Thrift store captures spirit of helping

Originally published August 27, 2015

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Chicago, a Catholic lay organization, has been helping people since 1857, according to its website.

Its mission is to have people join together to grow spiritually by helping the needy and those who are suffering, in the tradition of founder Frederic Ozanam and patron St. Vincent de Paul, according to the website.

St. Vincent de Paul was born in 1581 in the south of France, and became known as the “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor,” according to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Service to the community — including through volunteer sites, food pantries and thrift stores — remains the society’s mission.

I toured the Orland Park thrift store at 7010 W. 159th St. It opened in January, replacing a St. Vincent de Paul store in Midlothian that closed last summer after 20 years in business.

The Orland Park store is now a template for updating, upgrading or building new St. Vincent de Paul stores, and the organization hopes to open six more in the Chicago area in the next five years. Clean bathrooms, an organized stockroom and changing rooms add to the retail experience.

The store employs nine, with manpower also being provided by volunteers.

Community service hours (high school and court-appointed) also can be gained by working here. Store manager Jessica Sulls, who has been with St. Vincent de Paul for three years, has a recap question for volunteers: “What have you learned here today?” She likes the volunteers to know that they are helping the community and local families.

The store is in need of men’s shoes and accessories, along with baby and children’s clothes, and winter coats. The items donated in those categories often are too worn. (By the way, televisions and computer equipment are not collected.)

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Chicago is looking to amass coats for its upcoming coat sale on Sept. 12 and 13.

“We want everyone who needs one to have a winter coat for the season,” Society of St. Vincent de Paul CEO James Lonergan said. “At $3 per coat, hopefully we can keep the entire community warm.”

Marketing and website manager Paul Martinez, who has been involved with the organization for two years, said, “This is a calling, not a job.” Previously casually involved, he felt the need to “walk the talk.” He built the new website, which includes such information as thrift store hours, phone numbers and details on how to contact local parish volunteer sites. Visit the website at svdpchicago.org.

Lonergan said the Chicago organization plans to open a new headquarters in Schiller Park early in the fall. The new space will serve as a central donation drop-off and processing center and is to include the Chicago-area administrative office. The 30,000-square-foot facility, at 10525 Delta Parkway, is not far from Interstate 294. Officials consider themselves fortunate for having such a location.

“It’s as if God is doing the roadwork ahead of time for us,” Lonergan said.

“Generally, there hasn’t been a time before when SVDP Chicago has needed to come together more,” he said. “Now we will provide a common mission, common vision, common purpose with respect, dignity and service to the less fortunate among us, while making it possible for us to serve the needs of so many with the new site. We want to serve every day with humility so that the face of Christ may be seen while we are serving the poor in our community. We were able to serve more than 800,000 last year, at a value of $5.4 million. This was made possible with 194,000 hours and 233,000 miles traveled by more than 2,500 volunteers asking nothing in return.”

The society is completely reliant on donations to operate its thrift stores and food pantries and to provide assistance to individuals and families who need help with utility bills, rent, mortgage payments, medical costs and even emotional and spiritual support.

Drop boxes, parish collections and thrift store drop-off sites such as the Orland Park location provide convenient ways to help for those who wish to donate and make a difference in someone’s life.

For furniture donations, free pickup service is available by calling (773) 779-6700. However, please provide some lead time as they are coordinating for all of Cook and Lake counties.

Many of the goods donated are used for an emergency voucher program. Individuals and families affected by fire, flood or other emergency situations are offered free clothing, furniture and food in a confidential and dignified way. This can happen quickly after a home visit by a team of St. Vincent de Paul volunteers, who often are able to identify additional needs and provide the appropriate resources.

There are 125 volunteer sites based at local parishes throughout Cook and Lake counties, ready to assist.

Offering his final thoughts, Lonergan said, “We are closer as a community when we treat each other with dignity and respect. Many people who come to us for help may be one paycheck away from poverty. If we can help them by providing a bridge or fill a gap or a need, we may be able to lead some of these people out of poverty.”