Carolyn & Jack

More people than ever are struggling with lost jobs, low wages, depleted retirement accounts, rising food costs, home foreclosures, & other economic perils

Note: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients and all images are stock for illustration purposes only.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides a critical safety net of caring services to bridge the gap for those that are temporarily suffering financial hardship and strives to pave a road of independence for families who have been afflicted for generations.

Carolyn and Jack are married, with three children. For the last 10 years, they’ve been renting an apartment in Santa Rosa. Jack works in construction, while Carolyn is a Teacher’s Aide.

Jack was laid off from his full time job during the housing bust, and immediately started looking for another. Unable to find one, he began taking part time construction work, but he often didn’t work for weeks at a time. The family lost their health insurance when Jack was laid off.

Barely making ends meet on Jack’s part time work and Carolyn’s job, the family couldn’t afford health insurance. Then the unexpected happened. Their son Kenny had a skateboarding accident. He fractured his leg and arm and had other injuries as well. The medical bills were all it took to collapse their already weakened financial foundation.

They missed a rent payment, then another. Soon they were evicted. Before they knew it, the family was living in two dingy motel rooms. That’s when, for the first time in their lives, they didn’t have the resources to feed their children.

The motel manager told them about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s Dining Room. During their first visit they were shy and subdued. Fortunately it didn’t take long for the family to be swept up in the kindness, compassion and support they received from their fellow diners and the Dining Room volunteers.

They learned about our Thrift Store just in time to get school clothes for the children there this year. “I don’t know what we would have done without St. Vincent’s” says Carolyn. “Jack finally got a full time job that starts December 1st. It isn’t in construction, it’s retail, but at least he gets medical insurance! We can’t thank you enough.”