Society of St. Vincent de Paul: More People Seeking Assistance Than Ever Before
The economic downturn is hurting people who've never had to seek help before, and children are especially vulnerable.

ST. LOUIS, MO, December 18, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As government statistics reflect a rising poverty rate ― from around 13 percent in 2008 to more than 14 percent in 2009 ― the nonprofit Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is seeing that need first-hand in the people served by the organization.

"We provide a wide range of services for the poor and needy, and we're seeing a dramatic increase in demand for basics like food, clothing, shelter and medicine," said Joe Flannigan, the organization's national president. "I've been a volunteer for the Society for almost 20 years, and I've seen a few economic downturns in my time, but this one seems to have hurt not only those at the margins but also people who've never had to seek help before. Worst of all, the ones who are hurt most are children. We see how hard it is on their parents when they can't provide basic necessities for them, much less gifts, during the holidays."

"Our motto is 'no work of charity is foreign to the Society,'" said Roger Playwin, SVdP's national executive director. "We hope people can take that to heart, at least during the holidays, and donate so we can help people who are struggling at a time of the year when they should be celebrating."

For donations and volunteer needs, log on to www.svdpusa.org.

Press Release Contact Information:

Charles Henderson
St. Vincent de Paul
Director of Communications
58 Progress Parkway
Saint Louis, Missouri
United States 63043-3706
Voice: 314-576-3993, ext. 214
Fax: 314-576-6755
Website: Visit Our Website