St. Vincent de Paul Louisville
SERVING THOSE IN NEED SINCE 1853
January 2026
“I wouldn't be here without St. Vincent”: Sarita's journey to self-sufficiency
Sarita has a sense of freedom for the first time in her life.
together at home, they can be vulnerable to each other without judgement.
violence staff, and within a couple of days, entered our transitional shelter with Israel.
“I’m completely on my own and it feels amazing,” Sarita said. “I took over my apartment lease. At first, it was terrifying, but I know now that I can do it.”
“I’ve been able to create a safe place for my kids,” she said.
The stability gave Sarita the time to reflect not only on herself, but her future. She attended our Mental Health & Substance Use Program's group counseling.
At 37-years-old, Sarita is self-sufficient. She is able to take care of her family’s basic needs like rent and food. She was a client in our Domestic Violence Program for a year until Oct. 2025. “St. Vincent de Paul found me at a really hard time. I learned how to love myself again. I’m a better mother to my kids, a better daughter to my parents, and a better employee to my daycare babies. I am becoming the person God intended me to be. I’m still a work in progress, but I wouldn’t be here without St. Vincent.” The mother of four children, Sarita lives with her youngest son, Israel, and her other three are with her parents. She has a great relationship with her family. She says her two teenage daughters, Maliyah and Anela, have improved their school grades and behavior. When they’re
It wasn’t always that way. Sarita celebrated nine years of sobriety, but it was an uphill climb. “Before I was at St. Vincent, I wasn’t coping with all the loved ones who passed away in my life. I had relationship problems. I had issues with my kids. Life was hard,” Sarita said. “I was hopping from place to place.” Sarita got to the point where she was suicidal. She had been in a five-year long domestic violence relationship—she was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. When she was at the end of herself, God stepped in. “One morning I woke up and asked God, ‘I’m tired. What do I do? How can I get out of this?’” Sarita added. “God heard my cries.” Sarita went to the library and met Elle, who pointed her to the Women's Healing Place, which is an overnight shelter for those struggling with substance use. Then, she was connected to our domestic
“When I become stressed, I know how to catch or stop myself and to recognize not to go back down that path again. This place taught me who I was. It taught me to push myself. That I’m worth breathing on this earth. That I’m a human being.” Sarita started with her identity—how she saw herself—and it has overflowed to her relationships and career aspirations. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s in Business Management and a minor in Early Childhood Education. She only has two semesters remaining. Currently, she teaches three- to five-year-olds. Sarita has learned that life is hard, but you can do hard things. “All of this is because of St. Vincent,” Sarita said. “I’m grateful for you all. I wanted to give up on myself and had no other options.” Sarita dreams of owning a facility to serve families with autistic children.
“Magical”: Thank you for Bri Each year, Santa Shop is simple. We want to provide help and hope so that parents or guardians can make a child’s Christmas morning memorable. “My three children would not have had Christmas without this,” said Michelle, who is in one of our off-campus housing programs. “It helps to be able to ask for what my children need versus what someone wants to buy them.” On Saturday, Dec. 13, we provided 403 children with Christmas gifts at the 29th Annual Santa Shop on our Special Works Campus.
The Good Samaritan The monthly newsletter of St. Vincent de Paul Louisville Send correspondence to PO Box 17126, Louisville, KY 40217-0126 Visit us at 1015-C South Preston Street, Louisville, KY 40203-2733 Jennifer Clark CEO & Executive Director Pam Evans Sr. Director of Advancement pevans@svdplou.org Nicky Peck Volunteer Engagement Coordinator npeck@svdplou.org Tony Nochim Communications & Public Relations Coordinator Send comments or change of address notifications to tnochim@svdplou.org
Our Mission We house, feed, and support those in need with compassion and dignity.
Support SVDP To find out more about our work or make a donation, visit our website.
Instead of our traditional “shopping mall” setup, we transitioned to a “shop for a child” model, focusing on the children (ages infant to 17 years old) we directly serve through our housing programs and SVDP parish-based conference outreach. Parents or guardians completed a wish list form on behalf of their child. Monisha, a mother of seven, was very appreciative for the holiday support (pictured top left). “It takes the burden off. Recently, my one-year-old got sick. I missed work for some time and had to resign from my job,” Monisha said. “I teach my kids to be appreciative no matter what they receive.” One parent even received three bikes for her children. The distribution day had roughly 60 volunteers who worked in two-hour shifts. There were greeters, campus guides, stockers, and those who distributed gifts. Elves accompanied each family and helped assist them with their gifts. “It’s one of my family’s favorite holiday traditions,” said Lesley DePaola, who volunteers each year with family and friends. “The need is great in our community, and this is a way that really sets the intention for the holidays for my family ... So, it’s a very rewarding experience and we’re grateful for the work that St. Vincent de Paul does.”
Volunteer Rachael Hunt shopped with her daughter, who attends Sacred Heart Model School. “It was a great opportunity to teach my kids to see the need right here and do something for the community,” Hunt said. “To give parents the dignity to give gifts to their children. That’s the magical part of it.” “I grew up riding a bike,” added Kendrick Ford, whose family supported two children. “The first item on the boy’s wish list was a blue bike. I was like, ‘They’ve got to have it.’ The other needed a car seat. That was a no brainer. This is a good cause, and everyone needs a little cheer on Christmas morning for their kids.”
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St. Vincent de Paul Louisville
inging Hope for the Holidays Thank you to the hundreds of individual donors who shopped for children and made this event possible. A special thank you to several large group gift donations, including conferences at Ascension, Epiphany, St. Brigid / St. James, and St. Raphael. The Notre Dame Academy sixth graders took a class shopping trip to support 20 children (pictured bottom left).
UPCOMING EVENTS at ST. VINCENT DE PAUL LOUISVILLE
“This is both an academic and service activity for our students,” said DeeDee Nauert, Children’s Faith Formation Coordinator. “The sixth graders showed their willingness to serve others for those children less fortunate than themselves. The students knocked it out of the park.” For the fifth year in a row, Tilley’s Book Table, led by sisters Kim Sweet and Sharon Merker, brought more than 1,000 books. “We meet the interests of the families. It’s a labor of love,” Merker said. A Special Street in Crescent Hill Marie White-Robinson sent a message to her neighbors in Crescent Hill, and was blown away by their response. Initially, Robinson thought her street might support 15 children for Santa Shop, but her neighbors rallied to shop for 30 children. Roughly ten families took two to three children each. “Our family is all about giving back to the community,” said Robinson, a mother with twins. “This neighborhood is fantastic … In these times, the most important thing, reaching out and helping community, is how we’re going to move forward.”
You’re Invited! Roses & Rosé Sunday, April 26 Our thanks to Louisville Metro Government for their support
Holiday Cheer Bags As a new option, Holiday Cheer Bags supported nearly 150 adult Veteran, shelter, and transitional housing clients who live on campus and receive supportive services. Each Holiday Cheer Bag consisted of personal care items, winter weather items, reusable water bottles, or holiday snacks. Thank you to AssuredPartners (pictured bottom right), Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and Holy Trinity Catholic School, and longtime volunteer Becky Duncan, for supporting this. “AssuredPartners was pleased to provide 68 Holiday Cheer Bags for those in need,” said Office Manager Janet Mattern. “We are fortunate to give back to our community.” Special Meals The Open Hand Kitchen served a special meal on Thanksgiving and Christmas to clients on our campus and those from the community. Forty-seven volunteers ensured our guests experienced the joy of a warm holiday meal and companionship.
SVDP Monthly Podcast This podcast shares stories of people, partners, and programs in the Louisville community and across the country who care about our mission. You can watch or listen today at www.svdplou.org/svdp-podcast.
Stock the Shelves As part of our monthly initiative, we are asking for Urgent Monthly Needs Pantry Staples (such as Canned Fruits, Canned Vegetables, Canned Proteins) and/or Personal Care Items (such as Toothbrushes & Toothpaste, Shampoo & Conditioner, or Bar Soap & Body Wash). For a full list and more information, visit www.svdplou.org/stock-the-shelves.
Tyler Ward becomes SVDP's New Board Chair On Jan. 1, 2026, Tyler Ward was named St. Vincent de Paul Louisville’s new Board Chair. Tyler joined SVDP as a Board Member in Jan. 2023, and is currently Vice President and Relationship Strategist at PNC Private Bank. Yolanda Pritchard will serve as Vice-Chair. We sat down with Tyler to hear his story. How has your understanding of SVDP grown since joining the board? “My initial impression of St. Vincent de Paul was always the thrift stores. I knew there were Vincentians and parishes that would do home visits or help somebody with a utility bill at the end of the month. I was less familiar with our campus, but that has really impressed me. The scope of St. Vincent de Paul’s work on the housing side, emergency shelter side, the Open Hand Kitchen, that was something I was unaware of before I got involved at SVDP Louisville.” What excites you most about becoming SVDP’s Board Chair?
“I’m excited to continue to work with the board members that I’ve served with for the last couple of years. They have been around the organization for a long time and they all work really hard. I’m excited to continue to partner with the staff. I think St. Vincent de Paul has the best staff in the city. There are also so many volunteers that make up St. Vincent de Paul. These are volunteers from all different walks of life and different reasons to support our organization.”
Talk about the board’s impact.
“What’s great about our board is we have so many people with so many different skill sets and backgrounds. They know a lot of people around the city. I think we can leverage those relationships to further the support and mission of our organization. My biggest goal as board chair—and I think the board’s always been working on this and the organization has done a great job of this—is to grow our brand awareness. If there are people who don’t know what we’re doing, we need to reach them and ask for their support.” What do you envision for the future success of SVDP’s mission?
“The mission that we offer and the work that we do is as important as ever. So for me, I’m excited to find creative and new ways to deliver the mission and help those in need. The Board’s focus is on sustainability. There are always going to be changes in the policy or in the community—whether that impacts our clients from a food insecurity standpoint or housing perspective—but we have to find other ways to continue doing the mission.” How does your faith influence you?
“Growing up, I saw my grandparents make it a priority to volunteer and contribute to their community. They typically did that with organizations who aligned with their values and where the need was. St. Vincent de Paul was always important to them. I remember being a kid going to the thrift store at Owensboro. I know my grandpa did a lot of other work with St. Vincent de
Paul. That always stayed with me. My faith is also important to me and that was driven home by my parents. It was never a question of if you were going to be involved, but what you were going to do.” Why is caring for those in need important?
“In recent months, it’s really hit home to me how important St. Vincent de Paul is to the community. With various agencies experiencing cuts and other challenges, it’s getting harder for us to do our work, but our work can’t stop. That’s happening while the need is growing, so it’s a double-edge sword. So, more than ever, we need the community’s support. We need folks to give their time, talents, and treasure. For somebody who’s living day to day, finding that next meal or place to sleep makes all the difference.”
Community Corner: Thankful for Texas Roadhouse support of our feeding programs In November, Texas Roadhouse partnered with us to support those in need during Thanksgiving.
They donated 300 Thanksgiving bags and 100 hygiene packets for the households we serve at our Food Pantry.
This gave families something tangible to cook during the holiday season. Each bag included stuffing mix, cornbread mix, mac and cheese, and more.
Texas Roadhouse also delivered twelve cases of reusable water bottles to pair with the new ice and water machine they donated to the Open Hand Kitchen.
“Part of our mission at Texas Roadhouse is to serve our community, and we were grateful for the opportunity to partner with St. Vincent de Paul. Our Roadies loved assembling Thanksgiving meals and personal care kits to help those in need,” said Nichelle Anderson, Texas Roadhouse.
We appreciate their holiday support of those we serve in our feeding programs!