By Susan Bois
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Rita in the Desert Conference is available to help those who find themselves in a crisis. Our mantra is “There is no work of charity foreign to our Society.” Our Conference has been in existence since 2004 in the Vail area. We are part of an International Society that was founded in 1833 in France and was established in the US in 1845. To date there are more than 4,500 conferences with over 100,000 members in the United States and over 1,000,000 members internationally. Our conference serves an area of 750 square miles: north to Irvington, south to include Corona de Tucson, west to Wilmot and east to the Cochise County line. We serve anyone in need, regardless of religious affiliation, race, age, or any other discriminating factor.
Those who require our assistance can call our help line at 520-762-9644 and leave a message. The line is checked 365 days a year. The caller is then contacted by our president, who gathers some initial information and then assigns two of our members to conduct a home visit. During this home visit we get additional information and establish how we can best serve the family. This assistance can be taking them food; helping pay overdue utility bills, rent or mortgage; medical bills, medicine, essential car repairs and many other forms of financial assistance.
The home visitors can also provide referrals to other agencies which may be able to assist. Although we sincerely hope that this will be over soon, because of COVID we are currently not allowed to enter the home. This is for the protection of the family as well as the visitors. In the meantime, our visiting members get all the information they need over the phone and arrange a time when they can meet the family, pick up any bills and bring them food; all the while remaining masked and six feet apart.
We are funded largely through the generosity of the parishioners of St. Rita in the Desert Catholic Church as well as grants from local businesses, including Safeway, TEP, Walmart and recently the Community Foundation of Southwest Arizona. Since we have limited funding, we are only able to help a family through a crisis. In other words, we are not a monthly bill paying agency. However, even if our funds our exhausted, we always have food available and want no one to go hungry. If we are unable to help financially, we can refer the family to many other resources available throughout the county.
We are called through scripture to see “the face of Christ” in those we serve. It is our hope that providing some material assistance will enable the families we see to feel the love of God from those who visit them.
Native Kansan, Susan Bois is a wife, mother, and grandmother calling Vail her home for the past eight years. She is President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul St. Rita in the Desert Conference.
