Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
We put commitment into action.
Together, we CAN make a difference! So please join us to help those in need in our community.
Our Mission – To live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy. We all share a passion for social justice and try to make a difference by helping the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged or those that are just trying to get their lives back together.
Our Organization – The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) is an international volunteer Catholic organization that began in Paris, in 1833. Its principal founder was a twenty-year-old university student named Frederic Ozanam who, when defending his Catholic faith, was issued a personal challenge,
“What are you doing for those in need?”
His response was to gather together a small group of friends and seek out those living in poverty. So they began visiting people in their homes and providing assistance.
Today, the home visits carried out by our on-call teams are a signature of the organization.
One of 18 Conferences in the Halifax area, the St. Ignatius Conference serves the Bedford area, helping those in need, regardless of religious denomination or affiliation.
What We Do – St. Ignatius volunteers offer their time for a variety of activities to help those in need.
- Home Visits – Five Teams respond to calls received by the Parish Office. Assistance may include emergency food hampers, food bank deliveries, gift card distribution, assistance with rent or temporary accommodation, fuel oil, power & utilities, transport, and medications.
- Sponsor-a-Family – Christmas hampers (co-ordination with Feed Nova Scotia, home delivery) and distribution of clothing, household articles and toys.
- Hope Cottage Support – Purchase food, prepare meals for 120 people every 4 weeks,
deliver and serve.
- Yearly Seniors’ Lunch – Set up, prepare meals and serve.
- Yearly Pancake Supper – Set up, prepare meals and serve.
- Beacon House – Collect food items at church and deliver to food bank. Participate in volunteer days at Beacon House, helping to sort items in the retail section.
- Monthly Meetings – We meet monthly from September through May to plan and coordinate our activities.
In 2021, our volunteers provided assistance to 360 households in the form of food hampers, heating oil, power bills, medications, rent, temporary accommodations and other basic needs. In addition, our Christmas Sponsor-a-Family program provided turkeys and gift cards to 110 needy families.
Funding – Our major source of funding is the generosity of our parishioners. We also receive an annual grant from SSVP Halifax Council. All donations received benefit those in need within our parish boundaries.
We welcome your enquiries at any time and hope that the spirit of giving back and the desire to work for social justice will encourage you to consider volunteering with our Conference.
Yours in Vincentian service;
Lizzie Lappin -President, Phone: 613-985-5809, e.a.lappin@gmail.com
Enquiries
Parish Office – 902 835-2910 or saintignatius@bellaliant.com
In Halifax, SSVP also operates two good works; Hope Cottage and Hand in Hand.
• Hope Cottage provides meals to those who cannot afford to obtain these meals themselves. Since its inception, Hope Cottage has grown into a Halifax institution, providing over 40,000 meals a year.
• Hand in Hand is a thrift store located in Spryfield. It collects Donations of clothing and housewares and are provided them to the community at reasonable prices or donated them to those in need.