Some of the most important moments at St. Vincent de Paul happen quietly, just one neighbor helping another. A cart full of groceries for the single mother doing everything she can to get by. A life-saving medication placed into the hands of someone with nowhere else to turn. An air conditioner provided on a day when the heat is unbearable. A neighbor finally feeling seen.
In every one of these moments, YOU ARE THERE.
Your generosity makes it possible. It sparks one act of compassion that leads to another, quietly and powerfully spreading hope to those who need it most. From the pantry, to our neighbors, to our volunteers, to the homes and workplaces of our community—your care ripples outward.
And as we reach the midpoint of 2025, the need is great. We can’t meet it without you.
You’ll read in this update about the lives you’ve helped change and the momentum building in our Charitable Pharmacy which is on pace to fill its one millionth prescription this fall. That milestone will be possible because of you.
It is an exciting time for St. Vincent de Paul. What a joy it is to be used to serve our neighbors! What a joy it is to lock arms with each other and the community around us! Let your joy, service, and generosity be contagious in this season! However you choose to stay involved, we invite you to keep showing up. What lies ahead depends on it. This is a season to dig in, stay close, and move forward together.
Thank you for standing with us. For standing with our neighbors.
Hope shows up because you do.
With deep gratitude,
Kaytlynd Lainhart Vice President of External Relations
St. Vincent de Paul – Cincinnati
HOPE SHOWS UP
Your generosity is at work across every service area, meeting
CATINO CHOICE FOOD PANTRY
“We’re seeing record numbers of neighbors, many of them first-timers, and food prices are up across the board. Fruit, meat, even staples like eggs and milk are harder to come by. We’ve had to get creative, building new partnerships and finding new sources just to keep up. Still, we’ve managed to serve 11% more households than last year, including 168 in a single weekday, our busiest day yet. That’s what ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ looks like: adapting, stretching, and finding a way to say yes when people need us most.”
“From January through May, we’ve provided 751 beds. Our current redemption rate is 80%—the highest it’s ever been. Switching to platforms and rolled mattresses has made a big difference, allowing more families to transport and receive beds right when they need them. These are basic needs, but they mean everything to the neighbors we serve.”
Erin
Nowak, Outreach Center Program Director
HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
“What we’re seeing most right now is increased need for housing, food, clothing, and stability. Since January, we’ve helped hundreds of families with rent and utility assistance, each one trying to hold on in a difficult and expensive housing market. At the same time, we’re seeing real impact through our Preventative Eviction Program, which helps stably employed neighbors stay in their homes through short-term aid and financial coaching. In its second year, only 2 of 65 participants have returned in crisis.”
—Marnay Love, Social Services Advocate
BECAUSE YOU DO
neighbors’ rising needs with compassion, urgency, and care.
HEALTH SERVICES
“We’re consistently caring for around 150 health services patients, but the needs are growing more complex. We’re seeing more people lose their Medicaid coverage without warning, which means they often show up in crisis. Our biggest challenge is diagnostic testing. We know what tests would help confirm a diagnosis or catch something early, but they’re expensive. Recently, we’ve been able to expand our lab partnerships and ordered five specialty tests in the last two months. It’s amazing progress, but it’s already pushing our budget.”
—Lenzi Kiluba, Family Nurse Practitioner
CONFERENCES
“I work with more than 50 St. Vincent de Paul Conferences and what’s been most powerful to witness lately is how they support each other. We call it twinning, one Conference helping another, and those efforts are up 57% so far this year. In a time of rising need, our Vincentians are doing whatever they can to lift each other up. That’s ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ at its core.”
—Chris Williams, District Council President
RE-ENTRY SERVICES
“Re-entry is about helping people rebuild every part of their lives. Housing remains one of the biggest barriers. If we find a landlord willing to rent to someone who has been incarcerated, the next hurdle is the security deposit and budgets are tight. What’s been most encouraging, however, is the increased cooperation we’re seeing with community partners. Recently, two Hamilton County Re-Entry candidates used our services along their path to completing the county’s Welcome Home Docket program.”
Jaclyn
Cales, Self-Sufficiency Programs Manager
A NEW CHAPTER IN CARE AS WE APPROACH ONE MILLION PRESCRIPTIONS
In just a few short months, the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy will fill its one millionth prescription, a remarkable milestone made possible by the generosity of donors like you.
What began nearly 20 years ago as a small, mission-driven effort to close a critical gap in care has grown into a region-wide resource for thousands of neighbors who would otherwise go without the medications they need to survive. And as we approach our 20th anniversary in 2026, we aren’t slowing down. We’re reaching farther, serving deeper, and spreading hope, one prescription at a time.
Expanded Hours and Rural Outreach
Thanks to a pivotal investment from the Farmer Family Foundation, we’re making major strides in suburban and rural access. This summer, our Milford location added a third day of weekly service, helping more families access critical medications closer to home. At the same time, we’ve launched a rural outreach initiative, expanding awareness and access for neighbors in often-overlooked communities.
CHARITABLE PHARMACY
“Over the last six months, we’ve seen record-breaking patient numbers, exceeding 1,000 in both January and May, and we filled nearly 9,000 prescriptions last month alone. One patient told us, ‘Over the last four years, SVDP has been my only constant in life.’ That’s what matters most—providing consistent, personal, compassionate care that helps people stabilize their health and their lives.”
—Lydia Bailey, Director of Pharmacy
CHN Medication Access Program
In partnership with Ohio’s Charitable Healthcare Network (CHN), Ohio Board of Pharmacy, and the Cardinal Health Foundation, we are launching the CHN Medication Access Program, which creates a centralized hub for the processing of personal medication donations shipped from individuals and nursing homes.
“Too often, life-saving medications are destroyed when they could be donated and safely redistributed to help a neighbor in need,” said Rusty Curington, Vice President of Pharmacy, “so we are taking bold steps to close medication access gaps with the potential to save lives statewide.”
During this two-year Innovation Phase, we will:
Develop a website to help individuals mail their personal medication donations directly to SVDP
Design a donation processing warehouse in the newly expanded Milford Charitable Pharmacy
Integrate warehouse automation technology to process donations from nursing homes and longterm care pharmacies
Provide free access to bulk medications to stock SVDP
Charitable Pharmacies and other Ohio free clinics and charitable pharmacies
These are the first steps toward becoming a statewide medication donation and distribution center, and with your continued support, we’ll ensure the next million prescriptions reach even more neighbors in need.
