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Walk Benefits Local Society Of St. Vincent De Paul

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: September 13, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Last year, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of the Rosary Conference, distributed 64,800 pounds of food to people in need.

The agency also served 6,779 people in 2,178 families, buying $35,000 worth of food for its food bank and helping to pay $32,000 in utility bills for disadvantaged families.

For the society, based at 2348 Collier Parkway, service is a tradition - a 175-year tradition that will be celebrated Sept. 20 with its first Friends of the Poor Walk, an event that already has registered more than 100 walkers.

"The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded 175 years ago in Paris," said local president Patricia Dwyer. "Since it's our 175th anniversary, the national council thought it would be a wonderful idea to have a walk that would raise money to buy food for the poor and the hungry."

Walkers may raise pledges of any amount to participate in the 2-mile walk, which will take them from Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church to the Land O' Lakes Branch Library and back.

"People can pledge $10, $5, every little bit helps," said Dwyer. "We receive no government aid. We exist on donations from parishioners."

A Chance To Win Vacations

Awaiting walkers on church grounds will be hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream for sale, a jumping activity for the kids, drawings that offer vacation packages, gift cards to stores such as Belk and Winn-Dixie and to beauty salons, and gift baskets.

Belk and Winn-Dixie are event sponsors, as are Nissan and Hyundai of Wesley Chapel, Good News Gifts and Bookstore in Lutz, real estate agent Judy Leggler of Gulf Coast Realty, Heritage Bank, the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Women's Council.

People also can enter their classic autos in an antique car show with prizes and trophies.

All proceeds will benefit St. Vincent de Paul's efforts to help people in need.

"And the need is growing," Dwyer said. "Our clientele has doubled."

The Our Lady of the Rosary Conference serves Land O' Lakes, Lutz (Pasco), certain postal areas of Wesley Chapel and Odessa, and certain areas of Spring Hill.

"Anyone who comes to the pantry will receive food," Dwyer said. "If they live in another area, we will tell them where to find a St. Vincent de Paul chapter closer to them."

During July and August, she said, the local society helped to pay more than $16,000 in utility bills for clients, and gave out 919 Winn-Dixie gift cards.

"And just today, we had 23 families come through the food pantry," she said.

Help With Utility Bills

To qualify for utility bill payment, clients complete a home visit conducted by society representatives.

On behalf of qualified clients, St. Vincent de Paul pays their electric companies directly.

The food bank, meanwhile, can be accessed by people who present an identification card.

The society works with other philanthropic organizations to provide additional services to those in need.

Recently, for example, the society connected a homeless man in need of new glasses with The Lions Club, which provided him with an eye exam and spectacles.

They also helped a man with a bone disease by connecting him with a group that gave him a new wheelchair.

"As our motto says, no act of charity is foreign to St. Vincent de Paul Society," Dwyer said.

FRIENDS OF THE POOR WALK

SOME BACKGROUND: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of the Rosary Conference, will host the first Friends of the Poor Walk at 9 a.m. Sept. 20 on the grounds of the church, 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O' Lakes. Walkers will collect pledges to support the host organization's mission of helping the poor in the community.

The event will feature a Cruisin' for Christ Car Show with prizes and trophies awarded. All proceeds from the show will benefit Friends of the Poor Walk. Car registration is from 9 to 11 a.m., with a fee of $15. Admission to the car show is free.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS: The walk, according to a statement, will "celebrate the Society's 175 years of service to the poor, and ... encourage kindhearted people to become Friends of the Poor."

A LITTLE HISTORY: The St. Vincent DePaul Society was started in 1833 in Paris by college student Frederic Ozanam, who formed a group of like-minded college students to provide food and other aid to workers in the city who lived under deplorable conditions.

The society came to America in 1845, and serves people regardless of race, religion or creed.

WHAT'S NEXT? Walkers must register before Monday; registration is free. Pledges made on behalf of registered walkers will benefit those most in need in the community.

GET INVOLVED: For information about the Friends of the Poor Walk, call Pat Dwyer at (813) 949-6094 or (813) 545-0409. In addition, donations to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of the Rosary Conference, can be sent to P.O. Box 1229, Land O' Lakes FL 34639.

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