The Diocesan Council of Marquette has 18 St. Vincent de Paul stores throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Florence, WI. Please select the store in your area to find location and contact information.
Featured Store:
People Helping People
Iron Mountain SVDP Thrift Store
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Iron Mountain is a Catholic lay organization of men and women joining together to grow spiritually in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, by offering person to person service to those who are needy and suffering.
The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store has been open for business in the Iron Mountain area since 1976 and had been in three locations prior to purchasing the building at 117 West "A" Street. A Store Committee guides the operation of the Iron Mountain SVdP Thrift Store while the store manager, 16 paid employees and approximately 15 store volunteers handle the day-to-day business affairs. Donations of household items, clothing, appliances, knick-knacks and books from local community members make charitable help possible through the local Conferences. Profits from the thrift store along with monetary donations from individuals and local businesses help fund these services.
The SVdP Thrift Store is a special work of the Iron Mountain District and is one of five SVdP Thrift Stores in the area. The St. Mary & St. Joseph Conference and the Immaculate Conception Conference of Iron Mountain support the store and provide aid to our friends in need. A Conference is made of local Catholic parishioners that volunteer to help members of our community who have fallen upon hard times. The Conferences have their offices located in the store but work independently of it. Currently there are 28 Conference volunteers who provide assistance with groceries, rental assistance, lodging, gasoline for limited purposes, utility assistance, medications, clothing and household needs.
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry is a major part of the assistance program and is a valuable asset to our local community. A volunteer, who is responsible for all donations, purchasing and stocking of the pantry, also manages it. In 2006, the pantry gave groceries to approximately forty to fifty families per week for a total of over 4,400 bags distributed throughout the year.
Additional pantry information:
20,360 pounds of commodities, with a fair market value of $44,384, were purchased from the Central UP Food Bank in Ishpeming in 2006. The majority of costs were covered by the generosity of local individuals who made monetary donations to the the food bank in the name of Iron Mountain SVdP. The cash donations benefit the people receiving food from the pantry and are also tax deductible for the benefactors.
The TV6 Can-a-thon provided 16,000 pounds of non-perishable food items for the pantry in 2006. Combined with local donations, the value of the food was approximately $50,000.
Each month the pantry purchases 800 pounds of chicken, 320 pounds of ground beef, 14 cases of hot dogs, laundry detergent, toilet paper, canned goods, and other items from local supermarkets. The SVdP Pantry also receives donations from a local supermarket on a daily basis. The items are distributed the same day with the surplus passed along to the Senior Citizens Center, Meals on Wheels and local soup kitchens.
SVdP Conference members also assist in the transportation of commodities for other local SVdP food pantries and the Maranatha food pantry.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please call the 906-774-9637 between the hours of 9 a.m. to noon (CST), Monday through Friday to set up an appointment. Conference members interview every weekday, during a three hour time span, seeing a new individual or family every fifteen minutes.
The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store depends on the generosity of the public to help them help others. Your donations are greatly appreciated. They may be dropped off at the store, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CST). You may arrange to have larger items, such as furniture and appliances, picked up by calling the store at 906-774-9637. Pick-ups are scheduled in advance for every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Monetary donations for the Society may be dropped off at the front desk of the store or mailed to SVdP, P.O. Box 494, Iron Mountain, MI 49801.
Carol McCarty, Store Committee Chair, commented, "Your business is greatly appreciated. Shopping in our store helps us help other people in our community. You help us be - 'People Helping People.' Our new store hours are Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CST). Thank you for your continuing support. It is all the generous donors, customers, store volunteers and employees who help St. Vincent de Paul help so many people of our community."
Info from article by Jim Wilcheck
Iron Mountain Daily News
November 18, 2007