“Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me.” Matthew 25:40

Since 1959, our St. Vincent de Paul volunteers have been serving the St. Joseph’s community and our neighbors in need. Our wonderful and dedicated group of volunteers work hard every week to provide food for our families in need.

Prior to the pandemic, we were serving 120 neighbors per month. Today, as times continue to be difficult for our families, we now serve over 800 neighbors per month.

Through the generous donations from the parishioners of St. Joseph’s and the families and students of St. Joseph’s school, Family of Faith and Youth Confirmation groups, we are able to help our families with healthy food, allowing them to use their income to cover their daily living expenses like rent and utilities.  We also want to thank our grocery stores, who donate their leftover perishables to us, along with the Alameda County Community Food Bank who provide nonperishable food to us to supplement what we purchase.

To make this happen, our group of over 50 volunteers works hard every week to have food available for our families. Volunteers shop, pick up food, receive deliveries, maintain inventory, research costs, and pack bags, along with many volunteers who distribute food to over 100 of our neighbors per day, twice a week.

In addition to making hundreds of bags of healthy food available, our St. Vincent de Paul sponsors special projects such as: our summer give-away of backpacks for over 100 children, filled with school supplies, to ready them for the upcoming school year; for Thanksgiving, we provide a large bag of groceries to over 150 families; at Christmas, our St. Joseph St. Vincent de Paul provides gift cards for food and toys for about 70 families. 

For families struggling with their living expenses in our immediate neighborhood,  we offer assistance to pay partial rent and utilities. Our Ministry extends beyond the grounds of our parish. Volunteers hand out Mobile Care Packages filled with food and snacks to the homeless they meet on the street.

To everyone who has ever donated their time or money to our Ministry, thank you! We could not have accomplished this without you, and continue to need your help to continue these services. 

There are several ways to donate:

• Our Parish holds 2 or 3 second collections throughout the year, specifically for St Vincent de Paul.  You may also put a check made out to “St. Vincent de Paul” in any collection basket throughout the year.
• Or send a check, made out to “St Vincent de Paul”, directly to the Parish Office.
• If you wish to donate using a credit card, you can click here.

For over six decades our St. Vincent de Paul here at St. Joseph’s has been dedicated making life easier for those in need. Our hope is to continue this mission for decades to come.

If you would like to join our ministry or find other ways to help, please contact the St. Joseph’s St. Vincent de Paul  President Barb Fuhs at 510-661-9572.