower level of St. John Church in room 19:
Shopping hours are 9 to 11 every Saturday during the school year (except for the last Saturday in December and the first Saturday in January). Guests are asked to arrive no earlier than 8:45 and no later than 10:45. Each household (defined as an apartment or house) is able to access the Food Cupboard weekly and is able to choose from a selection of dry-good items, produce and personal care items. Families of 5 or more are able to receive double the amount of food and produce.
Friends of Returning Citizens prepares and delivers food, personal care items, and a Meijer card to men and women upon their release from prison. The goal of this ministry is to communicate to these neighbors that we want to support them in their goal of successfully re-entering society.
Meals for the homeless at Loaves and Fishes Shelter involves preparing a home-cooked meal for 12 adults. Meals (main dish, two side dishes, and a dessert) are prepared at home and dropped off by 5:30 on the designated Sunday. Reimbursement for the cost of ingredients is available. If you have questions, contact Paul Charette at 517-420-3651.
Christmas Adopt-a-Family coordinates gift giving each December for twenty families in the area. We organize the parish sign-up for gift giving, collect and organize donations, assemble food baskets, and distribute items to each family.
PB+J with Love Snack Sacks provides nutritious snack sacks each week to 50 homeless men and women who visit Advent House Ministries in Lansing. Each Monday volunteers from the parish (individuals, groups of friends, or families) take turns preparing snack sacks for distribution on Tuesday mornings. The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John provides all items needed for the snack sacks. Learn more here.
We support Cristo Rey Community Center by coordinating parishioners to staff the clothing closet, personal needs pantry, food cupboard and kitchen. Volunteer shifts are Monday-Friday, usually in the morning and early afternoon. Cristo Rey Community Center serves vulnerable populations in three zip codes in Lansing.
Advent House Monthly Meals a group of our volunteers prepares and serve a chicken dinner for as many as one hundred neighbors who come to Advent House in downtown Lansing on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
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St. Thomas Aquinas
Meeting Times
1st Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
3rd Wednesdays at 12:00 pm
Conference meetings affirm the importance of the spiritual and social dimensions of Vincentians as they come together as a community of faith, love, prayer and action. After scriptural readings, prayer, and business items, Vincentians report on their home visits and, if necessary, ask advice about how to best serve our neighbors.
Because conference members come from various walks of life and available resources change frequently, these discussions can often bring out new ideas to solve a neighbor's needs. The meeting ends with prayer for those we serve and the special intentions of our members.
Becoming an active member requires attendance at bi-monthly meetings, participating in a SVdP orientation session, and accompanying an experienced member on home visits. Generally, members are "on-call" every two to three weeks and visits sometimes are made in the early evening or on Saturdays.St. john student center
Meeting Times
2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
Location: Room 16, lower level of St. John Student Center
We welcome college-age and older members of the St. John – St. Thomas parish family to join us at our twice monthly meetings as we gather to pray, share and plan.
Meetings include prayer, reflection, and a discussion of the various ways we can help Lansing area neighbors who are in need. Meetings conclude by 8:30.
Please reach out to Chuck Roboski at st. [email protected] for meeting and membership information.
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