Individual assistance

Home visits, food pantries, and compassionate care to needy families

In addition to operating our Retail Thrift Store in Rohnert Park and our free Dining Room in Santa Rosa, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Sonoma also provides community based individual assistance. Call 707.584.1579 for a referral to individual assistance or stop by the Dining Room.

Neighborhood volunteers (called Vincentians), are organized around SVdP Conferences that are located in neighborhoods within the County.

Vincentians provide person to person assistance by visiting the needy in their homes, learning about their specific situation and offering personalized help. Many Conferences operate a pantry or other food program, provide vouchers for clothing and / or furniture and offer compassionate care.

This is one of the distinguishing characteristics between the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other organizations who aid the less-fortunate. Our volunteers strive to help get people on the road to independence and self reliance by understanding their individual situation.

While we are delighted to assist those who seek us out through our Dining Room or Thrift Store, our volunteers try to identify people who might benefit from our services, often going into people’s homes to learn the extent of the needs.

Vincentians making the home visit may offer assistance by linking them to our Free Dining Room or Retail Thrift Store; introducing them to our partner agencies for individual case management, job training or government assistance; or offering housing referrals or spiritual guidance.

It is our goal to provide not only immediate help, but also help to build bridges to long term solutions. We help individuals to resolve the issues that put them in a position of need in the first place.