Main Menu
When Natasha was homeless, she slept sitting upright in her car surrounded by her personal belongings. After a chance encounter with two St. Vincent de Paul conference members, she began storing her most precious possessions at Vinny’s Lockers, a long-term goods storage program near the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry & Service Center.
“I needed a place to store my most valuable things like my mother’s ashes, a picture of my grandpa, and photo albums of my kids and my childhood stuff and some jewelry,” Natasha said. “Nothing that’s worth anything, but it’s important to me. It’s.. you know, money can’t buy these things, these memories.”
Your support of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison helps vulnerable neighbors in ways meaningful to them. For Natasha and others struggling to regain stability, Vinny’s Lockers has been a God-send. This unique program offers free storage for up to 45 people, allowing them to safely store their personal papers, family mementos, and out-of-season clothing. Volunteer hosts request people check in every 60 days to extend their storage. Since self-storage unit costs about $40-$70 per month (money neighbors struggling with homelessness don’t often have), Vinny’s Lockers fills this need and is the only resource of its kind in Dane County.
Vinny’s Lockers is one of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison’s smallest charitable programs in terms of the monetary value of goods and services provided. But, its services actually have the biggest personal value as Vinny’s Lockers protects the priceless belongings of homeless people.
“Mike and Vinny’s Lockers was just a super great little corner in my soul where I felt things were safe.” – Natasha, Vinny’s Lockers user
Vinny’s Lockers in Madison
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
Last spring, Natasha got evicted from her apartment. After a prosperous 40-year career with companies like Apple and Mattel, she had become addicted to alcohol and had lost her job. She had very little money and wasn’t connected to any resources for help. She was stressed and worried about the safety of her personal items because she was living out of her car.
As she was returning to her car one morning, Natasha saw a note on her dashboard. It was from Mike and Kathy Meehan, two St. Vincent de Paul conference members who had noticed her car in the neighborhood and wanted to help her. They offered to meet with Natasha.
“It was just kind of surreal and I don’t remember what I really thought,” Natasha recalled. “It didn’t look suspicious or anything to me. It seemed super genuine, so why not call them?”
Natasha met with the couple who brought her lunch and some gift cards. She told them her situation and they connected her with Vinny’s Lockers where she could store her belongings. She said the visit was one of the many miracles for her during this season of life.
Natasha went to Vinny’s Lockers after the visit. Most of her items went into two large plastic tubs; documents and photos went into a fireproof cabinet. Natasha says she felt a weight lift off her shoulders when she left Vinny’s Lockers. Being homeless, she had been focused on taking care of her basic needs and worrying about the safety of her belongings was causing her stress. She couldn’t think of anything else because she had her belongings with her, she recalls. Knowing her items were safe at Vinny’s Lockers gave her peace of mind and helped her come out of the mental fog she had been suffering. In addition, being in contact with volunteers provided her consistency and the ability to build a relationship with people that could help her.
“Mike and Vinny’s Lockers was just a super great little corner in my soul where I felt things were safe,” Natasha remembered. “He kept in touch and I reported my progress to him as I was going. And it was all good stuff as I finally got serious about getting out of that hell I had been living in.”
Image of St. Vincent de Paul at Vinny’s Lockers
Bins at Vinny’s Lockers
During this time, Natasha stayed at The Salvation Army and The Beacon. At one point she noticed a flyer for Just Bakery, an educational and vocational training program. She applied, completed rigorous coursework, and recently graduated from the program earning her ServeSafe certificate and credits towards a Madison College culinary degree. Natasha now has a job at Festival Foods and is living in a sober living community. When she was finally able to gather her things from Vinny’s Lockers and place them on the shelves of her own apartment, it was a very special moment.
“I’ve been able to get my things on the shelves and it’s just been quite a journey, Natasha said. “Mike and his wife and Vinny’s Lockers has always been that one little safe place in my heart or soul or whatever you want to call it where I knew I had my important stuff and so then I got it back. I don’t know what I would have done if they didn’t have the lockers. It was just one, first, little glimmer of hope that helped me get out. It’s just one rung on the ladder. It was an important rung.”
Reflecting back about the difficulties of being homeless, Natasha said many people don’t realize it’s a full-time job. It’s almost impossible to put into words how difficult being homeless is with all of the physical and emotional dangers, especially for women. It’s a full-time job getting through every day. And for people suffering from addiction and being homeless, it’s not as easy as it would seem to “just stop drinking, just stop doing drugs, just get a job” Natasha said. Alcoholism was part of her story, and addiction can happen to anybody. Now, she hopes to get into a position where she can make a difference and give back.
“There’s a million other Natasha’s out there and Jims and Johns and Daves and Marks and Sarahs that are all stuck in it and can’t get out of it, ” Natasha said. “And that’s the people I want to help. What I want to do with the rest of my life is figure out a way to get a position somewhere myself just to help people who are going through it. What I’ve gone through.”
————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————————
Your support of Vinny’s Lockers makes a big difference in the lives of Dane County neighbors. Not only do you provide a safe place for people to store their personal belongings, you give peace of mind to neighbors like Natasha who know their items are safe. The personal service volunteers provide at Vinny’s Lockers is especially meaningful as well.
When people are homeless, hungry, lacking medication, or in need of basic essentials, they turn to you and St. Vincent de Paul — Madison for help. Thank you for alleviating suffering and preventing family homelessness. Every dollar you give provides essential help to neighbors this summer. Donate now: Donate.
Sorting through personal items at Vinny’s Lockers