Society Of St. Vincent De Paul

St. Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 in France by six university students, is one of the longest-serving charitable organizations in the world. Committed to offering person-to-person service to people who are poor, suffering or forgotten, the Society those young people founded rapidly spread across Europe, reached the United States by 1845 and was operating in Milwaukee by 1848.

A membership organization, the Society began working in Madison in 1925 with two parish-based groups of members serving their neighbors in need. Today, programs the Society operates in Dane County include a large customer-choice food pantry, a charitable pharmacy, storage for the goods of persons who are homeless, seven thrift stores offering direct charity, housing at Port St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton House, and several other forms of assistance for people struggling with poverty.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is committed to "helping our neighbors in need," without regard to religion, race, or ethnic background.