News Archives - Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Mural for St. Vincent de Paul Social Services Building

This beautiful mural now hangs in the lobby of the new St. Vincent de Paul Social Services Building! Above St. Vinny’s Willy St. at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin Streets in Madison, the mural will welcome people into the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Microlending program spaces.

A huge round of applause goes to Eva Pratt, St. Vinny’s Verona Assistant Store Manager, for creating this art! Additional thanks to Deborah Goedel, St. Vinny’s Verona Store Manager and Leighla Baney, St. Vinny’s Waunakee Assistant Store Manager, for their design collaboration.

The mural showcases and highlights the connection between our thrift stores and charitable programs across Dane County. Two more panels will be installed beneath the stairs. While four separate pieces of artwork, each panel flows together. When asked about the inspiration, Eva said…

“The ideas were all of ours, we collaborated. We thought about the services that we, Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison, offer and talked about the history of our first thrift store on Williamson Street. It was interesting doing research on the store to understand our history. We went with a somewhat 1950s vibe with that section. I knew the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program was going to be upstairs in this building, so I thought that it would be a really nice visual of the mother and children walking up to people helping them. We did some preliminary sketches, looked it over all together, and came to agreement on what looked good. After that, I went for a cleaner sketch and designed the final artwork.”

On June 25th, St. Vincent de Paul — Madison joined with 35 other Dane County food pantries to raise awareness about the increased need for food assistance. The group hosted a press conference on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol to share a letter to the community published in the Wisconsin State Journal. The goal of the activity was to encourage people to donate to local pantries to buy food, and collaborate on solutions that will reduce food insecurity long-term.

Thank you for the work you have already done and continue to do to support neighbors in need – specifically through food. Thanks to you, neighbors receive quality food and personal-care items from the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry when they cannot afford to buy them themselves. Thanks to you, seniors without transportation receive groceries each week delivered to their home. Thanks to you, families have the ability to order dietary-friendly and culturally-relevant food from our pantry to feed their families.

By consistently providing food and personal-care items to our neighbors in need, you help them alleviate some financial burdens and help them free up budget space to afford other necessary bills.

Dane County, we need your help.

As Dane County food pantries, we serve thousands of people in our community each day. Our shared mission is to make sure our neighbors don’t face hunger.

But we are facing a serious challenge.

Visits to many of our food pantries have more than doubled in the past two years. We know some of the reasons why. Food prices are higher and rent is rising more here than anywhere else in the country. Federal assistance that helped people make ends meet during the pandemic is gone. We are also the fastest-growing county in Wisconsin. Nearly 13% of kids in Dane County were food insecure in 2022, up from 7.5% in 2021 — and that was before our food pantries started seeing drastic increases in demand.

We’re also spending more on food than ever before.

The options we have to keep our shelves stocked continue to shift and are more limited than they were just a few years ago. Buying food in bulk is more expensive now and our traditional suppliers of free food can’t keep up with the demand. Permanent changes to the food system over the last few years mean there is less surplus available for our food pantries.

These trends make it challenging to keep food on our shelves.

Food pantries have worked hard to stretch our resources, space, and teams as far as possible. The pressure will rise in the coming weeks as kids have less access to free food with schools out for the summer.

You can help.

Making a financial donation to your local food pantry enables them to purchase needed food. We welcome food drives and volunteers, too. We know there is no quick or easy fix to food insecurity and the structural and economic factors that drive it. So we urge our local, county,
state, and federal officials, as well as other community leaders, to help find long-term solutions to food insecurity. We can’t do it alone.

This is a critical moment for us to come together for our neighbors.

When our community supports local food pantries, we are stronger. With access to food, kids can learn, families can work, and seniors can stay healthy. It will take all of us to meet this challenge and make sure our neighbors don’t experience hunger. We are committed to doing all
we can. We are asking you to join us.

In partnership with you,

Allied Food Pantry
Babies & Beyond of WI, Inc.
Badger Prairie Needs Network
Bayview Community Center Pantry
Catholic Multicultural Center
Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin
Deerfield Community Center
East Madison Community Center
Extended Hands Pantry
Fountain of Life Covenant Church
Good Shepherd Food Pantry
Goodman Community Center’s Fritz Food Pantry
Grace Food Pantry
Great Lakes Dryhootch Madison
Heights Unlimited Community Resource Center (Mazomanie)
Islamic Community of Madison
Kennedy Heights Food Pantry
Lakeview Food Pantry
Lussier Community Education Center – Food Pantry
Mission Nutrition DeForest
Neighborhood House Community Center Food Pantry
Neighbors Helping Neighbors, Mt. Horeb
Oregon Area Food Pantry
OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison Food Pantry
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Food Pantry
Stoughton Food Pantry
Stoughton United Methodist Church Food Pantry
Sun Prairie Food Pantry at Sunshine Place
The Keep Food Pantry
The River Food Pantry
Vivent Health Food Pantry
Waunakee Food Pantry
WayForward Resources
Willy Street Pantry at the Social Justice Center

Donate Now

Without food pantries, thousands of people in our community wouldn’t have access to enough food to meet their basic needs.

The demand across six of Dane County’s largest food pantries has reached record highs, more than doubling over the last two years, while charitable giving has plummeted nationwide during that same time period. The 112% increase represents the average increase in the number of household visits across the six pantries between December 2021 and December 2023.

Up to this point, community support has been a critical part of how pantries have met the need, local pantry leaders said.

“We have never turned anyone away, but we have had to put some limits on the amount of food people can take,” said Ellen Carlson, executive director for WayForward Resources in Middleton. “We worry about how we and other local food pantries can continue to ensure that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food.”

The pressure on pantries to meet the need escalated in Spring 2023 as pandemic-era supports phased out, including the expanded child tax credit, universal free school lunches, and increased federal food and rental assistance.

“In the past four years, we’ve felt the impact of a pandemic, inflation, high housing costs and increased migration,” said Tracy Burton, Badger Prairie Needs Network Food Pantry Director. “All of these combined have resulted in over five times the number of visits to our pantry from pre-pandemic levels.”

Rhonda Adams, executive director of The River Food Pantry, said the number of households in need of the pantry’s services began growing steadily over the past few years and then surged when most pandemic relief programs phased out last spring, resulting in over 276,000 visits by households in need of groceries and meals in 2023 alone. “Food insecurity is a communal issue, even if we may not always recognize when it is affecting our friends and neighbors, and support from the broader community will continue to be essential to successfully addressing it,” Adams said.

While inflation has slowed down, prices for basic goods and housing have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The consumer price index, the most widely-followed measure of inflation, remains about 20% higher than it was before the pandemic. In addition, the steep increase in housing costs in Dane County means many households in our community have to focus even more of their income on rent.

“Many of our customers are people who are employed full-time and finding it necessary to choose between paying bills and buying food,” said Francesca Frisque, Goodman Community Center food pantry assistant director, who said growth there has been consistent and “sometimes staggering.”

“We’re thankful for so many generous partners throughout the community, and we have an incredible base of donors who give regularly. Even still, we’re not seeing as many donations come in, and we’re having a hard time keeping our shelves stocked,” Frisque said. “Without help from the community, we wouldn’t be able to meet the need of our Madison neighbors.”

Food pantries help families stretch their budgets so they don’t have to go without basic necessities and can continue to cover costs such as filling their gas tank to get to work and paying for prescriptions.

“We continue to respond to escalating pantry need with a variety of food options so people and families don’t have to choose between paying rent and buying groceries,” said Chris Kane, senior director of client services at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison.

Here are some of their stories:

Jeremy, Marcella (names changed) and their three young kids recently moved to Dane County. Even though both Jeremy and Marcella work full time, it’s still difficult to make rent each month, pay for utilities and buy food and diapers for the family. Thanks to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, they can get essentials like milk, butter, eggs and bread to feed their kids. It’s things that help them get by each month while allowing them to expedite their savings so they can thrive long term.
Ryan and Lexy (names changed) began visiting the WayForward Resources food pantry after he was laid off from a marketing firm where he had a promising career path. Lexy is in treatment for cancer and has significant medical bills. The couple is using all of their savings to maintain the health insurance coverage from Ryan’s former employer while he looks for another job. The pantry is a critical piece of their stability, allowing them to stay in their apartment.
Bill (name changed) visits the Goodman Community Center food pantry every week, and the variety of fresh foods have made a positive impact on his diet. “I use the pantry every week, and it allows me to eat more healthy foods than I could otherwise afford. I’m very grateful for it.” Goodman pantry staff report that many customers share a similar sentiment, with some even bringing photos each week of meals they’ve prepared with food from the pantry.
Mary (name changed) describes her experience at Badger Prairie Needs Network. “I’m a single mom just a hair above qualifying for food help. This pantry is a blessing every time. I have a young child with special needs. The items we get are incredible for him. We get so excited each time we go knowing that he will get food we couldn’t afford.”
“The pantry has helped me be able to stay in my home by providing food when my budget is stretched terribly thin,” a client from The River Food Pantry said. Others who visit The River shared that being able to get food from the pantry meant they did not have to choose between eating and paying other bills. “My child and I would not be eating much without The River groceries. This is our key to getting by,” another client said.
Annie (name changed) found the Sun Prairie Food Pantry during the early days of the pandemic. At the time her son was a baby, and receiving diapers and wipes from the pantry in addition to food was a huge help. When the Child Tax Credit payments ended in 2022, Annie found herself needing to use the pantry again. “We [my husband and I] both work but some months we just can’t make it.” They recently found out they’re expecting again, and they’re relieved to know they can count on the Sun Prairie Food Pantry as their family grows.

“We won’t turn anyone away, and we’re spending more money each month to make sure our shelves are stocked,” said Catie Badsing, manager of food security programs at the Sun Prairie Food Pantry at Sunshine Place. As the gap between wages and cost of living continues to widen, Badsing said pantries will keep seeing more new families who need their services. More than 8% of employed adults in Wisconsin live in food insecure households, according to a recent Census Pulse Household Survey.

“Our shifts outside of regular working hours are our busiest, which means most of our customers are working, sometimes multiple jobs,” Badsing said.

There is a misconception that food pantries operate mainly with state or federal support, but only a small amount of food comes in through the federal Emergency Food Assistance Program. Instead pantries must stock their shelves by relying on a complex web of systems and collaborations. That includes strategic partnerships like those with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, food rescues from local grocery and convenience stores, as well as monetary and food donations from businesses, foundations, churches, and individuals.

“Unfortunately, many grants have stayed at the same levels, pandemic era funding is gone, our guests’ SNAP benefits have been reduced, and our food banks have been struggling to keep up with this growth,” said Burton from Badger Prairie Needs Network. “We’ve been grateful to be in a community that has always risen to the need — but with this enormous growth, we will need to find new sources of food and/or money or will have to restrict access to the pantry.”

While generous food drives at the end of 2023 had a major impact for people in our community, hunger doesn’t end with the holiday season. Donations of money, food and your volunteer time can all make an immediate difference in the lives of so many of our neighbors who need our support now more than ever.

You voted St. Vinny’s Thrift Stores as the best around town. Thank you! And, thank you for shopping and donating. We are proud to operate quality thrift stores and bring you unique, one-of-a-kind events.

Recent awards:

Madison Magazine Best of Madison:

Best Thrift/Secondhand/Consignment Store: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
Best Home Accessories: 2022
Best Clothing (Women): 2022
Best Clothing (Men): 2023, (bronze), 2022 (bronze), 2018 (bronze)

Madison.com People’s Choice:

Consignment/Used Clothing Store/Resale Shop: 2023, 2022, 2021
Clothing Store (Women’s): 2023, 2021
Clothing Store (Men’s): 2023 (bronze)
Charitable Organization: 2022 (silver), 2021 (bronze)

Waunakee’s Tribune Best of Waunakee Awards:

Best Place to Shop for Bargains: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2010
Best Retail Store: 2022

Sun Prairie STAR Best of Sun Prairie Awards

Best Place to Shop for Bargains: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

During November, National Homelessness Awareness Month, take a moment to learn about the realities of homelessness. In our own community, roughly 750 Madison Schools – MMSD students currently experience homelessness.

Key definitions:

Homelessness: “a condition in which an individual or family lacks a fixed, regular, nighttime residence; resides in a public or private residence that is not designed or intended to be a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; lives in a supervised shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements; and/or is at imminent risk of losing their housing and has no subsequent residence identified or resources to obtain other permanent housing.”
Unaccompanied youth / homeless families with children: have experienced a long term period without living independently in permanent housing, have experienced persistent instability as measured by frequent moves over such period, and can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse, the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or multiple barriers to employment.

Source: Cornell Law School

Press release

Madison, WI – The statewide kickoff event for Homelessness Awareness Month will be held at the Wisconsin State Capitol Rotunda on Nov. 1 at noon. This event is open to the public and everyone is invited to attend. Speakers will include state representatives addressing the concerns of homelessness in Wisconsin and individuals speaking about their lived experience of homelessness. This event is an opportunity to build much needed awareness of the homeless crisis in our state.

Local communities around the state may also be holding their own events in the month of November to mark Homelessness Awareness Month.

One of the speakers at the Nov. 1 statewide event will be state Rep. Patrick Snyder (Assembly District 85). According to Rep. Snyder, “Collaboration and coordination among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community groups are crucial to ensure efficient delivery of services and resources to homeless individuals. Establishing interagency partnerships can help streamline processes and maximize the impact of available resources.”

Michael Basford, Director of the Wisconsin Interagency Council on Homelessness, is also scheduled to speak at the statewide kickoff event. “As we reflect in November on the issues of homelessness in our communities, we must recognize that homelessness affects too many people in Wisconsin. It is happening in every area of our state – whether urban, suburban, or rural. It is on all of us to provide help and resources for Wisconsinites experiencing homelessness and ensure that people who need it get access to safe, affordable housing,” said Basford, in preparation for the event.

The Nov. 1 statewide kickoff event will also feature a Ribbon Tree designed to showcase and measure the different types of homelessness experienced in Wisconsin. Works of art, of various media, created by artists depicting how they see, or have personally experienced homelessness, will be on display and available for purchase. Through these events we hope we can come together to find better solutions to address this growing issue of homelessness in our state and communities.

A collection of articles, videos and stories from local news stations on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison.

Sostento (begin watching at 45:29): Uber Rides for Health Equity

Clothing + Furniture Vouchers

Channel3000: 12 Days of Giving — The Kight family

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program

Madison South Rotary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO3UpwWKtog

Food Pantry

In Business Magazine: 3 dozen local food pantries issue call to action over scarce resources

WisPolitics: Local food pantries issue call to action, “Dane County, we need your help.”

Spectrum News: ‘We are facing a serious challenge’: Over 3 dozen pantries come together in call for help

WKOW-27: Local food pantries call on Dane County community for support as demand increases

NBC15: Dane County food pantries pushing for more financial help

News 3 Now: Dane County food pantries ask for assistance

Wisconsin Public Radio: Many Dane County food pantries are spending more on food than ever before

Wisconsin State Journal: Madison-area food pantries struggle to meet rising demand

WORT 89.9: Dane County Food Pantries Issue Call To Action, Amidst Shortages And High Demand

Wisconsin Eye: News Conference: Dane County Food Pantry Leaders on Food Insecurity

WMSN Fox47: St. Vincent de Paul Madison – Personal Care Drive

WMSN Fox47: How you can help local families with our School’s Out Community Care Drive

Isthmus: School’s Out Community Care Drive

WKOW-27: Dane Co. food pantries struggle with 112% increase in demand

NBC15: Dane Co. food pantries seek community support as demand skyrockets

NBC15: Demand at Dane Co. food pantries jumps to 112% over last two years

The Cap Time: Dane County food pantries say demand surged to record highs

NBC15: Madison food pantries seeking volunteers ahead of busiest season

NBC15: Dane Co. non-profit gives wool sweaters a second life, donates funds to food pantries

Wisconsin State Journal: ReMitts spins wool into $750,000 to support Madison food pantries

Isthmus: Give Back Give Thanks

WMSN Fox47: Volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul Madison’s Food Pantry

Sun Prairie STAR: Sun Prairie restaurant partners on food drive

NBC15: Mad Kidney Fest emerges to highlight awareness, kidney-friendly menu options

Wisconsin State Journal: Already reeling from inflated food costs, families now face Foodshare cuts

Wisconsin Public Radio: Food pantries experiencing extremely high demand this holiday season

Madison.com: More demand, higher prices: Madison food pantries feel the pinch of inflation

PBS Wisconsin: Inflation hits Wisconsin food pantries and the families they support

Madison.com: ‘We haven’t hit the ceiling yet;’ Dane County food pantries worried about record demand

Madison365: Area food pantries report record demand, need donations

WKOW-27: Area food pantries report record demand, decreasing donations

The Catholic Herald: Record demand at Dane County food pantries

Sun Prairie Star: Increased demand stressing area food pantries, including Sun Prairie’s

The Badger Herald: Dane County food pantries see record demand

Madison Commons: Dane County food pantries facing more demand than ever before

WORT 89.9 Food pantries struggle to keep up with demand

NBC15: Increased food need exhibited by high demand at Dane County food pantries

InBusiness: Area food pantries report record demand

New 3 Now: Dane County food pantries see record high demand

Middleton Cross Plains Times-Tribune: Demand Up at Food Pantries Around the Area, Donations Needed

The Cap Times: St. Vincent food pantry in Madison sees record-high use

Member Conferences

Channel3000: Society of St. Vincent de Paul holds winter blanket drive

WKOW-27: St. Vincent de Paul hosting annual Recycle the Warmth Blanket Drive

Sun Prairie Star: St. Vinny’s to host ‘Recycle the Warmth’ drive January 27-29

Catholic Review: At National Assembly, members of Society of St. Vincent de Paul urged to renew commitment to home visits

Volunteers

La Movida: El Debate, Wednesday November 15th

NBC 15: Madison food pantries seeking volunteers ahead of busiest season

WMSN Fox47: Volunteer with St. Vincent de Paul Madison’s Food Pantry

The Catholic Herald: St. Vincent de Paul honors dedicated volunteers

Other

Madison365: Elisha Santiago-Barudin becomes first-ever senior director of human resources of Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Madison

The Catholic Herald: Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Madison welcomes senior director of human resources

Read how your care, compassion and encouragement help neighbors in need.

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Mural Showcases Thrift Stores + Charitable Programs

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A beautiful mural now hangs in the lobby of the St. Vincent de Paul Social Services Building! Designed by Eva Pratt, St. Vinny’s Verona Assistant Store Manager, the mural showcases the connection between our thrift stores and charitable programs across Dane County. Additional thanks to Deborah Goedel, St. Vinny’s Verona Store Manager and Leighla Baney, St. Vinny’s Waunakee Assistant Store Manager, for their design collaboration.

When asked about the inspiration, Eva said, “The ideas were all of ours, we collaborated. We thought about the services that we, Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison, offer and talked about the history of our first thrift store on Williamson Street. It was interesting doing research on the store to understand our history. We went with a somewhat 1950s vibe with that section. I knew the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program was going to be upstairs in this building, so I thought that it would be a really nice visual of the mother and children walking up to people helping them. We did some preliminary sketches, looked it over all together, and came to agreement on what looked good. After that, I went for a cleaner sketch and designed the final artwork.”

Building Plans

Current Plans and Renderings Background and FAQs

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison will conduct a building project near the intersection of Williamson Street and S. Baldwin Street in Madison. The zone currently hosts the St. Vincent de Paul Williamson Street Thrift Store and the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program office.

The intent is to demolish two structurally compromised buildings along Baldwin Street – as well as the Williamson Street store’s book room, which shares the lot with one of those buildings. A two-story building at the Baldwin Williamson corner will be erected and a single-story building will be expanded retail space, while the new corner building’s second floor will house the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program, supportive services for single parents of minor children to stabilize their housing and lives.

Brief History

The core mission of the District Council of Madison – Society of St. Vincent de Paul is helping Dane County neighbors in need. A nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the Society has been engaged in that mission in Madison since 1925 and has had a physical locus in the Williamson-Marquette neighborhood since 1941, when SVdP Madison opened a store on Baldwin Street. From that location, St. Vincent de Paul’s retail and service complex grew organically around the Baldwin corner to Williamson Street to become the Society’s local flagship thrift store. The parcel at the corner of Williamson and Baldwin streets has since served as the Society’s busy food pantry and then as the office location of the Seton House women’s transitional housing program – as well the site of the adjoining Willy Street store’s book room.

The Williamson-Baldwin corner property and the original Baldwin Street portion of the thrift-store complex have clearly reached their end of life. SVdP Madison has been advised that the corner “Seton 2” building, an old balloon-frame structure, is not sound enough to salvage and remodel. Compromised wooden roof trusses of the Baldwin retail property have led the Society to empty that space and leave it unused for its usual purpose. The century-old concrete structure of the Baldwin store space is of unknown design capacity. After carefully considering options, St. Vincent de Paul is seeking to rebuild in the footprint of these two parcels. New construction designed to sensitively honor the look and feel of the local traditional shopping street and historic district will best serve the interest of safety, modern code compliance, energy efficiency, sustainability, and avoidance of unintended consequences.

These are key objectives for the future of properties SVdP Madison intends to continue using for purposes toward which the site has long been put. Those purposes are supporting and meeting the Society’s mission by selling and giving away donated goods and by offering other charitable services to local households in need. Through new, historically sensitive construction, SVdP Madison’s plan is to devote almost all first-floor space to retail and – for the corner – parcel create second-floor space focused on serving neighbors in need through SVdP Madison charitable programming.

Selected News Coverage

Madison.com: The changing face of Willy Street: St. Vincent de Paul to demolish 3 buildings by thrift store
Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce: St. Vincent de Paul — Madison announces the groundbreaking for its new building
NBC15: St. Vincent de Paul of Madison breaks ground on store expansion project
Channel3000: (begin video at 08:30) News 3 Now at Five – March 13, 2023
The Catholic Herald: St. Vincent de Paul breaks ground on new renovations
The Cap Times: St. Vincent de Paul plans expansion on Willy Street