More Than a Check: Vincentians Bring Friendship, Faith and Hope to Neighbors in Need
- Sheryl Tirol
- 4 minutes ago
- 6 min read
When a single mother left an abusive situation, she faced a new crisis as she struggled to keep a roof over the heads of her four children. Working a job that paid just above minimum wage, she had fallen behind on her rent and faced the possibility of eviction. The stress of caring for her children weighed heavily on her. But when she reached out to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, she received more than financial assistance.
During a home visit, society volunteers, known as Vincentians, listened to her story, assessed her needs and offered the spiritual support she said she desperately needed. With financial, emotional and spiritual support, she was able to avoid eviction and begin moving forward.
“Your assistance in helping me get caught up on rent has taken a huge weight off my shoulders and given me the chance to move forward with stability and peace of mind,” she later wrote. “You didn’t just help me financially; you gave me hope when I really needed it.”
For the Denver Metro Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the heart of the mission is about more than simply writing a check. It is about accompanying a neighbor through a difficult moment.
“We’re coming to them as friends and neighbors,” said Elaine Murphy, president of the Denver Metro Council and a Vincentian for 23 years. “We’re coming to them in friendship. We’re coming to them in service so that we can help them.”
Climbing the Stairs
Murphy, who spent 49 years as a teacher, was drawn to Vincentian ministry because of its personal nature. The society’s volunteers meet people where they are, often literally. Instead of asking a person in crisis to find transportation, arrange childcare or sit in an agency waiting room, Vincentians make a personal home visit. When they enter a home, being there in person can reveal needs that never emerge over the phone. When someone is requesting help with rent, it can also uncover children wearing shoes held together with duct tape. A leaking refrigerator might reveal a landlord who has failed to make necessary repairs. A family asking for rental assistance might have no furniture at all.
“One time we went on a home visit, and we were sitting on the floor,” Murphy recalled. “There was no furniture.”
The society’s approach is rooted in the example of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, who urged members to visit people experiencing poverty in their homes. The principle remains particularly relevant in communities where poverty can be difficult to see from the outside. Behind an ordinary apartment door in Aurora, Broomfield or elsewhere across the Denver metro area, a family may be struggling to pay rent, keep the electricity on or provide basic necessities for children.
“You get to see the home,” Murphy said. “When they see us, and we’ve taken the time to go into their house, they trust us.” Of course, when a neighbor in need feels uncomfortable meeting at home, Vincentians will arrange to meet safely elsewhere, such as at the parish church office.
That trust allows Vincentians to look beyond the immediate crisis.
Preventing Homelessness
Elizabeth Kendrick, executive director of the Denver Metro Council, said about 95% of the calls and emails the organization receives involve some form of housing assistance. That demand has prompted the council to launch an effort to establish a sustainable endowment for its Ozanam Housing Fund. The goal is simple: to provide reliable monthly funding to help neighbors remain in their homes.
“If we can help people stay in their housing, it’s so much better for everyone involved than allowing it to get to the point where somebody is homeless or a family is homeless,” Kendrick said.
Keeping a family housed can mean children remain in the same school and parents can continue working without the disruption of homelessness. The housing fund currently relies on donations, grants and fundraising campaigns, making its resources fluctuate. An endowment would provide a more consistent source of support. The need crosses every demographic, Kendrick said. The council hears from young adults, older adults, people with disabilities, veterans, single parents and families. And the society serves them regardless of faith.
“We’re much more ecumenical and universal in our approach to our service to our neighbors,” Murphy said.
A Walk for Neighbors in Need
Every September, Vincentians across the country lace up their shoes for the Friends of the Poor Walk, an annual event that raises both funds and awareness for the society’s work. Nationally, the event has raised more than $27 million since 2008.
This year's Denver Metro Council walk will take place Saturday, Sept. 19, at Clement Park in Littleton. The family-friendly event will bring together Vincentians, supporters and community members for a morning of walking, fellowship and fundraising. But the walk is about more than putting one foot in front of the other — it also raises awareness of the needs in our communities and the work the society does to help.
Kendrick said this year's event will feature 12 signs sharing anonymized stories of neighbors who have received assistance from the society. The stories will describe people such as single parents, widows and families facing financial hardship. The signs were created to invite participants to stop, read and reflect on the lives behind the statistics.
“We're really trying to have a fun, family-centric kind of event,” Kendrick said, while also giving people an opportunity to learn more about the organization.
The 2025 Denver walk raised more than $18,000, funds that the society said would help support as many as 60 families. For an organization whose greatest need is housing assistance, every dollar can translate into another opportunity to keep a family housed.
Teaching People to Fish
While emergency assistance can prevent a crisis from becoming catastrophic, Vincentians increasingly are looking at what comes next. Their goal is to help neighbors develop the tools and connections they need to remain stable. That may mean connecting someone with utility assistance, helping a family identify ways to reduce expenses, providing job-training resources or helping someone apply for government benefits. The council is also developing financial wellness programming that will include practical guidance on budgeting, affordable nutritious meals and accessing community resources.
The philosophy is one Murphy describes as “teaching them to fish.” The ultimate measure of success is not simply whether someone receives assistance, but whether that assistance helps create a path forward. Sometimes, the society hears directly from neighbors who have taken that next step. Murphy recalled receiving a message from someone who had followed her advice about applying for a particular job.
“I took your advice,” the person told her, “And I got it.”
A Vocation of Accompaniment
For Kendrick, the work reveals something deeper about what it means to serve. She distinguishes between being a volunteer and being a Vincentian.
“A volunteer signs up to do something,” Kendrick said. “A Vincentian signs up to become something, to be something.”
That is why the society’s Rule explains that this is a “vocation for every moment of our lives” (Rule Part I, 2.6). In short, the Rule says, “Volunteers are volunteers until the task is complete. Vincentians are Vincentians until we are complete.”
That distinction reflects the spiritual dimension of Vincentian ministry. The society’s conferences open and close their meetings with prayer. Members discuss difficult cases together, share resources and encourage one another when they encounter situations they cannot easily solve. Kendrick said she is continually struck by the belief that Vincentians do not enter these homes alone.
“Every time we walk into those homes, the Holy Spirit’s with us,” she said.
The work can be difficult. Sometimes every available resource has been exhausted, and a family’s needs remain. In those moments, prayer and community help Vincentians find the strength to continue. The society is also working to expand language access, recognizing that many of the people it serves, as well as many potential Vincentians, do not speak English as their first language. It is part of a broader effort to meet neighbors where they are.
For the single mother who feared losing her home, that meant receiving rent assistance. But it also meant being seen, heard and accompanied. Her gratitude captured what the Vincentians hope every neighbor experiences, a sense of relief and the dignity of knowing someone cares.
“Your kindness means more than I can express,” she wrote. “Thank you for everything you do and for believing in people like me who are working hard to get back on track.”
For Vincentians, that is faith made tangible, one home visit, one conversation and one neighbor at a time.
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The Friends of the Poor Walk© is Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at Clement Park in Littleton. The event begins at 9 a.m. and is open to families, children and pets. Participants can register, donate or support the event through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Denver Metro Council by visiting www.svdpden.org.
