Society of St. Vincent de Paul- Archdiocese of Galveston Houston
Going to Those in Need Since 1871
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP), Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is part of an international society of friends united by a spirit of poverty, humility and friendship while offering person-to-person service to the poor and neighbors in need regardless of race, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or legal status. The Society does not proselytize or require anyone receiving aid to attend services or share its faith. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is building capacity as it provides vital assistance to neighbors in need, particularly those seeking assistance for the first time due to the difficulties the country is currently facing. We are serving more neighbors in need than ever than ever, as the plight of poverty has many faces that are changing and growing during these challenging and unprecedented times.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Food Network
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Food Network provides food assistance at 21 locations throughout Greater Houston. It manages the safe, efficient distribution of perishable and non-perishable food to all the Society’s food pantries. The Food Network also operates a Food Fair three Saturdays per month at the 50,000 square foot Vincentian Services Center (VSC). The event is open to everyone living in the Galveston-Houston area and is non-zip-code restricted. Since the VSC is in zip code 77087, where 28.7 percent of the residents live below the poverty threshold, it is an ideal location to host Food Fairs. Each Saturday, an average of 400 families are served by an average of 60 Good Samaritan volunteers who give out produce, dairy, meat, and non-perishable items as well as special dietary foods, baby food and hygiene products. Funding for this program would offset expenses for food, distribution, staff, and equipment.
Voucher Ministry
The Society has two resale shops – one running directly from the Vincentian Service Center and the second, a stand-alone building in Bellaire. Both shops are available for our neighbors in need to redeem their Vouchers given to them as a result of the Home Visit. All items are donated by the local community. The shops also act as a vehicle for low-income families to purchase items at a low cost. Clothing vouchers provide our friends with outfits and shoes. When available, we supplement the voucher with new undergarments and hygiene supplies. During the Home Visit, our Vincentians speak directly to anyone seeking our help in their own homes in order to preserve their dignity. As a social enterprise, the Resale Shops have created local jobs and provide a valuable revenue stream to ensure neighbors are able to access support services at the Society.
Vincentian Services
Since the Society of St. Vincent de Pauls beginnings in Paris in 1833 and Galveston-Houston in 1871, our cornerstone has been the Home Visit, going directly into the homes of the poor and neighbors in need. Today, the core of Vincentian services is still built upon the Home Visit. A cadre of 1,800 Vincentian volunteers strive to serve those in need while maintaining the highest respect and dignity. This is the Vincentian commitment to reach out to neighbors in the privacy of their homes, which allows them to confide their stories with dignity. It is during this gracious shared interaction that Vincentian volunteers listen with open hearts, offer support with humility, and extend the assistance and support struggling families need to move past a crisis to financial and emotional well-being. Through the Society’s network of Vincentian volunteers committed to spirituality, friendship, and service to others, SVdP has been able to respond to crises affecting the most vulnerable.
Addressing Systemic Change
The Society’s Resiliency Program includes Bridges Out of Poverty and nationally known Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-By-World®. This program is a 16-week incentivized program that helps improve people’s lives by assessing their own lives and circumstances and developing tools and skills as part of their move to self-sufficiency. Getting Ahead participants create their own plan towards sustainable life, build healthy relationships with community members, set short- and long-term goals, and develop a step-by-step plan to achieve those goals. In addition to this program, the Society has developed a graduate program where participants and mentors tackle everything from budgeting and negotiation skills to how to cope with daily life and build hope for the future. Right relationships can be a powerful aid to help people along the journey out of poverty. As a virtual program, each participant gets a Chromebook to use and anyone within the Archdiocese can participate.
Disaster Services
Although the Society is not a first responder, its Disaster Services helps individuals and families with what can be a devastating and life-altering loss from a disaster. Through its network of 56 regional conferences, the Society dispatches volunteers to heavily impacted areas once the location has been secured and is safe. SVdP helps people get back to some sense of normalcy by providing help with basic needs such as water, food, clothing, and furniture. While, thankfully, there were no major disasters in Greater Houston in 2022, the Society still gave $100,000 in disaster assistance. However, during the pandemic, the Society gave out over $1 million in aid to those most affected by it.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
VOAD - Volunteer Organizations Assisting with Disaster 2005
Texas Gulf Coast Regional Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (TGCVOAD) 2005
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2011
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total dollars distributed for utilities assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Children and youth
Related Program
Vincentian Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provided utility assistance to prevent utility interruptions.
Estimated dollar value of food donations distributed to community feedings programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Children and youth, Families, Parents
Related Program
Food Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In 2022, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provided for over 10,800 households with food assistance, which translates to 3.8 million pounds of food and 2.8 million meals.
Number of families assisted with rent or mortgage to avoid eviction
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Children and youth, Adults
Related Program
Vincentian Services
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
St. Vincent de Paul saw a dramatic increase in the need for rental assistance to prevent homelessness from 2021 to 2022
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is to have a chapter serving every area in the greater Galveston-Houston area. We also aim to preserve the dignity of anyone seeking ours aid while helping them as they face fiscal hardship and moving them from adversity to strength and self-reliance.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Society combines person-to-person support, basic needs assistance, and linkages to its services and community-based resources to increase long-term wellness and financial stability for neighbors experiencing fiscal instability. The core of Vincentian services is the Home Visit. A cadre of 1800 Vincentian Volunteers serve those in need while maintaining the highest respect and dignity. It is during this interaction when Vincentians extend the assistance and support families need to move past a crisis to financial and emotional well-being. Other key services the Society offers:
• Food Network: Provides food assistance at 22 pantries throughout Greater Houston. The Food Network operates a Food Fair three Saturdays per month. Over 60 volunteers give produce, dairy, meat, and non-perishable items to over 400 families per fair.
• Disaster Services: Although the Society is not a first responder, its Disaster Services help individuals and families from what can be a devastating, life-altering loss from a disaster. The Society provides help with basic needs such as water, food, clothing, and furniture.
• Emergency Assistance: Volunteers provide person-to-person support to identify financial needs related to real-time struggles and ensure that neighbors can receive mortgage, rental, utility, and flexible assistance needed to move past a crisis.
• Resale Shops: The Society operates two Resale Shops, which provide furniture and clothing to those in need. People in need can redeem Clothing and Furniture Vouchers given to them during Home Visits to receive outfits, shoes, undergarments, hygiene items, and bedroom, living room, and kitchen furniture.
• The Getting Ahead Program: Enables people themselves to engage in the identification of the root causes of their poverty and to create strategies to change structures that keep them in poverty and to build skill sets to be able to respond to future challenges. The program consists of a 16-week course with 8-12 participants and includes group discussions and modules to help them research the resources of their community. Since these sessions are virtual, every participant is given a laptop and anyone within the Archdiocese can take part.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul works to end poverty one family at a time throughout Greater Houston. Inspired by Gospel values, the Society grows spiritually through person-to-person service to all in need in the community. It does this through its network of charity following the essential elements of spirituality, friendship, and service. SVdP is made up of members actively living their faith by loving and providing hope to their neighbors. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has been serving Greater Houston since 1871 and provides services at 56 Conferences throughout the region. It currently has 1,800 Vincentian volunteers and 200 Council volunteers providing basic needs assistance to those living in poverty by working across the 10 counties that geographically make up the Archdiocese. These volunteers provided 140,000 volunteer hours, a $4.2 million value, in 2022. With such a strong, active volunteer base, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is able to use 95% of its organizational expenses toward program services.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2022, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul served 49,200 people with direct aid worth $13.2 million. Also in 2022, we provided $7.7 million in food assistance, translating to 3.8 million pounds of food to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. SVdP gave $4.8 million in rental, utility, and flexible assistance to prevent homelessness and utility interruption, and offered direct care and support through home visits to neighbors in need throughout Greater Houston in order for them to maintain their dignity.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul- Archdiocese of Galveston Houston
Board of directorsas of 04/18/2023
Mr. Gerardo Rivera
Oil and Gas Executive – H2O Midstream
Term: 2022 - 2027
Gerardo Rivera
Oil & Gas Executive, H2O Midstream
Ann Schorno
Executive Director, non-voting member
Patricia Marin
CPA – PSS Companies
Patricia Dornak
Non-Profit Executive, LSW (Retired)
Ladd Puskus
Software Development & Project Management, Retired
Stacy Medrano
Community Volunteer
Michael Zarich
SVD, Wealth Advisor - Bank of Texas
Connie Steward
Human Resources (Retired)
Ajoy Menezes
Corporate Treasury Manager (Retired)
Charlie Buhay
Administer/CEO - Bio Home Health Services, Inc. and Pax Et Vita Hospice Agency
Janice Chatham
Community Volunteer
Patricia Davis
Manufacturing Manager (Retired)
Maureen O'Connell, O.P.
Secretariat of Social Concerns - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Robin Riley
Engineer/Scientist (Retired)
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/17/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.